On Dec. 14, 2015, plaintiffs’ decedent Mharloun Saycon, 39, a previously diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic, was at Looff’s Lite-a-Line, a gaming establishment in Long Beach, when workers attempted to escort him out of the establishment. Subsequently, at around 10 p.m., two Long Beach police officers, Vuong Nguyen and Robert Cruz, responded to Looff’s after customers complained that Saycon had a pocket knife and that workers needed help escorting him out. The officers ordered Saycon to drop the knife and they both struck him with an electric stun weapon. Cruz also hit Saycon with a baton before officer Nguyen shot Saycon eight times. Saycon subsequently died at the scene. The decedent’s parents, Khanly Saycon Jr. and Anna Luz Saycon, acting individually and as their son’s surviving heirs and successors in interest, sued Nguyen; Cruz; the officers’ supervisor, Police Chief Robert Luna; and the officers’ employer, the city of Long Beach. The decedent’s parents alleged that Nguyen and Cruz used excessive force, in violation of the decedent’s civil rights, and that the officers’ actions caused the decedent’s wrongful death. They also alleged that Luna and the city were liable for the officers’ actions. The matter ultimately proceeded against Nguyen only. Plaintiffs’ counsel contended that Nguyen’s use of force was unreasonable, as the decedent’s parents claimed that their son was watching TV with the pocket knife sitting in his lap when the officers arrived and that there was no indication that their son was dangerous. The decedent’s parents also claimed that the officers escalated the situation because they were ill-equipped to handle someone with a mental illness, such as their son, who was previously diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Plaintiffs’ counsel contended that the decedent was a regular at the arcade and that the workers who called the police that night noted that the decedent was not threatening anyone. Counsel also contended that the decedent stayed seated during the entire encounter until he collapsed from the chair after being shot eight times in rapid succession. Defense counsel contended that the decedent was holding a knife and ignored the officers’ verbal commands to drop it. Counsel also contended that after the officers used a Taser and one struck the decedent with a baton, the decedent opened the blade of his knife, pointed it at one of the officers and started to stand. Thus, defense counsel asserted that Nguyen opened fire when he feared for his life and that the officers acted lawfully and reasonably., Mharloun Saycon, 39, sustained eight gunshot wounds and died at the scene. He was survived by his family, including his father, Khanly Saycon Jr., and his mother, Anna Luz Saycon. Plaintiffs’ counsel noted that the decedent immigrated to the United States from the Philippines in 1985. He then became an athlete and honor student at Santa Monica High School and attended Santa Monica College before he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia in his early 20s. The decedent’s parents sought recovery of wrongful death damages for the loss of their son.