Jury awards $8.5M to family of man strangled to death on MTS bus

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- Anthony McGaff’s parents stood at the entrance to the Hall of Justice with an $8.5 million settlement awarded by a jury for the wrongful death of their son on an MTS bus.

“I want to tell him I love him and we got his back,” said John McGaff, Anthony’s father.

The incident began when a woman started filming McGaff, confusing and upsetting him. When he confronted the woman, other bus riders restrained Anthony physically and the 28-year-old man was eventually killed.

“I want everyone to remember him as a young and very intelligent man with a lot of ambition, and he had a very bright future ahead of him,” McGaff said.

The jury found the bus driver had a duty to respond to the violence and protect her passengers.

Anthony’s parents say this case has been a moment of vindication for their boy. As far as the man who killed Anthony, Edward Hilbert pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to two years probation.

Now the three-year battle with the MTS has finished in Civil Court.

“We did it, Anthony,” said Angela McGaff, Anthony’s mother.