By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
• A Los Angeles jury awarded a man $11.8 million after he was blinded in one eye by a less-lethal projectile fired by police during a 2020 street protest.
• The civil verdict was returned April 8 in Los Angeles County Superior Court after a trial over the injury sustained during a demonstration.
• The plaintiff alleged Los Angeles Police Department officers used excessive force when deploying the less-lethal munition.
• The city’s attorney said it plans to appeal the verdict, according to attorneys involved.
• The case highlights legal risks associated with police use of less-lethal munitions in crowd control settings.
LOS ANGELES, CA — A jury in Los Angeles County Superior Court awarded $11.8 million to a man who lost sight in one eye after being struck by a less-lethal projectile fired by Los Angeles Police Department officers during a 2020 protest, attorneys said.
The verdict was returned April 8 following a trial in which the plaintiff argued that LAPD officers used excessive force when deploying the less-lethal munition against him in the crowd control setting.
The injury occurred during a street demonstration in 2020, leading to the permanent loss of vision in the man’s right eye, according to court filings and trial testimony.
Attorneys for the city of Los Angeles said the city plans to appeal the jury’s decision, which held the municipality liable for the plaintiff’s injuries.
The case underscores potential civil liability issues for agencies in the use of less-lethal devices during public order operations, officials and legal experts noted at trial.