CBS Law Files Civil Rights Lawsuit Against LAPD
Posted on June 04, 2021
*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*
Family of Man Killed by LAPD Files Lawsuit Alleging Civil Rights Violation
On Friday, June 4, 2021, the Estate of Rommel Mendoza filed a civil rights lawsuit in federal court alleging that the shooting death of Filipino American Rommel Mendoza by Los Angeles Police Department Officer Daniel Harty was “unreasonable, unnecessary, and cruel.”
While approximately 80-feet away from officers, Rommel was shot and killed with a high-powered rifle by LAPD Officer Daniel Harty on May 27, 2020. During the incident, LAPD officers both witnessed and were notified that Rommel exhibited signs of mental illness, including incoherent statements, nonsensical declarations, and spontaneous weeping. Despite this knowledge, the LAPD established a distant “threshold” for the use of deadly force according to publicly-released videos of the incident which can be found here.
The law does not permit police officers to use deadly force against someone unless a reasonable officer would believe that person poses an immediate threat of death or serious bodily injury. The “threshold” established by the officers for the use of deadly force against Rommel was approximately 80-feet away. Rommel, who possessed a knife, did not present an immediate threat of death or serious bodily injury from approximately 80-feet away. With profound sorrow, Rommel Mendoza’s family seeks justice and accountability for this needless tragedy.
The Estate of Rommel Mendoza is represented by Christopher J. Bou Saeed of CBS Law and Corey Carter of Carter Law Firm, APC.
A copy of the Complaint can be found here.