Jury awards more than $3 million to Salem man falsely arrested by an officer who used excessive force

“I give all the praise to God,” said Christopher Garza, 49, after the verdict was read in court. The father of four who works as a barber and lives in Salem said he will be able to fulfill his mission to help build churches. (Maxine Bernstein/The Oregonian/OregonLive)

This story was originally published by the Oregonian/OregonLive and is reprinted with permission.

A jury Thursday awarded more than $3 million in damages to a Salem man wrongly accused by a police officer of stealing a car and then shoved against a patrol car and handcuffed after he walked away.

The eight-member jury ordered the city of Salem to pay $2 million to Christopher Garza in punitive damages, $1 million in non-economic damages and $150,000…

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