Josh Booty settles lawsuit alleging Orange County sheriff’s deputies shot him with stun gun

Josh Booty settles lawsuit against OC Sheriff’s

SANTA ANA, Calif. — Former NFL quarterback Josh Booty has settled a lawsuit alleging Orange County sheriff’s deputies shot him with a stun gun while booking him for drunken driving, his lawyer said Wednesday.

Attorney Tariq Hasan said the lawsuit settled for $8,619 but declined to comment further.

Sheriff’s spokesman John McDonald said the figure was less than a nuisance lawsuit settlement.

“It would have been irresponsible to go to trial with that low of an offer to settle,” McDonald said. “We had to be responsible and settle this lawsuit on behalf of the taxpayers.”

Booty was pulled over in February 2008 for a traffic violation on State Route 55 in Santa Ana. While in custody, sheriff’s deputies said they had to subdue him with a stun gun because he became belligerent.

Booty later pleaded guilty to driving under the influence and sentenced to three years probation.

Booty, 35, was drafted in 2001 by the Seattle Seahawks and later traded to the Cleveland Browns, where he spent three years as a backup. He also played baseball for five years in the Florida Marlins’ organization.

He is the older brother of former Southern California quarterback John David Booty, who now plays for the Houston Texans.