A Janesville family, whose youngest member was critically injured in a police raid in Georgia, wins a $1.65 million civil settlement against two local governments. A federal judge in Georgia has awarded the amount to the parents of Bounkham “Bou Bou” Phonesavanh. Companies that insure the Georgia counties of Rabun and Stephens will pay the amount. Previously announced settlements include close to a million dollars from Habersham County and a million from the city of Cornelia. A multi-jurisdictional SWAT team raided a house where the family was staying with relatives in Cornelia, Georgia, in May 2014. As part of the no-knock warrant procedure, an officer threw a flash-bang grenade into the room where the two parents and four children were sleeping. The grenade ignited in front of the family’s youngest member, Bou Bou, causing severe burns to his face and chest. Bou Bou was 19 months old. He is now 3 and continues to received treatment.
