A judge has directed the Los Angeles Police Department to rescind a department reprimand issued against a police sergeant over the use of force the sergeant ordered during the 2020 George Floyd protests.
Sgt. Daniel Bunch contended, among other things, that the evidence against him did not fit the punishment, that he was denied a fair hearing and that he did not engage in misconduct or violate LAPD policy. On Tuesday, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Curtis A. Kin granted Bunch’s petition.
In their court papers, the City Attorney’s Office contended that Bunch failed to assess the distance between the crowd and the skirmish lines in order to ensure that less-lethal munitions could be deployed within the necessary range. The City Attorney’s Office also maintained that Bunch issued “vague and ambiguous” commands to “put some rounds downrange” and to “start firing, start shooting, start firing” without identifying or designating appropriate targets, resulting in two civilians being injured and hospitalized.
According to Bunch’s petition, in responding to the Floyd protesters’ “hostile and dangerous actions” on May 30, 2020, he told his officers to use less-lethal weapons that fire non-deadly projectiles.
However, a Use of Force Review Board panel determined in March 2021 that Bunch’s orders were a “substantial deviation, without justification,” from LAPD policy and training, according to the petition filed Jan. 28, which further stated that the board’s findings were adopted by then-Chief Michel Moore.
Two months later the Police Commission accepted Moore’s findings and Bunch’s appeal before a hearing officer was denied, the petition states. Current Chief Jim McDonnell issued an order sustaining the reprimand on Nov. 13, 2025.
Bunch contended that the department’s actions were “arbitrary and capricious.”
Floyd who was Black, was killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis during an arrest made after a store clerk suspected Floyd had used a counterfeit $20 bill on May 25, 2020. Floyd’s death prompted nationwide protests, including in Los Angeles.