The Los Angeles Police Department is facing a lawsuit alleging an officer shot three prominent activists at point-blank range with less-lethal rounds during a protest last summer, it was announced Tuesday.
During a news conference Tuesday morning, lawyers representing community activist Jason Reedy and civil rights attorneys Ricci Sergienko and Shakeer Rahman said they filed the lawsuit Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court. The plaintiffs said LAPD Officer Rick Linton used excessive force and violated their civil rights on the night of June 9, 2025, and that nearby supervisors failed to prevent the abuse.
The lawsuit also names LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton for allegedly failing to intervene and prevent the abuse from happening.
The trio are seeking compensatory, statutory and punitive damages against Linton for egregious misconduct and causing physical and psychological pain.
“They saw him pointing this 40-millimeter launcher down at protesters who were two, three feet away from him,” said Rebecca Brown, an attorney with Hadsell, Stromer, Renick and Dai LLP. “People were just walking in the street, and they began to record him. What did Linton do in response? He shot Jason Reedy while his hands were up in the air,” Brown added.
Representatives for the LAPD and the City Attorney’s Office — which typically defends the LAPD in civil lawsuits — did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The three men had participated in a protest downtown, which came in response to widespread federal illegal immigration enforcement activity in the Southland.
Reedy, Sergienko and Rahman were outside of LAPD headquarters, located at 100 W. First St., when they observed Linton point his 40-millimeter weapon at a crowd of people, according to a copy of the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs began to record him. Linton allegedly responded by aiming his weapon at Reedy and shooting him in the groin area, followed by aiming at Sergienko and shooting him in the stomach.
Raham then asked Linton for his name and badge number in order to file a complaint against him. Linton allegedly responded by threatening to “pop you right now because you’re taking my focus,” adding that it was “gonna hurt.” Linton then allegedly shot Rahman in the groin area. The so-called less-lethal launchers can send projectiles such as foam or rubber bullets at speeds of more than 200 mph.
The plaintiffs say they had their hands raised above them the entire time Linton pointed his weapon at them, as he stood several feet above them on a raised platform.
Other LAPD officers standing near Linton could have intervened or stopped him but never did so, according to the lawsuit. The highest ranking supervisor among them was Hamilton.
The incident was captured on various live streams by plaintiffs and protesters.
“Over and over again on social media, you’ll see viral clips of LAPD and local police assaulting and enacting violence against Angelenos,” Sergienko said. “And what do we hear from the mayor and other elected officials? That the city is doing everything they can to protect the people living here. That’s BS.”
He warned the city will face additional and similar lawsuits as a result of alleged police violence toward people expressing their First Amendment rights.
Critics have challenged the LAPD’s crowd-control tactics, which have involved less-lethal launchers and tear gas, among other things. The department has defended its policies and tactics, saying officers have had to respond to aggressive attacks from some protesters.
In January, a federal judge issued an injunction barring the LAPD from using the less-lethal launchers.