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Los Angeles police officers broke department policy when they shot one protester in the head with a projectile and another in the testicles during mass protests last spring, the civilian Police Commission ruled Tuesday.
In the first case, in which CJ Montano was shot in the head as he held his hands in the air during a protest in the Fairfax district on May 30, the commission agreed with LAPD Chief Michel Moore and an internal department review board that the officer broke policy.
Moore concluded that Montano, who was about 55 feet from the officer, did not pose an immediate threat. Similarly, the chief found that a group of protesters farther away who the officer claimed to be targeting were also not a threat.
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The LAPD adopted the widespread use of body cameras amid pressure from activists protesting the police killings of multiple unarmed Black people across the US. Photograph: Damian Dovarganes/AP
The LAPD adopted the widespread use of body cameras amid pressure from activists protesting the police killings of multiple unarmed Black people across the US. Photograph: Damian Dovarganes/AP
Fri 7 May 2021 06.00 EDT
Last modified on Fri 7 May 2021 06.01 EDT
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A protester whose testicle exploded into pieces when he was shot with a hard-foam projectile by a Los Angeles police officer during demonstrations against police brutality last summer filed a federal lawsuit Monday alleging excessive force and other violations of his constitutional rights.
The lawsuit, which names the city and LAPD Chief Michel Moore as defendants, challenges a finding by the department’s Use of Force Review Board, made public Friday, that the officer was in policy when he shot 29-year-old Ben Montemayor at a protest in Hollywood in June.
The lawsuit cites multiple “after-action” reviews that in recent weeks have catalogued failures by the LAPD to properly prepare for the protests or train its officers on the use of such projectiles, and argues those failures were a “moving force” behind Montemayor’s injuries.