A Los Angeles County jury has granted a compensation of around $2.2 million to a protester, Cellin Gluck, who was injured by a less-lethal munition, fired by a sheriff’s deputy during a 2020 demonstration against police brutality.”
The jury last week found LA County accountable for the injuries Mr. Gluck endured, calculating his damages at $3.5 million. His daughter, who stood side by side with him on that day, was also awarded an additional $300,000 for emotional distress.
Attorneys for LA County indicated that, due to the jury’s ruling that Mr. Gluck and other protesters were partially accountable for the incident, the court would decrease the awards by 35%. This results in approximately $2.27 million for Mr. Gluck and $195,000 for his daughter. LA County is considering multiple alternatives, including the possibility of an appeal.
Mr. Gluck, a known film director, claimed in his lawsuit that he and his daughter experienced excessive force during a peaceful protest in May 2020, following the tragic incident involving George Floyd in Minneapolis. Upon leaving the protest, they encountered a fellow protester who seemed in distress after being hit in the face with a beanbag. Shortly after, Mr. Gluck was struck in the face by a nonlethal projectile while holding a camera.
The projectile remained lodged in his nasal cavity for almost an entire year until it was surgically removed, leaving Mr. Gluck with permanent disfigurement, a traumatic brain injury, and other long-term consequences. His attorney, Carl Douglas, stated that although Mr. Gluck has received some justice, the verdict is approximately half of what he initially sought.
This development follows earlier reports that law enforcement training discourages targeting anyone above the shoulder unless they present a deadly threat. The inability to identify the specific deputy who shot Mr. Gluck is, according to Mr. Douglas, a ‘tremendous indictment on the county and the system.’
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According to the LA County Sheriff’s Department, “While a different administration is now in place, the department’s leaders recognize the importance of thoroughly analyzing and learning from past events to improve their service.”
The usage of less-lethal munitions by law enforcement during crowd control has seen increased scrutiny in light of recent protests in downtown LA against aggressive immigration policies and the presence of federal agents in the city. This raises important questions about the balance between maintaining public order and the rights to free expression and assembly.
