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PASADENA INDEPENDENT /
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Thursday, December 21, 2017 - December 27, 2017
PASADENA_INDEPENDENT
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VOLUME 20, NO. 51
Beating Victim Chris Ballew Files Civil Claim for Damages Against City of Pasadena Claim filed against Pasadena Police Officers Esparza, Lujan and Chief Sanchez Story & Photos Terry MILLER tmiller@beaconmedianews.com
T
he city of Pasadena has been tightlipped on an incident that has garnered a barrage of media attention worldwide in the past week after an unknown person video-taped an altercation between a motorist and Pasadena Police officers at a local gas station Nov. 9. The city, did, however, release body worn camera footage late last Friday. The videos and entire incident as well as dash cam video showing the altercation are available for all to see on our website and the city of Pasadena’s site. https://ww5.cityofpasadena.net/city-manager/publicaffairs/november-9-2017-incident-videos/ In addition to severely beating Chris Ballew, one of the two officers, Larry Esparza, also pulled his service weapon on the suspect with his finger on the trigger after he was already on the ground, handcuffed and severely injured. On Wednesday morning, a press conference with the victim of the beating, Chris Ballew was held at Attorney John Burton’s office in Pasadena. His mother and father and sister were also in
Chris Ballew, flanked by his parents, talks to media at a press conference Wednesday morning. Inset, Chief Sanchez is named in the claim. - Photo by Terry Miller: The inset photos ( below Chief Sanchez) showing Ballew’s injuries are courtesy of the family
SEE BALLEW PAGE 10
Pasadena Firefighters Pay Tribute to Fallen Comrade Cory Iverson
PASADENA SCHOOL BOARD BEGINS BUDGET REDUCTIONS WITH DIFFICULT CUTS Gus HERRERA gherrera@beaconmedianews.com
Although the “season of giving” may be underway for the rest of us, the members of
the Pasadena Unified School District’s (PUSD) Board of Education face a much bleaker outlook heading into the New Year. In the midst of a multi-
million-dollar deficit, the board has been tasked with making all the difficult cuts necessary to keep the school SEE BUDGET PAGE 11
LIFESTYLE
Vendome
Christmas Meets Harry
and
Potter
Spirits Puts a Twist on Modern Bottle Shop
Page 17
at
Angeles and Orange counties. An autopsy on the firefighter killed in the massive Thomas Fire — which has burned over 400 square miles — revealed his cause of death
to be thermal injuries and smoke inhalation, the Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office said Saturday. SEE TRIBUTE PAGE 11
SPORTS
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT Wine
The procession for Cory Iverson, a 32-year-old Cal Fire engineer from Escondido, began Sunday morning and passed through the 101 Freeway across Ventura, Los
Remembering Monrovia Great Hardiman Cureton
Universal
Studios Hollywood
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