A jury Wednesday found that a Los Angeles police officer was not negligent when he fatally shot a 22-year-old man in self- defense after he and his partner responded to a 2018 assault with a deadly weapon call and found two people lying on a driveway in Montecito Heights.
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Alfredo Escobedo and Elizabeth Medrano, the father and mother of the late Christian Escobedo, brought the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit in December 2019, suing the city and LAPD Officer Edward Artiaga. The plaintiffs dropped the city as a defendant before trial.
Although the plaintiffs contended that Escobedo and the other man were sleeping and that Escobedo only became conscious when Artiaga started yelling for his partner to return from chasing the other man, who had awakened and fled, Artiaga maintained that Escobedo was awake the entire time and was armed.
In April 2019, the District Attorney's Office released a report which concluded that Artiaga shot Escobedo in self-defense about 6:30 a.m. Jan. 14, 2018. A pistol was found near Escobedo's left knee, according to the report, which said he suffered five gunshot wounds, including one to the head and another to the right upper chest.
In a sworn declaration, Artiaga elaborated on his self-protection claim.
"I was afraid that (Escobedo) was taking aim to kill me," Artiaga said. "I backed away quickly from (him) while firing five consecutive rounds in rapid succession at him. At the time I fired, (Escobedo) was pointing the gun at me and I was looking at the muzzle of (his) gun."
Artiaga further said that within two minutes of firing, he asked for an ambulance. but added that Escobedo was determined to be deceased by paramedics.
Artiaga said because the radio call indicated a person on Amethyst Street was armed with a gun, he suspected an assault with a deadly weapon may already have occurred. He said when they arrived, Escobedo appeared to be asleep and a second man ran from the scene with Artiaga's partner in pursuit.
Artiaga said he ran up the driveway holding his pistol and saw Escobedo on his back with his right hand on his waistband and holding a handgun.
"I sent out a broadcast requesting backup, an airship and a supervisor," Artiaga said. "I then began yelling, `Hey partner, partner, partner, partner ...,' as (Escobedo) simultaneously sat up and turned in my direction."
Artiaga said he told Escobedo not to move, but Escobedo ignored the command. Escobedo turned his upper body and head toward the officer while moving his right hand with the gun from his front waistband area to the right side of his body and closer to Artiaga, according to the officer, who further said the shooting then ensued.
But the plaintiffs alleged that instead of following his LAPD training that called for better communication with his partner about how they could gain a tactical upper hand, Artiaga instead put himself at a disadvantage and was "unprepared and uncoordinated" when he confronted and shot Escobedo.
The suit further alleges the shooting was unprovoked and that Escobedo was not a threat to Artiaga.
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