Man to get $375K from LAPD after getting hit by projectile

A 31-year-old Los Angeles man was awarded $375,000 in damages in federal court in Santa Ana on Thursday after a jury found an LAPD officer liable for wounding him during a 2020 George Floyd protest.

Deon Jones, 31, alleged in his lawsuit filed three years ago that he was leaving the area when Los Angeles police Officer Peter Bueno, wearing riot gear, fired a rubber bullet at him. Jones was at a late May protest near Third Street and Fairfax Avenue with a friend when he was hit, his attorney Orin Snyder said, adding that it was a peaceful demonstration.

The projectile caused a fracture and lacerations to Jones’ cheek. The lawsuit said an ophthalmologist told Jones that if the bullet had struck millimeters from where he was hit, Jones could have been blinded or killed.

The jury awarded Jones $250,000 in damages for the injuries and $125,000 in punitive damages

Jones’ lawyers described the verdict as historic.

“This is the first time anyone has sued and successfully obtained a verdict against the LAPD arising from the 2020 demonstrations,” Snyder said.

He said it was the biggest verdict for an excessive force case against the LAPD in recent years.

Jones is dealing with long-term emotional effects from the incident, including flashbacks and nightmares, according to Snyder. Katie Marquart, another attorney for Jones, said he has physical scarring from the rubber bullet strike.

Snyder said Jones testified that when “he looks in the mirror every morning he’s reminded of the day he almost died.”

The trial, which lasted seven days, included bodyworn camera evidence and testimony from other LAPD officers who said Bueno violated department policy, according to a statement from the law firm Gibson Dunne, which represented Jones pro bono.

An LAPD spokesperson said the department cannot comment on litigation, but officials previously said the LAPD is investigating its handling of Floydrelated protests that took place throughout the city. Bueno’s attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Three reports in 2021 reviewing the Los Angeles Police Department’s response to the May and June 2020 protests against racism and police brutality found that the department mishandled aspects of the protests.

It was not immediately clear how Jones would be paid the money he was awarded.