AUSTIN, Texas — The City of Austin continues to pay settlements related to the racial justice protests in 2020.
At Thursday's meeting, the Austin City Council agreed to pay nearly $2 million to two protesters who were shot and injured by less-lethal, or "beanbag" rounds. Since the incident occurred, APD has stopped using those rounds.
The recent settlement now makes the total amount paid by the city higher than $22 million, with it being another instance of the city council voting to settle with protesters in the fallout following the 2020 racial justice protests in downtown Austin.
In February 2023, the council voted to pay a total of $1.5 million to three different protesters who were injured by APD officers in May 2020.
The three settlements approved in February 2023 were:
- $375,000 to Jason Gallagher, a Travis County resident who stated that he was pepper sprayed by two APD officers, hit in the back by a third officer's baton and pushed
- $450,000 to Steven Arawn, a Travis County resident who said APD shot his wrist and hand with a beanbag round while he was providing help to a fallen protestor, leaving him seriously injured
- $675,000 to Nicole Underwood, a Hays County resident who stated APD shot her in her torso with one of the beanbag rounds
Additionally, in March 2024, APD reached a $55,000 settlement with Eli Winkelman, a woman who was thrown to the ground by an officer during racial justice protests in August 2020. Attorneys for Winkelman claim that she was filming a demonstration against police when she began filming a protester being arrested. While she was filming the arrest, an officer knocked her phone out of her hand. After asking for the officer's badge number, he allegedly shoved her, while another officer grabbed her by the neck and threw her to the ground.