Stockton settles with family of slain hostage for $5.75M

STOCKTON — The family of Misty Holt-Singh, a hostage killed during a shootout between Stockton Police and three bank robbers, has agreed to a $5.75 million financial settlement with the city of Stockton.

On July 16, 2014, HoltSingh, a 41-year-old mother of two, was about to leave a Bank of the West branch in north Stockton when armed robbers arrived and forced her back inside. The men, after getting money, took HoltSingh and two bank employees as hostages, forcing them into a getaway vehicle.

An hourlong pursuit ensued and in the process, one hostage was pushed out, while the other jumped from the vehicle, leaving only HoltSingh and the robbers.

Holt-Singh and two of the robbers were killed when police opened fire on the getaway vehicle.

“We as a family are pleased that this legal chapter is now behind us and that now we can focus on working with the community to heal the city and try to get as much normalcy as we can with our lives,” Paul Singh, husband of Holt-Singh, told The Record.

Singh said Tuesday that life without Holt-Singh is very difficult, but he and their two children, Mia and Paul Jr., are doing the best they can to focus on staying positive and move in the right direction.

A call to the city was not returned by deadline.

Gregory Bentley, the attorney representing the Holt-Singh family, initially said that the settlement amount was being kept private but that it was satisfactory for the family and the city. He said he was happy for Singh and his children, who handled this issue with integrity and can now put this behind them. The amount of $5.75 million is featured prominently on the Case Results page of the firm’s website, however, beneath a window titled “Settlement: Wrongful death.”

Bentley said he was also happy that as part of the settlement the city agreed to honor HoltSingh by naming a street or park in her name.

“We are very appreciative of the gesture, and we look forward to healing as a family and community,” Singh said.

Prior to this, Bank of the West had settled with Holt-Singh’s family for $3 million.

Bentley filed the lawsuit against the city, the Stockton Police Department and 32 police officers in August 2015 stating that Holt-Singh’s death was the result of the “chaos” created by the police officers’ actions.

According to the Police Foundation, a research group in Washington, D.C., 32 officers fired 600 rounds at the end of the vehicle chase, and 10 bullets struck and killed HoltSingh.

Stockton police have said she was being used as a human shield by Jaime Ramos, the only robber who survived the shootout and who was sentenced to life in prison for his role in Holt-Singh’s death.

The lawsuit, filed in San Joaquin County Superior Court, states: “This unreasonable use of deadly force was the polar opposite of police’s mission to protect and serve the public. Instead, they actively deprived a family of its wife and mother, and destroyed the life of an innocent hostage. Misty’s right to life and liberty were violated by the officers. Had they acted reasonably, she would be alive today.”

Officer Joseph Silva, a spokesman for Stockton police, said in a statement that “July 16, 2014, was a tragic day for our community, for our police department, and particularly for the family of Misty Holt-Singh, who was taken from her loved ones by the cowardly actions of criminals. Even today, four years later, our community and department continue to heal from this tragedy.

“Today’s announcement that civil litigation related to Misty’s death has concluded helps bring that healing one step closer. We are glad that the matter has been resolved, and we hope this will bring some comfort to Misty’s family.”

Silva said Stockton police on the day of the bank robbery were faced with a situation no other law enforcement agency had experienced and that officers responded with courage. The department is committed to learning from this “tragic event,” he said.

Singh said he wanted to thank the community of Stockton for always being there for his family.

“I’m very humbled on how much the community has supported our family,” he said.

The fifth annual Misty Holt-Singh Memorial Golf Tournament will be held at 8:30 a.m. Aug. 10 at Elkhorn Golf Course in Stockton.