The family on Thursday announced the settlement, which included $6 million from the city of Fresno, $4 million from Fresno County and an undisclosed amount from a \u201cprivate ambulance company,\u201d according to Neil Gehlawat, one of the Los Angeles-based attorneys from Taylor & Ring<\/a> who represented the family.<\/p>\n \u201cI think they understand this record settlement of sort of being an acknowledgement of the wrongdoing that occurred, and not having to sit through the pain of a multi-week trial not knowing, of course, how things would turn out,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Gehlawat noted he was not allowed to name the private ambulance company as part of the settlement. American Ambulance was named in the court filings. The law firm said it believes the pre-trial settlement was a record amount for an incident involving Fresno police.<\/p>\n The Fresno City Attorney\u2019s Office said Wednesday that it had no comment. The county released a statement through spokesperson Sonja Dosti, who confirmed the settlement after \u201cgood faith negotiations in mediation.\u201d<\/p>\n Gehlawat said the family decided to settle after nine years, and feels relieved.<\/p>\n \u201cI think they wanted to see justice and accountability, and I give them a lot of credit because I\u2019m not sure that a lot of other families could have muscled through nine years of litigation to get to the finish line,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n American Ambulance did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit cited qualified immunity in its findings in favor of first responders in 2024, upholding an earlier court\u2019s ruling. One judge wrote in her opinion that a reasonable jury could have found officers violated Joseph Perez\u2019s Fourth and 14th Amendment rights.<\/p>\n That ruling kept the civil case out of federal court, so the family sued in state court.<\/p>\n The asphyxiation of Joseph Perez<\/p>\n Perez, an air conditioning repairman, was married and had two children, his family previously told The Fresno Bee. They said he was the oldest of five children and loved camping, music and dancing. Perez was killed within two miles of his home, his family said.<\/p>\n Dispatchers received a call about 10:30 a.m. on May 10, 2017, about a man \u201cacting strange, running and yelling\u201d on Palm Avenue near Santa Fe Drive, the Fresno County Sheriff\u2019s Office has said.<\/p>\n Fresno police patrol officers were the first to encounter Perez before sheriff\u2019s deputies arrived. \u201cMembers of both agencies contacted the man and detained him,\u201d a sheriff\u2019s news release said<\/a> about the incident the day after it occurred.<\/p>\n Because of Perez\u2019s mental state, law enforcement officers called an ambulance. The news release did not mention Perez being handcuffed or give details about what happened next. But \u201cduring the drive to the hospital, the suspect died,\u201d the news release said.<\/p>\n This story was originally published October 1, 2026 at 1:12 PM.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Fresno Bee<\/p>\n In this undated picture, Fresno residents Anthony and Cecilia Perez stand with their son, Joseph Perez, for a photograph. The Perez family has sued the city of Fresno and Fresno County in federal court for wrongful death, accusing police and sheriff’s deputies of killing Joseph Perez in May 2017. A coroner’s report says Perez, 41, had methamphetamine in his body but died of “compression asphyxia during restraint” and said his death was the result of a homicide. Special to The Bee
![\"Anthony](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/FRS_Perezpolicedeath1.jpeg\" "\\"FRS_Perezpolicedeath1\\"")
Anthony and Cecilia Perez become emotional while watching May 2017 police body camera video capturing officers using a backboard to restrain their son Joseph Perez before he died. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com ![\"Lawyers](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/FRS_Perezpolicedeath2.jpeg\" "\\"FRS_Perezpolicedeath2\\"")
Lawyers John Taylor and Neil Gehlawat sit with members of Joseph Perez\u2019s family while they watch a May 2017 police body camera video capturing officers using a backboard to restrain Joseph Perez before he died. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com <\/p>\n