LA to Pay $11.8M for Blinding Projectile

Los Angeles must pay $11.8 million to Isaac Castellanos, a 27-year-old man blinded in one eye by a police projectile during a 2020 Dodgers celebration. (apnews.com) A federal jury reached the verdict on Thursday, April 16, after finding for Castellanos in his civil-rights case over the shooting in downtown Los Angeles early on Oct. 28, 2020. He was a college student at the time and said he was peacefully celebrating the Dodgers’ World Series win when officers fired into the crowd. (apnews.com) The suit said two Los Angeles Police Department officers fired 37mm less-lethal launchers toward fans gathered near what is now Crypto.com Arena and struck Castellanos in the face. The Orange County Register reported the verdict closed a legal fight that began after the downtown celebration drew hundreds of people. (ocregister.com) The case lands as the Los Angeles Police Department is already under court pressure over crowd-control weapons. In January 2026, the department told officers they “shall not” use 40mm launchers in crowd-control situations after a federal judge found evidence officers had violated earlier limits at protests. (nbclosangeles.com) Los Angeles Police Department policy for 37mm launchers says kinetic energy projectiles may be used only in crowd-control situations, with an incident commander’s approval, after de-escalation efforts when reasonable. The directive also says officers should give repeated audible warnings when feasible and should not use the projectiles indiscriminately on a crowd. (lapdonline.org) Castellanos’ lawsuit alleged excessive force and argued officers violated those kinds of limits by firing without adequate warning at people who were not posing a violent threat. Jurors awarded damages after hearing that he permanently lost vision in one eye. (apnews.com; ocregister.com) The city’s payout adds another costly judgment to Los Angeles’ long-running disputes over so-called less-lethal munitions, which are designed to control crowds without using live ammunition but can still cause catastrophic injuries when they strike the head or face. Recent court orders and department directives show those weapons remain a live issue for the city’s protest and crowd-control tactics. (lapdonline.org; nbclosangeles.com; apnews.com) For Castellanos, the case ended with a jury award nearly six years after a championship celebration turned into a permanent injury. For Los Angeles, it leaves another court record tying crowd-control fire to life-altering harm. (ocregister.com; apnews.com)