The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has released body camera footage showing the point of view of a deputy who shot a man who threw a paint roller at him.
The shooting happened around 1:25 a.m. after a pair of officers arrived at a person’s home around the 600 block of Willow Avenue in La Puente. Lawyers for the man who was shot said their client, Isael Orellana, was experiencing a mental health crisis at his home.
In the 911 calls accompanying the body camera footage, a neighbor said Orellana “became violent,” while his wife said he hit her.
When officers arrived, a neighbor told them Orellana had damaged property and fought with a family member. However, deputies added that the neighbor became “verbally combative” with them. Eventually, officers tried to detain Orellana, but he escaped and grabbed a paint roller from the ground.
They ordered Orellana to drop the paint roller, but he did not comply. One officer pulled out a can of pepper spray, while his partner pulled out his gun and pointed it at the man.
Orellana threw the paint roller at the deputy who was handling the gun after she was pepper sprayed. The armed deputy fired three times, hitting Orellana in the lower body. Paramedics arrived shortly afterwards and took him to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Other than the man who was shot, no residents suffered any other injuries. The deputy who opened fire said his torso hurt after being hit with the paint roller.
Orellana’s attorneys have filed a lawsuit against the department over the wounds he suffered.
The department said the case remains under review by the LA County District Attorney’s Office and the Sheriff’s Department Internal Affairs Bureau.
In every deputy-involved shooting, there is a thorough, multi-level review process involving multiple outside entities, such as the Office of Inspector General, where every aspect of the shooting is thoroughly investigated and evaluated to see if it Ministry policies and procedures have been complied with. followed,” the department said in a statement.
