Man guilty of infractions in downtown incident
A man who claims Hermosa police zapped him with a Taser and struck him with a baton or a flashlight in a downtown incident was convicted of having an open container of alcohol and littering, and was fined $1,400 for the infractions. Commissioner Steven L. Berman handed down the decision on Thursday, following two half-days of trial with eight witnesses, said attorney Damian Capozzola, who prosecuted the case for the City of Hermosa Beach. Capozzola said Brian Seidensticker was holding an open beer bottle and arguing with another man when Hermosa Beach Police Officer Nick Garcia came upon him. Garcia was looking for a suspect in an assault that had occurred nearby, and paused to break up the argument and tell Seidensticker to pour out his beer, Capozzola said. Seidensticker threw down the beer bottle, breaking it, and ran, with Garcia following him, Capozzola said. Seidensticker ran past the scene of the assault, where police and firefighters were aiding the victim and talking to witnesses, when Officer Everett Faulk zapped him with the Taser, thinking Garcia was chasing their assault suspect, Capozzola said. A civil claim for damages filed by Seidensticker alleged that he was…
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