Jury awards $11.8 million to Dodgers fan blinded by LAPD during World Series celebration
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A federal jury has awarded $11.8 million to a Los Angeles Dodgers fan who was blinded by a police projectile during a World Series celebration downtown in 2020.The verdict reached Thursday closed what has been a nearly six-year legal battle by Isaac Castellanos after he permanently lost vision in one eye when LAPD officers fired less-lethal weapons into a crowd where he was standing and hit him in the face.Castellanos sued, alleging excessive force.His attorneys have pushed to triple the jury award under a state law that allows for increased damages in such cases.As with most jury awards, the amount will probably be appealed and still needs approval from city leaders.At the time of the incident, Castellanos was a 22-year-old Cal State Long Beach student.
He said he was peacefully celebrating the Dodgers’ win near Crypto.com Arena about 1 a.m.on Oct.
28, 2020, when officers moved in on the crowd.LAPD officials said the officers were responding to violent groups that were vandalizing and breaking into downtown businesses.Castellanos and others have accused the department of overreacting to the situation, which they maintain was largely peaceful.
Beyond the emotional toll, losing partial vision has robbed Castellanos of a potentially lucrative career in esports, according to Pedram Esfandiary, one of his attorneys.An avid gamer, he had won $20,000 at a gaming competition only months before the incident, his attorneys said.Castellanos previously told The Times that he and his friends had not broken any laws and that he was not posing a threat to officers when he was struck.
He also said he had not heard police give an order to disperse before officers rushed in on people with their projectile launchers drawn.After six days of testimony and evidence, the jury deliberated for less than two hours before coming back with the verdict.Esfandiary said evidence showed that Castellanos ...