An Iraq War veteran who was wounded by police during a 2011 Occupy protest in Oakland, Calif. has reached a $4.5 million settlement with the city, The San Francisco Chronicle reported on Friday.
Scott Olsen, 26, was struck in the head by a beanbag fired by a police officer on Oct. 25, 2011. He was part of a protest against the police clearing of an Occupy Oakland encampment outside City Hall.
“We’re very pleased that Scott is finally getting some compensation,” Rachel Lederman, one of Olsen’s attorneys, told the Chronicle. “He was very seriously injured and sustained some serious brain damage as a result of being shot at close range.”
Olsen filed a federal lawsuit over the incident, which stated that the beanbag had fractured his skull and caused “severe hemorrhaging of his brain.” The Oakland City Attorney’s office announced Friday that it would pay Olsen $1.8 million, while the city’s insurance carrier would pay the balance of the settlement.
“Mr. Olsen suffered a tragic injury that will affect him for the rest of his life,” City Attorney Barbara Parker said in a statement. “This settlement will save the City the far greater costs of a trial and potentially much higher judgment. This is a fair settlement given the facts of the case and the significant injuries Mr. Olsen sustained.”
According to the Chronicle, Olsen enlisted in the Marines in 2006, served two tours in Iraq, and was discharged in 2010.
