PLACER COUNTY, Calif. — A mother is demanding answers after she says Placer County sheriff's deputies stopped her son for a traffic violation but ended up shooting him several times.
Katina Coronado says her son, Albert Savala III, was shot by deputies and thankfully survived.
"He is here to tell his story," Coronado said. "And his story needs to be heard."
Coronado claims her son asked for a supervisor to be brought to the traffic stop because he feared for his life.
"He stated that multiple times that he feared for his life and again the answer to that was to shoot him," Coronado said.
Savala said it all started as a traffic stop in the Thunder Valley Casino parking lot on Jan. 11, 2021. He claims instead of waiting for a supervisor to arrive, deputies reached into his car and moments later, began shooting.
"I was sitting in my car bleeding out, holding my broken arm out of the window for over an hour," Savala said.
ABC10 reached out to the Placer County Sheriff's Office to ask about the allegations. They say the deputy did nothing wrong.
"This deputy was not in violation of agency policy or law," Placer County Sheriff's Office Spokesperson Angela Musallam said.
The sheriff's office did confirm Savala requested a supervisor and that the deputy did reach into the vehicle before that supervisor arrived. However, they say the deputy was just trying to turn the car off.
"He was simply trying to get the keys out of the ignition to avoid Mr. Savala from fleeing the scene," Musallam said. "And so once he attempted to take the keys out of the ignition, Mr. Savala put the vehicle in drive and shortly after began accelerating."
The sheriff's office says because the deputy was entangled in the vehicle he was dragged and that is when he fired his gun. The gunfire hit Savala, who later stopped on his own.
ABC10 has requested dashcam footage of the incident, but has not received it as of publication.
"The video tells the story and you will be getting it from beginning to end," Musallam said. "So, you'll be able to see everything that transpired."
Meanwhile, Coronado says she just wants help for her son.
"At this point, I want justice," Coronado said.
