Children Sue Westfield Mall, Shooting Suspect Over Father's Death

LOS ANGELES, CA — A lawsuit was brought against Westfield Century City Mall on behalf of three children of a man fatally shot outside a restaurant in January, alleging police should have been called after an argument broke out among patrons before the situation escalated.

The shooting occurred about 10:30 p.m. Jan. 20 at the mall in the 10200 block of Santa Monica Boulevard and resulted in the death of Ryan Deshane Givens Jr., 29, of Los Angeles.

The three plaintiffs are minors and the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit filed Monday alleges wrongful death, negligence and assault and battery. Also named as defendants are Javier's Century City, a Mexican food restaurant, and the accused shooter, 27-year-old Brandon Hinton.

The suit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. A representative for the Century City Mall could not be immediately reached.

Hinton was arrested in Baltimore on March 16 by FBI agents and extradited to Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The shooting occurred after an argument between women that began in the restaurant, moved outside and "turned fatal once the males became involved," according to the suit.

The argument should have prompted mall security or the restaurant staff to call the police at the first sign the situation could become violent, especially because alcohol is served at Javier's, the suit states.

Hinton armed himself and chased Givens around the outside of the mall and shot him multiple times, according to the suit.

Detectives tracked a "blood trail through the mall," LAPD Detective John Radke said previously.

Givens died at a hospital early the next morning, the suit states.

—City News Service