LAPD sued – A federal civil rights lawsuit filed by Marie Marseille and her son Jeremiah Garcia says an LAPD officer used undue force when Jameson, their 100-pound dog wearing a Knicks T-shirt, was shot four times in Canoga Park on June 13. The case is headed to federal c
A federal lawsuit is headed to court after a Canoga Park family says Los Angeles police killed their 100-pound dog with unnecessary force—an incident captured on body camera and amplified online after the dog, wearing a New York Knicks T-shirt, barked at officers at the apartment door.
The shooting happened on June 13 when Marie Marseille’s dog. Jameson—a shaggy golden Saint Berdoodle—was killed by an LAPD officer while bounding out of Marseille’s Canoga Park apartment. Two officers knocked on Marseille’s door to check on her after a neighbor in the complex called police. saying she could not get a response after hearing exclamations of “Oh my God!” coming from Marseille’s apartment.
Body-cam footage shows Jameson, wearing a Knicks T-shirt, barked loudly at police when Marseille first opened her door. The officers asked Marseille to secure the dog. but when she reopened the door to step out. Jameson pushed past her. Although the dog’s tail was wagging. Jameson immediately bounded down the hallway toward an officer. who fired his service pistol four times. killing the dog.
The Los Angeles Police Department has said it does not comment on pending litigation. LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said the department would launch a full investigation into what led to the deadly shooting. On June 19, the department released body-cam videos from the officers involved, while an internal investigation remains ongoing.
The lawsuit. filed in federal court. alleges a civil rights violation and seeks damages for what it calls undue use of force. Attorneys for Marseille filed the case on Thursday. The complaint says. “Jameson never bared his teeth. growled at either officer. or otherwise displayed any attempt whatsoever to attack.” It asks for unstated “exemplary damages” from the city “sufficient to punish and make an example. ” along with attorneys’ fees.
Marseille, a nurse, and her son Jeremiah Garcia are represented by trial attorneys Brett Greenfield and Falamak Abromson at the Woodland Hills-based 818 Law Group. They did not respond to a request for comment.
City leaders have also moved to address the incident. Mayor Karen Bass said she asked the president of the Police Commission and the city police chief to review the law enforcement agency’s policies on using force against dogs “to increase safety for everyone — officers, Angelenos and their pets.”
The episode struck a nerve beyond the apartment hallway. Videos circulated widely, drawing criticism and outrage over the pet’s death.
A GoFundMe account set up for Marseille—initially to cover death expenses—has raised almost $250,000. The account was revised to say the family now intends to use the money “to establish the Jameson Marseille Foundation. a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of animals through advocacy. education. animal encounter training. rescue support. veterinary care initiatives. and direct assistance to animal welfare organizations.” California incorporation records with the secretary of state on Saturday showed no such entity has yet been created.
As the case moves forward. the sequence of events on camera—an officer firing four shots after the dog moved toward him. and the family’s insistence that Jameson posed no attack—has put the spotlight on how police handle situations that begin with a neighbor’s concern and end. for one family. in a federal courtroom.
LAPD Los Angeles police shooting dog killing Knicks T-shirt Canoga Park Jameson civil rights lawsuit excessive force federal court Mayor Karen Bass Jim McDonnell