Los Angeles, Ca
Family speaks out after mother of 2 gunned down by L.A. County Deputy Sheriff
Family members of a woman shot and killed by an L.A. County Sheriff’s Deputy in Lancaster last month during a domestic dispute are speaking out about the beloved mother of 2 children and the $70 million wrongful death lawsuit filed against the sheriff’s department.
The incident occurred on Dec. 4 after the sheriff’s department received a call from 27-year-old Niani Finlayson, who reported being a victim of domestic violence at the hands of her boyfriend.
When deputies responded to the apartment in the 2100 block of East Avenue J-8, they heard an ongoing argument inside. Finlayson opened the front door “while armed with a large kitchen knife” as authorities approached the front door, LASD said.
In recently released body-worn camera footage, the 27-year-old is heard saying, “I’m going to stab him,” referring to her boyfriend, who she claimed had pushed her daughter.
She then moved to an area near where her boyfriend was sitting down. When deputies entered the home, they said, “Finlayson grabbed her boyfriend while holding the knife in an apparent attempt to stab him, and a deputy-involved shooting occurred.”
Deputy Ty Shelton opened fire on Finlayson, who was struck and collapsed to the floor, all of this while her 9-year-old daughter watched the shooting unfold.
The 27-year-old mother of two children later died at the hospital.
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Authorities respond to a Lancaster apartment where Niani Finlayson was fatally shot on Dec. 4, 2023. (Don Luis Meza) -
A vigil held on Dec. 23, 2023 to remember Niani Finlayson who was shot and killed by L.A. County deputies in Lancaster. (KTLA) -
A vigil held on Dec. 23, 2023 to remember Niani Finlayson who was shot and killed by L.A. County deputies in Lancaster. (KTLA)
Reacting to the body-worn camera footage of the incident released late last month, the victim’s father, Lamont Finlayson, expressed dismay at the shooting.
“When you look at the bodycam, you just have to shake your head and say, ‘Oh my God, what happened? What happened?’” he told KTLA’s Lauren Lyster. “They’re supposed to be there to save her life, not to kill her. You throw the taser down and just automatically go for your weapon within one second. When I look at that, I’m saying, ‘Why is he still on the force?’ Where does this guy come from, where’s his training?”
In response to the case, the sheriff’s department said that with all deputy-involved shootings, there is a thorough review process, including by the Office of the Inspector General, the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office and more, where every aspect of the shooting is evaluated.
L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna stated in part:
“The department released the body-worn camera footage ahead of the legal timeframe to demonstrate a commitment to transparency and visual representation of the facts.”
Legally, the department is required to release the bodycam footage within 45 days of the shooting.
The family’s attorney, Bradley Gage, says the $70 million suit is for wrongful death and civil rights violations, arguing that the deputy should have avoided lethal force.
“They could’ve deescalated a number of ways,” Gage said. “Number one, they could have just used command presence and given clear instructions – ‘Come out now, drop the knife.’ They could’ve also used a taser if they thought it was a truly dangerous situation.”
Gage told KTLA that the family has filed a precursor to the lawsuit and that they then plan to sue L.A. County, the sheriff’s department and Deputy Ty Shelton.
Shelton, according to the sheriff’s department, has been removed from field duty pending the results of the investigation into the deadly force encounter.
A hospital needs help identifying a male patient who was found injured and unconscious in downtown Los Angeles.
The man is believed to be in his 30s, according to the Los Angeles General Medical Center.
He was found injured on the ground on Omar Street and has been hospitalized since June 22.
He stands 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 176 pounds. He has brown eyes, dark brown hair and tattoos across his upper body.
He did not have any personal belongings to help staff identify him or contact loved ones. Workers did not disclose the nature of his injuries.
Anyone who recognizes the man is asked to call clinical social worker Cesar Robles at 323-409-6885.
The public can also call the L.A. General Medical Center’s Department of Social Work at 323-409-5253 or, after hours from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m., call 323-409-6883. On weekends, call 323-409-5254.
Police are asking the public for help Wednesday in identifying a hit-and-run driver who left a woman badly injured in Long Beach late last month. The May 24 crash occurred around 11 p.m. as the victim was crossing East 2nd Street, according to the Long Beach Police Department. Video provided by police showed a dark-colored […]
WARNING: Video footage contains graphic violence
A 62-year-old street vendor is recovering after a brutally violent attack by another woman in broad daylight as bystanders in downtown Los Angeles looked on.
The attack happened around 4 p.m. on June 15 in the 700 block of Figueroa Street, where Arabelia Martinez has sold hot dogs for years to support herself and her family.
Video of the incident, which has since circulated widely online, appears to show a woman confronting Martinez at her stand before spraying sauce across the vendor’s cart. Martinez responds by throwing what appears to be Tajín seasoning in the woman’s direction, and the confrontation quickly escalates.
The difficult-to-watch footage shows Martinez being shoved to the ground and struck multiple times as people look on. Some can be seen attempting to intervene, but the assault continues for roughly a minute before coming to an end.
“I was speechless,” Martinez’s son, Constantino Garcia, said after watching the video. “I couldn’t even see the whole thing.”
According to Garcia, the suspect approached his mother before the attack and attempted to intimidate her into giving her money.
“The lady came up to my mom trying to intimidate her and extort her for money, telling her she needed a permit to sell, which my mom does have,” Garcia told KTLA’s Carlos Saucedo.
When Martinez refused, Garcia claims the woman became verbally abusive.
“After she didn’t get her way and tried to extort my mom, she said, ‘Go back to Mexico,’ and made some racist remarks,” he said. “She said some disgusting things to my mom.”
Garcia said his mother continues to suffer lingering effects from the attack.
“She keeps complaining about her head,” he said. “We need to go see a head specialist because her head doesn’t stop hurting. As you could see in the video, she got slammed to the ground.”
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A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia) -
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia)
The video has also sparked outrage over the response from some witnesses who were nearby during the assault.
“What’s going on with our society?” Garcia said. “Are we getting desensitized to an elderly woman being beaten in broad daylight and being surrounded by people doing the bare minimum to help her? That was horrible for me to watch.”
Witness Sebastian Gutierrez said he arrived moments after the confrontation and saw Garcia’s attacker causing additional chaos in the area.
“The lady began to flip over the tables of vendors,” Gutierrez said, describing the woman as possibly unstable. “It definitely seemed like there were mental health issues or drugs involved, like we see with a lot of things here in downtown L.A.,” he said.
The Los Angeles Police Department has launched a battery investigation into the incident KTLA confirmed, though no suspect information or news of a potential arrest has been released.
Meanwhile, Martinez’s family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help with her recovery and raise awareness about the dangers street vendors face daily.
“I hope that my mom gets justice for what happened to her,” Garcia said. He added that he’s been encouraged by the public response to the video.
“I’m grateful people are sympathizing with my mom,” he said. “People are giving it the attention it deserves.”
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