Today, a jury found that LAPD Officer William Jones was not liable for the death of 14-year-old Valentina Orellana-Peralta, who was killed when a bullet the officer fired at a violent suspect went through the wall of the Burlington Store in North Hollywood and struck her where she was hiding in a changing room. The City shares in the grief suffered by her family over this unimaginable loss.
Society calls upon our police officers to risk their own safety to protect others and run towards danger when others run away. Officer Jones answered that call in pursuit of a violent man threatening bystanders and beating a woman inside the store. We stand by him, knowing that he has carried the burden of Valentina’s death with him for many years.
We thank the jury for their professionalism and for setting their sympathies aside to follow the law and reach the correct conclusion, as difficult a task as that may have been. This event was a horrible tragedy and every parent's and every law enforcement officer's worst nightmare.
LA Superior Court Case #22STCV22768 (link to PDF)
The Estate of Valentina Orellana Peralta by and through its Successor-In-Interest, Soledad Peralta; Soledad Peralta, Individually; Juan Pablo Orellana Larenas, Individually, Plaintiffs, v. City of Los Angeles; Los Angeles Police Department; William Dorsey Jones Jr.; Burlington Stores Inc., Defendants
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Hydee Feldstein Soto is the 43rd Los Angeles City Attorney, elected in November 2022 and sworn into office in December 2022. Her team of nearly 1,000 legal professionals, including 500+ attorneys, carries out legal work for the City of Los Angeles at her direction and under her supervision. She is the first female City Attorney in L.A. history.