City Settles With Woman Who Attempted Suicide in Local Jail

An attorney representing a 31-year-old woman who suffered a traumatic brain injury after attempting suicide behind bars in the Pasadena jail said his legal team has reached an $8.5 million settlement agreement with the city.

Margarita Perez was arrested in February 2015 on suspicion of grand theft, felony evading and two outstanding arrest warrants after reportedly leading police on a car chase in a stolen vehicle that ended on the 210 freeway.

After being placed in jail, she later hanged herself from a second-story railing for 26 minutes before jail staff intervened, according to the lawsuit.

Surveillance video inside the jail showed Perez preparing to hang herself, the suit said.

According to the lawsuit, the jail staff failed to monitor and intervene during her suicide attempt over an extended period of time.

“Our client was suffering and was calling out for help,” said lead plaintiff attorney Michael Carrillo. “The jail staff tragically failed to follow the basic responsibility of watching inmates in order to protect them from self-harm,” he added.

According to Pasadena Public Information Officer Lisa Derderian the city has taken steps to ensure safety since the incident happened.

“The City recognizes the circumstances surrounding this 2015 incident are extremely tragic, and hopes that this settlement will allow the parties to move forward,” Derderian said. “The City is committed to suicide prevention to protect the well-being of all those in its detention facility awaiting court proceedings.  Many suicide and jail safety enhancements have been instituted since 2015 including the use of body-worn cameras, on site and on-call medical clearance providers, on-going suicide crisis and prevention courses, rescue training, and in-house protocol drills.  Enhancement efforts also include upgraded viewing monitors, housing visibility, and motion alerts for quicker awareness and faster responses to any concerns. The employee on duty at the time of the incident was removed and is no longer employed by the Pasadena Police Department.”

According to Carrillo, there was an officer posted to watch the monitors and watch the area. That officer was not named in the lawsuit.

“When someone is in custody and police know they have a mental illness, police have a responsibility to intervene and make sure they are safe,” Carrillo said.

The loss of oxygen to the brain for 21 minutes left Perez with a permanent, traumatic brain injury. According to her attorneys, Perez is paralyzed from the neck down, bedridden, blind, and can’t communicate and requires around the clock care for all her daily care needs.

“We’re very pleased we could reach a resolution that will help our client’s quality of life,” said attorney Luis Carrillo. “This settlement will provide Ms. Perez with the professional nursing care she needs and offer her family some desperately needed respite.”