Laguna Beach City Council
members will decide whether to accept a legal consultant's suggestion the city
deny a man's claim that a police officer mistreated him while he slept in his
car on Nov. 30.
Porto claims Officer Mike
Jeffries violently awakened him at 2:30 a.m. Nov. 30 while he slept in his car
in front of 300 El Paseo near Main Beach during a rainstorm, according to
Porto's claim filed with the city clerk on May 29.
"Officer Jeffries banged
on the roof of claimants' vehicle multiple times to awaken claimant
[Porto]," according to the claim, which also said a female officer
accompanied Jeffries. "Disabled claimant [Porto] suffered severe emotional
and physical trauma of being awakened violently by strangers ... [the
officer's] actions were intentional, malicious, uncivilized and shocking."
Police issued Porto a $43
citation for violating the city's municipal code, which prohibits a person from
parking a car on any public street, beach or park, where someone can't see
inside the vehicle.
A sunshade covered the front
windshield while towels hung from the inside on the driver- and passenger-side
windows, Porto said in an email.
Covering the windows with
towels helped keep the vehicle warm and added privacy, said Porto, who said he
was homeless at the time.