LAS VEGAS (KSNV MyNews3) -- Nearly $300,000 of your tax money will be going to pay out a settlement against Metro.
The Metro Fiscal Affairs Committee gave the go-ahead this morning.
The case dates back to 2004 and involves a stun gun incident where a man later died.
An attorney for Metro says the potential cost to the department could top $1 million if it lost in court. Instead, Metro will now pay out a final settlement of $295,000.
The 2004 incident involved Keith Tucker. Tucker's roommate called police saying he was destroying property and acting "erratically."
The situation escalated into a fight between Tucker and two officers. During the fight, Tucker was hit with a stun gun four times -- the last time while handcuffed.
A coroner says Tucker ultimately died of cardiac arrest.
Shortly after, Metro changed its policy on using a stun gun on a person while handcuffed. Attorneys say that policy reversal might have posed a problem in court because by Metro changing the rule, it could have implied some culpability in the incident.
If Metro took this to court, they ran the risk of losing around $1 million in taxpayer money. Instead, $295,000 will go to Keith's father, Sanford, to settle this eight-year-old case.
Also, the department has already spent $300,000 in legal fees.
