LA Pays $11.8M to Man Blinded by Police Projectile

A federal jury ordered Los Angeles to pay $11.8 million to Isaac Castellanos, who was blinded in one eye by a police projectile during a 2020 Dodgers celebration. (apnews.com) The verdict came on Thursday, April 16, after Castellanos’ civil-rights trial in federal court in Los Angeles. He was 27 at the time of the verdict and 22 when he was struck in the face early on Oct. 28, 2020, while celebrating downtown after the Dodgers won the World Series. (apnews.com) Castellanos said Los Angeles Police Department officers fired “less-lethal” projectiles into a crowd near what is now Crypto.com Arena and hit him without warning. The jury found Officers Cody MacArthur and Jesse Pineda liable after a trial that centered on excessive force, negligence and constitutional violations. (laist.com, courthousenews.com) “Less-lethal” rounds are impact munitions meant to disperse crowds without using live ammunition, but they can still cause catastrophic injuries at close range or when fired at the head. Castellanos’ lawsuit said the shot permanently blinded his right eye. (apnews.com, courthousenews.com) The case landed in court after years of scrutiny over how the Los Angeles Police Department handles protests and large crowds. Castellanos’ complaint pointed to earlier litigation and settlements over police crowd-control tactics in Los Angeles, including cases tied to demonstrations and mass gatherings. (courthousenews.com) The Dodgers celebration happened in October 2020, months after the police killing of George Floyd had already intensified national fights over use of force. In that period, Los Angeles police tactics at demonstrations and public gatherings were already under legal and political pressure. (courthousenews.com) Castellanos filed the lawsuit in February 2022 in the Central District of California under Section 1983, the federal civil-rights law used to challenge official misconduct. Court records show the case was tried this month before U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II. (justia.com, apps.cacd.uscourts.gov) City officials and police lawyers argued at trial that officers were responding to a chaotic street scene after the championship win. Castellanos’ lawyers said he was peacefully leaving the area when officers fired into the crowd. (apnews.com, courthousenews.com) The award does not rewrite what happened on Oct. 28, 2020, but it fixes a price in court records: $11.8 million for a shot that took Castellanos’ sight in one eye. (apnews.com)