LOS ANGELES — A lawsuit filed on behalf of a “No Kings” protester alleges the Los Angeles Police Department used excessive force when officers shot her in the head with a less-lethal round during a 2025 demonstration against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, despite her posing no threat to police.
James DeSimone Law represents Daisy Ureno, who the firm says was struck while sitting in a public seating area outside Los Angeles City Hall. The shot reportedly rendered her unconscious and caused head trauma.
DeSimone argues that Ureno was well away from LAPD officers when she was struck, supporting the lawsuit’s claim that she could not reasonably have been viewed as a credible threat.
According to the lawsuit, Ureno posed no threat to police and the LAPD’s actions were, at a minimum, negligent.
“[The LAPD] took aim at helpless people on a staircase and struck Ms. Ureno in her head, causing life-altering injuries,” DeSimone said. “It was reckless and despicable, yet nothing has been done to correct these unlawful police attacks on those exercising their constitutional rights.”
The lawsuit alleges the LAPD violated an existing injunction restricting the use of less-lethal weapons against protesters. It also argues that previous lawsuits and settlements involving the department should have made officers aware that less-lethal rounds should not be aimed at a person’s head.
The complaint also includes a claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress, alleging officers acted intentionally rather than merely negligently.
The incident occurred during a series of anti-ICE demonstrations in Los Angeles, Portland, Minnesota and other cities across the country. The protests prompted a federal response from the Trump administration, which defended its actions by characterizing some demonstrators as dangerous.
President Donald Trump repeatedly referred to protesters as “domestic terrorists” while defending the deployment of federal forces, including in Portland.
“I am directing our Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa and other domestic terrorists,” Trump’s post reads.
Trump also described Portland by saying, “I don’t know what could be worse than Portland. You don’t even have stores anymore. They don’t even put glass up. They put plywood on their windows.”
Some protesters responded by attempting to emphasize the peaceful nature of the demonstrations. In October 2025, Portland protesters distributed and wore inflatable animal costumes. NBC News reported the costumes were intended to counter claims that protesters were violent or that Portland was in crisis, arguments supporters said had been used to justify an expanded ICE presence and a crackdown on demonstrations.
The Trump administration also took several actions that ProPublica reported shifted the federal government’s approach to police accountability. According to ProPublica, the administration rolled back or halted several Biden-era accountability initiatives. Just over a month after taking office, Trump deactivated the National Law Enforcement Accountability Database, according to the Library of Congress.
DeSimone also represents Tucker Collins, a University of Southern California student who was struck in the head by a less-lethal round during a separate protest. According to CNN, Collins lost an eye as a result of the injury. Collins said he had been peacefully exercising his First Amendment rights, stating that “there was no way in which I was doing anything at all except just taking photos, taking videos.”
According to Ureno’s lawsuit, as well as public accounts from Collins and protesters in Portland, participants said officers fired less-lethal rounds without first ordering crowds to disperse or stand down. Those allegations have become part of a broader public debate over law enforcement tactics during public demonstrations.
The LAPD’s response to Ureno’s allegations was not included in the materials reviewed for this article.
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