$2.5 million couldn't keep Anaheim gang member from his old friends

The Anaheim gang member raised by a single mother had received a second chance -- or maybe it was his first -- to turn his life around when he settled a lawsuit against the city and police for $2.5 million.

In December, he was waiting for the check and paving his future with good intentions. But four months later he was back in prison for violating parole; he had been caught associating with other gang members.

When he was released from prison, Muñoz, 23, said he was eager "to do the right thing." He said he was going to move out of his gang-infested neighborhood and buy a house for his mother, who had worked two jobs while raising him.

Muñoz's mother declined to comment last week when contacted at her Anaheim home where Muñoz grew up. She and just about everyone else, including the police, hoped that a financial cushion would steer Muñoz away from a lifestyle that had already cost him four years in prison and Juvenile Hall. His current prison sentence is 16 months.

"We were all pulling for him. All he had to do was stay away from friends who could only get him in trouble," said Anaheim gang Sgt. Dennis Briggs, whose unit is well acquainted with Muñoz, whose moniker is Dopey.

In 2005, Muñoz, on foot, was struck from behind by a police cruiser as he surrendered after a brief chase.

He was wedged in the vehicle's undercarriage and severely injured. Muñoz said he bolted from police because he was afraid they were going to send him back to prison.

Muñoz sued the city of Anaheim and the Police Department over his injuries and was awarded $2.5 million.

Attorney Arnoldo Casillas, who represented Muñoz in the lawsuit, said he knew there was a possibility that his client would revert to his old ways.

"I knew his background all too well," he said. "But I had high hopes and expectations. It's tragic that he's right back in prison."

In a December interview with The Times, Muñoz said he had been visited by two Anaheim gang detectives after he was paroled in October. One of the officers took a special interest in him, he said. She gave him her business card with her cell number and encouraged Muñoz to call if he needed help or was in danger.