Monday, July 25, 2016 | 6 p.m.
A woman who accused a Metro Police officer of using excessive force against her last year will receive a $200,000 settlement.
The department’s Fiscal Affairs Committee approved the six-figure settlement Monday for Amanda Vizcarrondo-Ortiz, who had filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Metro, the officer and his partner, alleging that she suffered permanent injuries to her face, neck, teeth and back during her arrest.
The incident dates back to January 2015 when Officer Richard Scavone approached Vizcarrondo-Ortiz in a hotel parking lot near Tropicana Avenue and Interstate 15. Officials said Scavone suspected she was loitering there for prostitution-related purposes.
Video footage from Scavone’s body camera showed him slamming the woman’s head into his patrol vehicle and grabbing her breast while arresting her, authorities said. The charges against Vizcarrondo-Ortiz have since been dropped.
A federal grand jury later indicted Scavone on federal excessive-force and obstruction charges. The police department fired him in September.
Metro officials declined to release video footage of the incident, citing the pending criminal trial.
The five-person Fiscal Affairs Committee is made up of two representatives from the Las Vegas City Council, two from the Clark County Commission and one independent member.
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