Jury awards $11.8 million to Dodgers fan blinded by LAPD during World Series celebration
Yahoo • • sports
Key Points:
- A federal jury awarded $11.8 million to Isaac Castellanos, a Dodgers fan blinded in one eye by a police projectile during a 2020 World Series celebration in downtown Los Angeles, concluding a nearly six-year legal battle.
- Castellanos was struck by a 37-mm "skip trace" launcher fired from about 145 feet away by LAPD officers responding to alleged violent vandalism, though Castellanos and others maintain the crowd was largely peaceful.
- The jury found excessive force was used, with evidence showing the projectile was fired improperly at eye level rather than the lower body, as LAPD policy requires, leading to Castellanos' permanent vision loss and loss of potential esports career.
- The verdict may be appealed, and any settlement would require city approval; meanwhile, the LAPD has faced increased scrutiny and restrictions on less-lethal weapons following multiple incidents and lawsuits since 2020.
- LAPD officials cite violent protests involving rocks, bottles, and Molotov cocktails as justification for force used, but have promised thorough investigations into all uses of force amid ongoing public concern.
