LAPD Blocked From Using Less-Lethal Weapons on Protesters

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Courthouse News
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A federal judge on Monday ordered the LAPD not to fire their “less lethal” weapons at protesters in close range and said officers cannot use the weapons indiscriminately. @CNSNathan

LAPD Blocked From Using Less-Lethal Weapons on Protesters
The LAPD used less-lethal rounds indiscriminately during protests and injured peaceful demonstrators.
courthousenews.com
5:47 PM · Apr 19, 2021

https://www.courthousenews.com/lapd-blocked-from-using-less-lethal-weapons-on-protesters/

LOS ANGELES (CN) — A federal judge on Monday ordered the Los Angeles Police Department not to fire their “less lethal” weapons at protesters in close range and said officers cannot use the weapons indiscriminately.

U.S. District Judge Consuelo Marshall’s ruling comes as the United States braces for a verdict in the Derek Chauvin murder trial for the death of George Floyd. Police agencies across the country have asked for calm, though Floyd’s death sparked a nationwide movement that resulted in violent clashes between heavily armed police officers and protesters.

Monday’s ruling stems from a lawsuit filed by the local Black Lives Matter chapter in response to the LAPD’s use of 40 mm and 37 mm rounds fired from less than lethal rifles and launchers. The group says that LAPD struck a journalist unconscious at an event in March when an officer fired a round at their back. As part of their complaint, Black Lives Matter LA submitted a report that analyzed the LAPD’s use of crowd control tactics and revealed people were struck in the face and head by the rounds during last summer’s protests.

The group argued the LAPD’s use of less-lethal launchers against peaceful protesters at Echo Park Lake on March 25, 2021 and at another demonstration on March 11, 2021, violated the protesters’ Fourth Amendment rights. One person was shot in the right arm between the elbow and shoulder, while their partner was shot at close range according to declarations filed. LAPD officers fired on protesters at distances of less than two feet and aimed the rounds at people’s upper bodies in violation of the department’s policy, according to the complaint.

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