Paralyzed Tucson man files claim against county for $176M Axeel Melendez, a 24-year-old Tucson man who was paralyzed after Pima County Sheriff’s Department deputies raided his home and shot him, has filed a notice of claim seeking $176 million in damages from the county and its law enforcement agencies. The lawsuit alleges that the deputies acted recklessly, ignoring multiple warnings about a swatting threat from hackers, and entered Melendez’s residence despite knowing he was a target of a fake call. Melendez’s lawyer, Dev Sethi, filed the notice of claim on July 24, detailing that the deputies’ actions resulted in a complete spinal cord injury, a broken right leg, and lifelong medical expenses. The claim states that at least two of the eight bullets fired by the deputies struck Melendez, leaving him a paraplegic. Sethi argues that Melendez deserves compensation for past and future medical costs, which are estimated at $25 million, as well as $7 million in lost wages for the career he planned to pursue in auto engineering. The total claim includes $80 million each from the county and the sheriff’s department, plus an additional $16 million for emotional damages to Melendez’s mother, Carmen. The case has drawn renewed attention to swatting, a criminal tactic where hackers make fake emergency calls to law enforcement to trick officers into raiding a home. According to the claim, Melendez had previously reported swatting threats to the sheriff’s department. A deputy who followed up on his initial call noted the threat information would be relayed to proper channels, but the department failed to act on subsequent warnings.#pima_county #pima_county_sheriff_department #pima_regional_critical_incident_team #axeel_melendez #dev_sethi
Swatting Victim Sues Pima County Sheriff's Office for $176 Million in Medical and Emotional Damages A 24-year-old Arizona man, Axeel Melendez, and his mother, Carmen Melendez, have filed a notice of claim against the Pima County Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Chris Nanos, signaling their intent to pursue a lawsuit worth $176 million. The case centers on a swatting incident that left Melendez with severe physical injuries and long-term health complications. According to Arizona Public Media, Melendez’s attorney, Dev Sethi, alleges that the sheriff’s department failed to properly assess the legitimacy of a fake 911 call, resulting in a deadly law enforcement response that left Melendez partially paralyzed. The incident began on April 10 when an individual impersonating Melendez called the non-emergency 311 line and falsely reported that his father had shot his sister. The call included the Melendez family’s address in Pima County. Sethi described the call as riddled with “red flags,” including the use of a non-emergency number and the caller’s inability to correctly pronounce Melendez’s first name. Despite these warning signs, the 911 operator allegedly dismissed Melendez’s concerns, telling him, “Don’t worry, that’s not how it works. They can’t just call 911 and have the SWAT team show up at your house.” Melendez, believing an intruder was breaking into his home, grabbed his legally owned handgun and took cover behind his bedroom door. Pima County deputies, however, proceeded to break through the window and open fire, according to the lawsuit. The attack left Melendez with a spinal cord injury, broken ribs, a fractured leg, and partial paralysis.#chris_nanos #pima_county_sheriff_s_office #axeel_melendez #carmen_melendez #dev_sethi
