LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Closing statements from three nationally acclaimed attorneys were delivered today at the Burbank Courthouse in a civil trial against the Los Angeles Police Department over the fatal shooting of 14-year-old Valentina Orellana-Peralta, according to Trial Lawyers for Justice.
Peralta was shopping with her mother in North Hollywood when LAPD officer William Dorsey Jones, Jr., fired his weapon at “a man displaying erratic and violent behavior with a bike lock.”
According to NBC Los Angeles, body-camera video evidence was submitted during the trial that depicted “the suspect attacking a woman” and “beating her with the bike lock.”
Additionally, audio footage from the video captured police gunfire “as officers found the suspect” with a cable lock in hand. Unfortunately, the suspect died at the scene after being taken into custody.
Audio from a series of 911 calls was released by the LAPD, and, in one call, the dispatcher was told that there was “a guy with a gun” and reported “sounds of shots.” However, there was no gun found at the scene.
Officer Jones was on patrol and had “responded to an assault in progress” inside Burlington Coat Factory on Dec. 23, 2021, according to NBC Los Angeles. A man had attacked “two women with a bike lock,” and when Officer Jones arrived, he opened fire.
One of the bullets that was fired from the high-powered assault rifle “struck and killed Peralta” when she was in the changing room.
Investigators at the time did not know if Peralta was “in the dressing room before the violence began or ran in there to hide,” but according to LAPD Assistant Chief Dominic Choi, the officers found her after “seeing a hole” in “a solid wall.”
A spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Protective League, Tom Saggau, noted that Officer Jones “completed mass casualty active shooter training” and followed these protocols after receiving reports of an active shooter on their way to the scene.
Upon investigation, former LAPD Chief Michel Moore “determined that Jones inaccurately assessed the threat.” The Los Angeles Police Commission agreed with Moore and ruled that Jones “violated department policy.”
Officer Jones was placed on administrative leave, and Saggau said that “he is…devastated” and struggling with the fact “that [Peralta] could have been any one of the kids that he worked with.”
Peralta’s family is represented by nationally acclaimed trial attorneys Nick Rowley, Haytham Faraj, and Henry Peacor. Upon questioning Officer Jones, Haytham Faraj made sure to clarify that his questions were asked based on the accusation of his “being negligent in his duties as a police officer.”
California prosecutors, including California Attorney General Rob Bonta, announced that they would not “pursue criminal charges against Officer Jones.”
According to Sennett Devermont, the family’s spokesperson, the family was “crushed” after hearing Bonta call the incident “being at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Devermont stated in 2024 that Bonta’s decision is “a crushing and devastating response,” noting that it “…avoids all oversight, all accountability that needs to be had.”
Despite the decision, Peralta’s family “filed a civil lawsuit against the LAPD in continued pursuit for justice.”
In a statement, Bonta revealed his decision was challenging because it “involved the loss of two lives.” While his heart goes out to Peralta’s family, he asserted that the “…California Department of Justice” remains committed to “working…with all law enforcement partners to ensure an unbiased, transparent, and accountable legal system for every resident of California.”
Concluding statements will be presented on Tuesday, May 5.
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