Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Cops Who Fired 100 Rounds At Delivery Women Mistaken For Dorner Will Be Sent Back Into Field
Eight LAPD officers who mistook two delivery women for Christopher Dorner and fired over 100 rounds into their truck will be sent back into the field after being retrained.
This comes after Chief Charlie Beck made the most obvious announcement ever in saying that the officers were in the wrong when they opened fire on Margie Carranza and her mother, Emma Hernandez. In a department memo, obtained by the Los Angeles Times, Beck expressed his utmost confidence in the officers.
"I have confidence in their abilities as LAPD officers to continue to do their jobs in the same capacity they had been assigned," Beck said in the department message. "In the end, we as an organization can learn from this incident and from the individuals involved."
Beck's decision doesn't necessarily mean they won't be disciplined, but sources are telling the Times that if he were to discipline them, it would be minimal.
Support for LAist comes from
Carranza and Hernandez were delivering newspapers in Torrance early in the morning on Feb. 7, 2013 when the officers, believing that the women's blue Toyota Tacoma was Dorner's grey Nissan Titan, fired into their truck. Hernandez was shot twice in the back and Carranza has a graze wound on her hand. The women received $4.2 million to stave off a lawsuit, plus an extra $40,000 for a new truck.
The head of the citizen-run Los Angeles Police Commission, Steve Soboroff, expressed disappointment in Beck's decision. The police commission and Beck initially agreed on the fact that the officers violated protocol after a separate panel of high-ranking cops urged Beck to clear them of wrongdoing.
"I trust that the training will be extensive and the Department and officers will move forward from this tragic incident." Soboroff said.
Meanwhile, the attorney for Carranza and Hernandez, Glen Jonas, blasted the ruling by Beck.
"If either of the women had been killed, you can bet your bottom dollar somebody would be fired and maybe prosecuted," Jonas told The Associated Press "A stroke of luck, firing more than 100 rounds and missing, should not mean the discipline is lighter."
Related:
LAPD Chief: Cops Who Mistook Delivery Women For Christopher Dorner Were Wrong To Shoot Them
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The critical findings are part of long-awaited after-action report was released Thursday. It contains recommendations for increasing emergency staffing and updating old systems. -
Diving has changed, mountain biking has been added. Here's where to watch the Olympics in person in 2028. -
'A Great Day in the Stoke' is a free, daylong event in Orange County billed as 'the largest gathering of Black surfers in history.' The fourth annual festival is set for Saturday in Huntington Beach. -
Kimmel returned less than a week after ABC suspended his show over comments he made about the assassination of right wing activist Charlie Kirk. -
Southern California might see some light rain tonight into Wednesday morning. After that, cooler weather is on the way, but expect the humidity to remain. -
A gate tax at Disney? It's a possibility.
Best of LAist