The city of Fresno is poised to settle the excessive force lawsuit brought by London Wallace for $500,000, attorneys confirmed to The Bee. Wallace sued Fresno Police Department, alleging Officer Christopher Martinez used excessive force in a 2019 incident where body camera footage showed Martinez punching Wallace, then 17, multiple times. The Fresno City Council still must approve the settlement. A Fresno police spokesperson referred questions about the settlement to City Hall. Sontaya Rose, spokesperson for the mayor’s office, declined to comment Wednesday. Wallace’s attorneys, Warren Paboojian and Nolan Kane, said Wallace, now 20, is satisfied with the settlement. “It was a long process,” Kane said. “He wants to move on with his life. “It’s too bad it took so long to reach a resolution, and the city of Fresno fought so hard when it was clearly an overreaction by the officer,” Kane said. Wallace’s case became national news once the body camera footage was released. Fresno’s independent police reviewer in 2020 found the officer used excessive force when he repeatedly punched Wallace. Independent reviewer John Gliatta admitted withholding the report with his finding, citing concerns the findings could lead to civil unrest during a time when protests erupted in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd.
