Citing insufficient evidence, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said it would not file charges against two Huntington Park police officers in the 2023 fatal shooting of Anthony Lowe, a double amputee who was trying flee police while holding a long-bladed knife.
Prosecutors announced the decision Tuesday afternoon, releasing a report that cleared the officers involved of wrongdoing when they opened fire.
The report said the officers, Paul Munoz and Joshua Volasgis, were forced to make a split-second decision when confronted by Lowe, an armed suspect who had just stabbed someone.
“What transpired in this incident was a tragic series of events put in motion by Lowe and his dangerous and violent actions,” the D.A.’s report said. “The fact the officers’ actions were taken against a possibly suicidal person who was experiencing a mental break and suffered physical limitations does little to assuage the emotional response to such a tragedy.”
In an accompanying video explanation, Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman called scrutinizing the use of deadly force by police use “one of the most challenging, important and sensitive responsibilities our office undertakes,” but said that ultimately he did not believe prosecutors could prove charges against the officers at trial.
Attorney Christian Contreras, who filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of Lowe’s family, said his clients had been holding out hope that the officers would be criminally charged. He noted the D.A.’s decision to drop charges in another controversial policing killing — the 2023 shooting death of Christopher Deandre Mitchell — and questioned how serious Hochman is about holding officers accountable.
Minutes before the January 2023 shooting, prosecutors said that Lowe, 36, lunged from his wheelchair and stabbed a man in chest in the 1900 block of Slauson Avenue. The victim, who suffered a collapsed lung and two broken ribs, was captured on a nearby surveillance camera staggering away, while Lowe waited at the corner for a few seconds before crossing the street.
Footage released by Huntington Park police showed three officers — Munoz, Volasgis and Freddy Ramirez — arriving on scene and approaching Lowe as he tried to wheel away. Volasgis holstered his gun and grabbed Lowe’s wheelchair, dumping him onto the ground. As he tumbled to the pavement, a knife he was concealing fell and landed nearby.
Emails seeking comment from Volasgis and Munoz weren’t immediately answered on Tuesday.
Lowe picked up the knife and began hobbling away on his knees as officers trained their guns at him. The video showed Lowe swinging knife above his head at one point. Almost simultaneously Ramirez deployed his Taser, while Munoz and Volasgis opened fire with their service weapons.
After the shooting, according to the D.A.’s report, Volasgis told investigators he feared for his life and that of his police colleagues, drawing on his prior training that a knife can be be thrown 10-15 feet away.
An autopsy found that Lowe was struck by 8 of the 11 rounds fired. It also revealed small traces of methamphetamine in his bloodstream.
None of the officers involved had body cameras, and their police squads weren’t equipped with dashboard cameras. The incident was captured in grainy detail on a security camera from a nearby medical clinic.
The wrongful death suit filed by Lowe’s family — one of several legal challenges prompted by the incident — claimed he was having a mental health crisis and had been coping with the recent amputations of both of his legs.
Lowe was on parole after serving an 18-year state prison sentence for a series of crimes, including a “gang-related robbery,” the D.A.’s office said. After moving in with an aunt in Texas, Lowe lost his legs following an incident in which he jumped off a freeway overpass while being pursued by law enforcement officers.
He eventually returned to L.A. to live with his mother; LAPD officers responded to her home at least twice in connection with mental health-related emergencies, the D.A.’s office said.
Contreras, the Lowe family’s attorney, said the lawsuit over the shooting had been settled but said he was unable to go into any details because the agreement hadn’t yet been finalized.
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