Brothers say LAPD cop caused high-speed crash during street racing that left them seriously injured – NBC Los Angeles

Two brothers who were seriously injured when their car was struck by an LAPD patrol car in Encino in June have filed a negligence lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles and the LAPD, claiming the officer behind the wheel was driving unnecessarily fast, at 80 miles per hour, immediately before the impact.

Stephen and Richard Paper, 74 and 76, were in a Toyota Camry that was struck from the side by the LAPD patrol car traveling south on Balboa Boulevard as the brothers turned left to head west onto Burbank Boulevard.

“What makes this accident so ironic and stupid is that this officer was assigned to monitor street racing in this area at the time. He was part of the street racing task force,” said attorney Robert S. Glassman, who is representing the Paper brothers in their lawsuit.

An LAPD traffic accident investigation report found police officer Jason C. Stevenson responsible for the accident, which occurred shortly before 8:00 p.m. on June 4, 2024.

“The primary cause of his accident is Party 1's (Jason Stevenson) violation of California Highway Code Section 22350, namely, excessive speed,” wrote the LAPD accident investigator.

Glassman said data from the police car's event recorder showed the patrol car was traveling at 80 mph immediately before the crash and the speed at the moment of impact was recorded at 55 mph.

The LAPD accident report stated that if the officer had been driving at the speed limit (45 mph), “this accident would not have occurred” because the brothers would have had enough time to turn at the intersection.

The LAPD released a statement a day after the accident, before the investigation was complete, that the officer was trying to catch another speeding car when the accident occurred.

“A street racing task force assigned to the Valley Traffic Division heard a vehicle with a loud exhaust and then observed the vehicle traveling south on Balboa Boulevard at a high rate of speed,” the statement said.

The ministry declined to comment on the specific allegations in the lawsuit on Friday, citing its policy not to discuss pending civil litigation.

Glassman said the brothers led active lives before suffering catastrophic physical injuries in the accident and said the men are still receiving inpatient treatment.

He said the collision was emblematic of the danger posed by police officers who exceed the speed limit.

“He didn't turn on his lights or siren, I can't imagine a scenario where that would be appropriate,” Glassman said.

The I-Team reported last year that nearly a quarter of all LAPD chases in recent years have resulted in collisions and that the people most frequently injured have been “third parties,” members of the public who had nothing to do with the police operation.