The owner of a pet Labradoodle dog killed by a Los Angeles Police Department officer sued the city of Los Angeles and various unidentified officers Thursday, alleging in federal court that police violated the LAPD\u2019s own policy governing the use of force against animals when Jameson was shot last month during noisy celebrations after the Knicks won the NBA championship.<\/p>\n
Marie Marseille, a 45-year-old nurse and lifelong Knicks fan who lives in Canoga Park, contends an officer \u201cfired multiple shots and killed Jameson in cold blood, without trying to calm Jameson down, or giving (Marseille) a chance to calm or quiet Jameson down,\u201d according to the Los Angeles federal court complaint.<\/p>\n
An LAPD representative said that according to policy, the department does not comment on pending litigation. But last month, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell vowed that a full investigation will be conducted into the fatal shooting of Jameson.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe loss of a pet is deeply personal,\u201d McDonnell wrote in a statement on X. \u201cFor many, a dog is not simply an animal; it is a companion, a source of comfort, and a member of the family.\u201d<\/p>\n
The suit alleges excessive force, negligence and \u201cunconstitutional municipal customs, practices and policies.\u201d<\/p>\n
The dog \u201cnever barred his teeth, growled at either officer, or otherwise displayed any attempt whatsoever to attack (the officers),\u201d according to the lawsuit. The shooting near the doorway of Marseille\u2019s apartment on June 13 allegedly \u201crecklessly threatened\u201d the owner\u2019s safety, the suit says.<\/p>\n
Marseille contends that under LAPD policy, officers are authorized to use force against an animal only when the animal poses an immediate threat of injury. The policy is consistent with the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training guidelines on dog encounters, which emphasize that police officers must read canine body language to distinguish between \u201cenergetic\u201d and \u201caggressive\u201d behavior, according to the suit.<\/p>\n
\u201cAn energetic dog \u2014 one that is excited, moving, barking \u2014 is not necessarily an aggressive dog, and the distinction matters under both LAPD policy and the constitutional standard,\u201d the suit states.<\/p>\n
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said last month she is seeking a reevaluation of the LAPD\u2019s policies on the use of force and pets following the release of body-worn camera footage of the fatal shooting during the LAPD\u2019s emergency response to the Canoga Park apartment complex where officers were investigating reports of a woman screaming.<\/p>\n
The woman turned out to be celebrating the New York Knicks\u2019 first NBA championship in 53 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis shooting makes clear that while LAPD provides officers with written guidance on the use of force and pets, this is not enough,\u201d Bass said in a statement, calling the shooting footage \u201cdisturbing and tragic.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to video footage and a department summary, officers responded at 8:55 p.m. June 13, to the 7500 block of Jordan Avenue after a neighbor reported hearing a woman repeatedly screaming, prompting a welfare check.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s been screaming `Oh my god,\u2019 for 20 minutes, like something really bad happened,\u201d the 911 caller said.<\/p>\n
The footage shows officers contacting the resident at her apartment door and repeatedly asking her to secure a large dog that was barking at them.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, can you put your dog inside?\u201d an officer is seen telling the resident.<\/p>\n
\u201cJeez, that\u2019s a big ass dog,\u201d an officer is heard saying.<\/p>\n
Another officer says, \u201cI ain\u2019t getting bit by that, bro.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to the LAPD, the resident briefly closed the door before reopening it moments later. An officer again asked if the dog was put away.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s not aggressive,\u201d she responded.<\/p>\n
The department said the dog then emerged from the apartment, barked and charged toward an officer. Body-camera video shows an officer backing away. Seconds later, gunshots are heard and the dog collapses near the doorway, as the woman cries out, \u201cNo!\u201d<\/p>\n
The LAPD identified the dog as a 106-pound mixed breed. Marseille identified the animal as Jameson, a 2-year-old golden retriever-Saint Bernard and poodle mix. Jameson was wearing a Knicks shirt.<\/p>\n
The suit says Labradoodles are known to be affectionate, energetic, intelligent, enthusiastic and eager. Their barking is considered to be moderate and they bark to attract attention and when stressed, the lawsuit states.<\/p>\n
\u201cLabradoodles are not considered dangerous or aggressive as to strangers, and Jameson was neither,\u201d according to the complaint for unspecified damages.<\/p>\n
According to a GoFundMe page that had raised more than $248,214 as of Thursday afternoon, Marseille was screaming with joy after the Knicks clinched their first NBA title since 1973 by defeating the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.<\/p>\n
The police chief said the department has fielded numerous complaints following the shooting.<\/p>\n
McDonnell said the investigation would take time, while acknowledging, \u201cWe at the LAPD know the community is hurting.<\/p>\n
\u201cLAPD officers face unknown dangers on a daily basis, but I expect them to exercise sound judgment, restraint and respect for life whenever possible. That expectation is reflected in our training, policies and specific guidance on encounters with dogs,\u201d McDonnell\u2019s statement continued. \u201cAll those factors will be carefully reviewed as part of this investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The owner of a pet Labradoodle dog killed by a Los Angeles Police Department officer sued the city…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":70150,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[1409,49807,169,48,52,51,155236,47,50,49,1831,17811],"class_list":["post-384577","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-city","tag-cops","tag-killed","tag-la","tag-la-headlines","tag-la-news","tag-labradoodle","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-headlines","tag-los-angeles-news","tag-owner","tag-sues"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384577","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=384577"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384577\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=384577"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=384577"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=384577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}