Jury Awards Over $11.7 Million to Man Blinded by LAPD During Dodgers Celebration A federal jury has ordered the City of Los Angeles to pay more than $11.7 million to Isaac Castellanos, who was partially blinded by LAPD officers using less-lethal launchers during 2020 World Series celebrations. The verdict highlights concerns over LAPD crowd control tactics and their financial repercussions. A federal court jury has delivered a significant verdict, ordering the City of Los Angeles to pay over $11.7 million to Isaac Castellanos. Castellanos suffered permanent blindness in one eye after being struck by projectiles fired from 37mm less-lethal launchers by two Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers during the city's 2020 Dodgers World Series celebrations. The incident occurred on October 28, 2020, when Castellanos, then 22 years old, was among a crowd celebrating the Dodgers' first World Series victory in over three decades. He testified that he was standing in the crowd when officers Cody MacArthur and Jesse Pineda fired into the gathering, causing his severe injury. The jury's unanimous decision found that both officers acted negligently, employed excessive force, and violated Castellanos’ constitutional rights through their actions. This case is not an isolated incident for the LAPD regarding crowd control. An analysis of data from the City Attorney's office by LAist reveals that the city has already incurred over $19 million in liabilities stemming from LAPD's crowd control measures since the beginning of 2020. Castellanos' verdict represents the largest award in such cases to date. His legal team, from the firm Wisner Baum, emphasized that individuals should be able to express themselves and celebrate peacefully without fear of police brutality. "I'm grateful to have this system of justice where Isaac can be compensated, and I just hope that this sends a loud and clear message to the LAPD that this is not okay," stated Pedram Esfandiary, one of Castellanos' attorneys. The firm's lawyers also argued that the officers' use of their weapons deviated from LAPD policy, citing insufficient distance from the crowd for accurate deployment and a failure to issue dispersal orders, thus denying individuals like Castellanos an opportunity to safely exit the area. The city's defense contended that the officers' actions were within policy due to perceived threats from the crowd and denied that their weapon usage directly caused Castellanos' injury. Castellanos recounted his experience, stating that he and his friends joined the celebratory crowd in downtown L.A. without initially seeing any officers. He noticed a police presence gathering down the street and, despite video evidence showing some individuals throwing objects, maintained that he was not involved in any violent or aggressive behavior. He testified that he did not hear any orders to disperse before observing officers holding what he described as firearms moving towards the crowd. He began to leave when he saw a muzzle flash and heard a loud noise, followed by immediate pain and the sensation of blood on his face, accompanied by a significant loss of vision in his right eye. Dr. Jerry Sebag, an expert witness, testified that Castellanos suffered severe blunt force trauma, likely from a rubber bullet, resulting in legal blindness and impaired depth perception in his right eye. The evidence presented established that Officers MacArthur and Pineda discharged their 37mm less-lethal launchers at the location and time of Castellanos' injury. This ruling follows a pattern of costly legal outcomes for the city related to LAPD crowd control tactics. At least seven other cases since 2020 have resulted in liabilities exceeding $1 million. Another notable case involved filmmaker A. Jamal Shakir Jr., who received $3.6 million after being struck by less-lethal projectiles during a protest. Furthermore, a single day of LAPD actions on May 30, 2020, led to a combined settlement of $4.25 million for three lawsuits. Another individual, injured by an LAPD less-lethal projectile during George Floyd protests on the same day, was awarded a $1.25 million settlement