A civil lawsuit has been filed against an off-duty Los Angeles police officer who fired his gun during a wild videotaped clash with several teenagers in Anaheim last month, according to court records and a police union spokesman.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Christian and John Dorscht filed the complaint against LAPD Officer Kevin Ferguson on Feb. 28, according to Orange County Superior Court records. Dustin DeRollo, a spokesman for the union that represents rank-and-file LAPD officers, said the suit was brought by the parents of one of the teenagers involved in the Feb. 21 confrontation.
The violent exchange between Ferguson and a group of teens was sparked by an argument over the teens’ decision to walk across a neighborhood lawn on West Palais Road. Ferguson and a 13-year-old boy began shouting at each other and exchanging profanities, according to cellphone footage of the incident that quickly went viral and sparked protests in Anaheim last month.
No one was hit by the gunfire. The 13-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of making criminal threats and battery, while a 15-year-old was also arrested on suspicion of battery. Both, however, have since been released, according to the Times.
Ferguson was not arrested and remains on duty, although he is not working in the field, an LAPD spokesman told the Times.
