The family of a man shot to death earlier this month by an LAPD officer in downtown LA while “armed” with a plastic fork has hired an attorney and is contemplating legal action against the City of Los Angeles. Eric Leonard reports for the NBC4 I-Team on Feb. 20, 2024.
The family of a man shot to death earlier this month by an LAPD officer in Downtown LA while "armed" with a plastic fork has hired an attorney and is contemplating legal action against the City of Los Angeles.
Jason Maccani, 36, was killed during a confrontation with Central Division officers inside a commercial building Feb. 3, after a 911 caller falsely reported a man was threatening people inside with a stick or a pipe.
"I remain concerned about the officer's decision to use deadly force," Chief Michel Moore told the I-Team last week after he reviewed body worn video and other information about the shooting.
Members of Maccani's family told NBCLA they were advised by their attorney not to make any statements about the incident, although they previously discussed Maccani's life with the online publication LA Taco.
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The family attorney did not respond to a request for comment.
The Feb. 3 incident began around 2 p.m. when a 911 caller said a man he didn't know was causing a disturbance at a business at 7th Street and Towne Avenue, and when prompted by the call taker, said the person had a weapon, according to an edited recording of the call released by the LAPD Tuesday.
“Does he have any weapons?" the call taker asked.
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“Uh, yes, yes, yes," said the caller. “Like a stick, like a pole.”
Moore said last week that the caller, whose identity isn't known publicly, purposely misrepresented what happened to accelerate the police response.
"In an effort to cause the department to respond more quickly," he said.
Newly released public segments of body worn and security video recordings, edited and published by the LAPD, show officers arriving at the building and making a plan to confront the man, now known to be Maccani, after the 911 caller agreed to sign a private person's arrest form.
The officers are seen on video discovering Maccani in a doorway on the 4th floor, where he responds to officers' commands to raise his hands.
Moments later, Moore said, Maccani charged at the officers with a small white object in his hand.
Less lethal bean bag and 40mm rounds were fired by officers, the chief said, before Maccani reached a female officer holding a shotgun loaded with bean bag rounds, and a male officer, standing nearby, fired a shot from his pistol that killed Maccani.
The object Maccani was holding turned out to be a white plastic fork.
"It does appear from my preliminary look at the videos that the individual does grab at an officer who's has a beanbag shotgun, grab the barrel of that as she's attempting to pull away from him," Moore said.
"How does an individual armed with plastic knife, how does he end up being involved in an officer involved shooting and a loss of life?," Moore asked.
Last week, the LAPD identified the officer who fired the shot as a newly-hired officer assigned to the Central Division in Downtown LA.
The killing is being investigated by the California Department of Justice because Maccani was unarmed.
This was the LAPD's third police shooting in 2024.
