This browser does not support the Video element.
LA man shot at George Floyd protest gets $3.8M
Los Angeles filmmaker Cellin Gluck was hit in the face with a rubber bullet from deputies at a George Floyd protest in 2020. He's just been awarded $3.8 million.
LOS ANGELES - A Los Angeles jury has awarded $3.8 million to filmmaker Cellin Gluck and his daughter after Gluck was shot in the face with a rubber bullet by an LA County Sheriff’s deputy during a George Floyd protest in 2020.
What we know:
Gluck, who was at the demonstration near Beverly Boulevard and Stanley Avenue in Los Angeles with his son Griffin and daughter Caroline, was photographing the crowd when he was struck. His camera was instantly covered in blood.
"I remember staggering and being completely confused," Gluck recalled. His daughter Caroline described seeing her father bleeding heavily. "He takes his hand off his face, there’s just blood and his nose is all messed up, and he’s not able to form words."
SUGGESTED: Man charged with throwing cinderblocks at Border Patrol during Paramount protest faces 20 years
The impact fractured Gluck’s face and left fragments that required multiple surgeries to remove. He said the shooting has caused ongoing headaches, memory and vision loss, depression, and anxiety. Jurors found that the County of Los Angeles was negligent through the actions of its Sheriff’s deputies, who fired "less-than-lethal" rounds into a crowd of peaceful protesters.
What they're saying:
While some blame was also placed on the crowd, Gluck called that conclusion "ridiculous."
"They are there for suppression, they’re not there for elimination… so, ok, the crowd made me mad… so, I shot them? What?! It doesn’t work that way," Gluck said.
Civil rights attorney Carl Douglas, who represented Gluck along with attorney Jamon Hicks, said the case was about accountability.
"The shooting of Mr. Gluck was wrongful, it was unreasonable, it never should have happened, and to their credit, the county agreed with that," Douglas said.
The jury’s award includes $300,000 for Gluck’s daughter, Caroline, for the trauma of witnessing her father’s injuries. Gluck said his fight is bigger than his own case, and he urged people to keep fighting injustice.
"You have to stand up. If we don’t stand up and if we don’t try to put a stop to it, who is?"
The other side:
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department issued the following statement: "Although a different administration is in place now than in 2020, we recognize the importance of thoroughly reviewing and evaluating what occurred at that time to identify lessons that can help us improve our service to the community."
The Source: Information in this story is from interviews with Cillan Gluck, Caroline Gluck, attorney Carl Douglas and a statement from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.