LOS ANGELES : Convicted Robber Wins Damages Against 4 Officers

A convicted robber, serving a 32-year state prison term for a 1990 home invasion robbery and shooting, was awarded $104,732 in punitive damages Thursday in his lawsuit against four police officers.

Brian Forrett, 34, will give a portion of the money to the victims, including a man he shot and blinded in one eye, said his lawyer, Stephen Yagman.

The federal jury voted 8 to 0 to assess punitive damages of $26,183 against each of the four Riverside officers. A lawyer for the officers said she would appeal the verdict.

Punitive damages are intended to be paid for by the individuals, although loopholes in the law allow municipalities to indemnify the officers. It is unclear whether Riverside will assume the payments if they are upheld.

Forrett, who was unarmed at the time, was shot twice in the back as he attempted to scale a six-foot wooden fence. He was shot in the right side of his back and in the left hip.

He was convicted of burglary, armed robbery, attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon for the Nov. 29, 1990, attack. On March 24, the federal jury awarded him $4--$1 against each of the officers--in compensatory damages.