Cops justified in shooting Marine 37 times

Ten years ago, Robert Medina, a Marine with post-traumatic stress disorder, led 18 officers and 13 police cars on a chase on I-15 through Oceanside, finally ending in Encinitas. The officers used spike strips and other techniques to halt Medina; they eventually shot his tires out.

After he appeared to turn his car to drive at one of the officers, the police opened fire, shooting him 37 times. His wife, with whom he had argued that night, filed suit against California Highway Patrol officers Leo Nava, Julia Cahill, and Timothy Fenton, and San Diego deputy sheriffs Mark Ritchie and Karla Taft for depriving her late husband of his 4th and 14th Amendment rights.

The case went through numerous iterations and amended suits over the years. On December 21st, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ended the case against the defendants.

"No reasonable jury could find that the officers' decision to fire on Medina's truck constituted a violation of the Fourth Amendment right to be free from excessive force," ruled the appellate panel. It also dismissed the 14th Amendment charges.