600 Block of Towne Ave. — Approximate Site of Officer Shooting
California’s Department of Justice has decided not to criminally charge the LAPD officer who fatally shot a Skid Row man found to be holding nothing more than a white plastic fork, in a case in which Los Angeles agreed to pay the family $5.8 million. Jason Maccani died in February 2024 after being shot once by Officer Caleb Garcia-Alamilla during a confrontation that began with a call about an armed man threatening employees at a downtown business.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Tuesday that state investigators found insufficient evidence to support criminal prosecution of Garcia-Alamilla, according to MyNewsLA. The DOJ concluded that the evidence did not establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the officer lacked a reasonable belief deadly force was necessary to defend himself or a fellow officer from an imminent threat, per the same outlet. As CBS Los Angeles reported, Bonta acknowledged the incident caused grief for Maccani’s family, the involved law enforcement agencies and the broader Los Angeles community.
How the Encounter Unfolded on Towne Avenue
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, Central Division officers responded at 2:14 p.m. on February 3, 2024, to a radio call reporting an assault with a deadly weapon in the 600 block of Towne Avenue. CBS Los Angeles reported that the caller initially claimed Maccani was armed with a stick and threatening employees, but later told police he was unarmed and simply guarding the business door. Arriving officers reportedly found that Maccani had not hit anyone, and the DOJ report said scissors and shoes were the only items inside the business that could have been used as weapons, per CBS Los Angeles…