The teen involved in the police incident that led to February protests in Anaheim, Calif. has filed a civil suit against the officer.
Thirteen-year-old Christian Dorscht clashed last month with an off-duty LAPD officer who fired his gun in order to gain control of a melee with other teens. Officer Kevin Ferguson accused the teenagers of walking on his property.
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Video recorded and posted to social media show Ferguson grabbing a teen and dragging him through a hedge. When other kids standing by try to intervene, Ferguson exposes his gun. A gunshot is heard off-camera.
The event, which was caught on tape, sparked hundreds to protest against police force.
Dorscht and his parents filed their civil lawsuit against Ferguson on Feb. 28, alleging that he violated the teen’s civil rights and caused the plaintiff emotional distress. The suit also says that Ferguson, who never identified himself as a cop, assaulted and falsely imprisoned the boy, according to The Los Angeles Times.
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Dorscht was one of two teens who was eventually arrested for the skirmish, with the suit calling it “unreasonable and not justified.” No one was injured.
Ferguson’s attorney says he fired the shot to defuse an escalating situation with the teens. The Los Angeles Police Protective League, has dismissed the lawsuit as a “shakedown” in a statement Wednesday.