Orange County Opts to Settle Lawsuit in Deputy Shooting of Unarmed Marine

Orange County supervisors Tuesday authorized their attorneys to negotiate a settlement in a lawsuit filed by the family of a 31- year-old Marine sergeant fatally shot by an Orange County sheriff's deputy at San Clemente High School.

The supervisors discussed the parameters of a settlement offer in closed session, but no other information was made public. The supervisors voted unanimously to begin settlement talks with the family of Marine Sgt. Manuel Levi Loggins Jr., who was shot Feb. 7 last year.

"Obviously it's a terrible tragedy every way around," Orange County Board Chairman Shawn Nelson said. "It's just a tragedy and there isn't anyone involved who wouldn't agree."

Nelson said the supervisors have a "duty on behalf of the taxpayers" and "to do right by the people who put in a claim."

The Loggins family's attorney, Brian Dunn, was not immediately available for comment.

Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas announced on Sept. 28 that his office determined Deputy Darren Sandberg was justified in fatally shooting Loggins, whose two daughters, 9 and 14, were in the back seat of nearby SUV.

The Camp Pendleton-based Marine appeared angry and was speeding before he crashed a GMC Yukon through the high school's gate about 4:45 a.m., according to prosecutors.

Sandberg, who was in a another part of the parking lot, filling out paperwork near the end of his shift, saw what happened and went to investigate. He pulled up behind the SUV and ordered Loggins out.

Loggins got out of the SUV, but he started walking toward the school's athletic field, ignoring orders to stop, according to the sheriff's department. When he turned back toward Sandberg, he was fatally shot.

Loggins turned out to be unarmed.

Loggins, a native of Joliet, Ill., liked to take his family to the athletic field for early morning workouts and Bible study, Dunn has said. The shooting created a rift between the sheriff's department and Camp Pendleton officials, who were critical of the incident.

The Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs, the union that represents deputies, issued the following statement:

"It is heartbreaking that Manuel Loggins created the situation that put his children in danger and ultimately cost him his life. While the actions of our deputy clearly prevented serious harm from coming to the Loggins children and other innocents that morning, the decision to use deadly force is the heaviest of burdens that come with the badge. It is a decision no law enforcement officer ever wants to be forced to make. This is clearly a tragedy for all involved -- for the Loggins family, for the deputy, and for the Orange County Sheriff's Department."

- City News Service