Former Lake Worth officer who police say shot teen, ran over man facing second lawsuit

The family of an 18-year-old shot and killed by a now former Lake Worth police officer is suing the officer and the city for excessive use of force, according to the suit filed Monday in a federal court in Fort Worth.

Jonathan Granado, a four-year veteran of the Lake Worth Police Department at the time, shot and killed Estevan Ramirez on Sept. 3, 2021, according to police.

Police in January identified Granado, who had by that point resigned from the department, as the officer who shot Ramirez. The department said in January that Ramirez had a handgun with an extended magazine that he pointed at police.

In their lawsuit, the family says Ramirez was shot while running away from police and was not pointing his firearm at officers.

The shooting happened after Lake Worth police said Ramirez and two others were in a vehicle and fled from police in Lake Worth after officers tried to initiate a traffic stop for speeding. The vehicle was going 88 mph on Loop 820 in a 65 mph zone.

Officers pursued the vehicle into Fort Worth, where it struck a curb and the three occupants fled. The lawsuit said an officer caught up to Ramirez and “became entangled in a struggle” with him before Ramirez was able to get away and continue running.

The lawsuit alleges that Granado drew his weapon and fired, striking Ramirez at least four times in the back.

Police said in January that officers were told during the pursuit that the vehicle had been involved in similar incidents with White Settlement police and that the occupants should be considered armed and dangerous.

Second use of force lawsuit

Granado was already facing a lawsuit alleging excessive force when in November 2020 he hit a man with a police SUV during an arrest. Ramirez’s family references the incident in their lawsuit.

That suspect, Dustin Bates, was seriously injured. Bates was charged with evading arrest and drug possession, but those charges were dismissed at prosecutorial discretion in August.

Lake Worth police suspended Granado for two weeks for violating department policies related to the safe operation of a vehicle, the police chief said. In March, a Tarrant County grand jury declined to indict the officer in connection with the crash.

In the lawsuit, Bates said he was riding a motorcycle on Nov. 23, 2020, in Lake Worth when Granado pulled in behind him and radioed that he could not see Bates’ license plate, according to court documents.

Seconds later, Granado gave the license plate number to dispatch, and authorities determined it did not match the motorcycle Bates was driving, according to the lawsuit. Lake Worth Police Chief J.T. Manoushagian said police later determined the motorcycle was not stolen.

Granado turned on his overhead lights, signaling he was pulling over Bates for a traffic stop because of the license plate issue.

Bates did not pull over, and he accelerated and drove away from the Lake Worth officer.

After a brief pursuit, Bates exited the highway, but he lost control of the motorcycle, which went down in a grassy area.

Bates stood up and began to run into a field as he saw the Lake Worth officer approaching at a high rate of speed.

Seconds later, Bates said, the officer “ran over” him with the vehicle, and he suffered three fractured ribs, a broken right leg and a fractured spine. The officer’s dash camera video captured the episode.

The police chief said that Granado braked as he exited the highway and followed Bates into a field, but his patrol vehicle slid on wet grass and accidentally struck Bates at about 45 mph.

Granado was driving about 95 mph when he began to exit the highway and apply his brakes, Manoushagian said.

This story includes information from the Star-Telegram archives.