POLICE ARREST MAN WHO GOT BIG SETTLEMENT

Las Vegas A man who won a $15 million settlement after being shot and
paralyzed by Los Angeles police was arrested on drug charges.

Police said Javier Ovando, 23, was traveling through Nevada with five
others on March 13 when their car was stopped for speeding. They said
Ovando was carrying $50,000 in cash and that marijuana and cocaine were
found in the car.

The six were booked on charges including transportation of a controlled
substance, possession of marijuana, and cocaine trafficking.

Ovando was freed on $26,000 bail and was scheduled to appear in court on
April 17. His attorney, Gregory Moreno, denied Ovando was transporting drugs.

"He might have been in a vehicle where drugs were found. They weren't his,"
Moreno said Tuesday.

In 1996, Los Angeles police officers shot Ovando and allegedly planted a
gun next to him. The case came to symbolize allegations that officers in
the city's Rampart station beat, robbed and shot suspects.

An investigation led to charges being dismissed or overturned in about 100
cases, and to the convictions of three officers.

The scandal became public in September 1999 when former officer Rafael
Perez said he and former partner Nino Durden shot Ovando, at the time a
19-year-old suspected gang member, during a stakeout.