LOS ANGELES _ Black Lives Matter organizers have filed a civil lawsuit against Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey and her husband in connection with a March incident in which David Lacey is accused of pointing a gun at several demonstrators outside the family home.
The 16-page suit, filed Monday by Black Lives Matter organizer Melina Abdullah and demonstrators Dahlia Ferlito and Justin Marks, accuses the Laceys of assault, negligence and infliction of emotional distress in connection with the clash earlier this year.
"This lawsuit concerns the outrageously brazen and recklessly negligent use of a registered firearm by Defendant David Lacey, the husband of the Los Angeles District Attorney, against innocent protesters who were lawfully visiting their home and simply wanted the political candidate to follow through on promises she had made, yet neglected," the suit reads.
Abdullah led a group of 30 to 40 demonstrators to the Laceys' Granada Hills home before dawn on March 2, calling on Jackie Lacey to meet with them after she had failed to deliver on a promise to sit down with organizers that she had made in late 2019. The group chanted and prayed on the sidewalk before Abdullah, Ferlito and Marks approached the Laceys' door and rang the bell.
Video taken at the scene shows David Lacey, a former investigator for the district attorney's office, open the door with a handgun drawn, pointed at Abdullah's chest.
"I will shoot you. Get off of my porch," he says in the video.
David Lacey was charged with three counts of misdemeanor assault in August by the California attorney general's office, which reviewed the case because of a conflict of interest. Attorneys for the Laceys attempted to have the case thrown out in October, alleging the attorney general did not have jurisdiction, but their motion failed. Lacey is due back in court in December.
Calls and emails to David Lacey's defense attorney and a spokesman for the district attorney's campaign were not immediately returned Tuesday morning.
The lawsuit argues that the Laceys were familiar with Abdullah and Black Lives Matter protesters and should have known they were unarmed and posed no danger. Abdullah leads weekly protests against Jackie Lacey downtown and has never been violent toward her.
The district attorney has apologized for her husband's actions in the past, saying he acted out of fear for her safety. She also has said that she received a number of death threats in the run-up to March's primary in the contentious Los Angeles County district attorney's race, which had left her family on edge. At least one threat was serious enough that it was investigated by the Long Beach Police Department.
Jackie Lacey, who is seeking a third term in office, advanced to a runoff against former San Francisco district attorney George Gascon in November. The race has become increasingly heated in the wake of nationwide protests over the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and a number of protests have been staged outside Lacey's home since the March incident.
Abdullah and her attorney are expected to hold a news conference about the lawsuit Tuesday.
