Sacramento cop sentenced to community service in deadly 2022 crash; city settles $2M lawsuit
A Sacramento police officer charged with manslaughter in the 2022 death of a motorcyclist who crashed into a patrol car making a U-turn accepted a plea deal Thursday in which he will serve 100 hours of community service.
Officer Benjamin Jillson pleaded no contest to misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence in connection to the death of Denzil Ollen Broadhurst, 61, who died during a Rio Linda crash on Halloween last year, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
Jillson was on duty going west on Bell Avenue and made a U-turn without flashing his siren or turning on emergency lights, according to The Sacramento Bee’s previous reporting. His defense attorney could not be immediately reached for comment.
Security camera footage capturing the incident showed part of the crash. A report of a kidnapping saw Jillson dispatched to the 900 block of Eleanor Avenue, about 10 minutes away from Bell Avenue, and he was going to the incident when the crash happened, The Bee previously reported.
Jillson, who has been on the force for more than two years, was sentenced to 90 days in jail, which he wouldn’t have to serve pending completing 100 hours of community service, the news release said.
“The victim’s family requested that the community service involve veterans’ services in honor of the victim, Denzil Broadhurst,” the news release said.
Officer Anthony Gamble, a spokesman for the Sacramento Police Department, said Jillson remains on administrative leave. An internal investigation into Jillson’s actions can now begin since criminal proceedings have been completed, Gamble added.
Body-worn camera footage showed Jillson reporting the crash to dispatchers and beginning to examine the victim for injuries.
“Sir, stay with me, all right,” Jillson told the motorcyclist, according to the video. “Can you blink? Can you blink your eyes?”
Jillson then appeared to walked away from the victim and turned on his emergency lights as patrol vehicles arrived at the scene, video showed.
A civil lawsuit filed by Broadhurst’s daughter and wife alleged he died because of the officer’s negligence. The road itself was dangerously designed and didn’t have lighting, the lawsuit said.
“The patrol officer was operating the patrol cruiser in a reckless and dangerous manner and in an absolute disregard for the rights and safety of those foreseeable motorists such as (Broadhurst),” the lawsuit said.
The city of Sacramento and the family settled the lawsuit for $2 million, said Los Angeles-based attorney Robert Glassman, who represented the family in the civil case.
“They can now at least put the criminal and civil cases behind them and move forward with the healing process,” Glassman wrote in an email.
Broadhurst’s family declined to be interviewed through Glassman who, in a statement, said the family thanked prosecutors for trying the case.
“The family remains devastated over the loss of Denzil,” Glassman wrote.
The city’s payroll records published by Transparent California said Jillson made $66,008 last year in normal pay and $23,853 in overtime pay. His total pay was $162,080 in 2022 with benefits, according to Transparent California.
