LAPD Verdict
Jury Awards Pablo Vera $6.5 Million for LAPD Clash After 2020 Lakers Championship Celebration.
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A Los Angeles jury has awarded $6.5 million to Pablo Vera, a man who says LAPD officers on horseback beat him with a wooden sword during the Lakers' 2020 NBA championship celebration. Officer Alexander Alvarez struck Vera multiple times with a bokken — a 40-inch white oak baton used by the LAPD's Mounted Unit — breaking Vera's forearm and requiring surgery, according to MyNewsLA.
The unanimous jury verdict came after a three-day trial in Los Angeles Superior Court. Body-worn camera footage played a key role, visually contradicting the city's claim that Vera posed an immediate threat to officers. The jury found the city and Alvarez — a 30-year LAPD veteran — liable for assault, battery, and violations of Vera's constitutional rights.
Body Camera Footage Undercut the City's Defense
The LAPD maintained throughout the trial that Vera ignored dispersal orders and that officers used "reasonable and necessary" force in a volatile crowd. But Vera's attorneys argued the BWC footage told a different story. It showed Vera retreating — not threatening — when Alvarez struck him, according to Press Telegram.
Lead attorney J. Bernard Alexander III said the verdict "sends a clear message that constitutional protections do not disappear during crowd-control operations." The jury also found Alvarez acted with "malice, oppression, and fraud" and ordered him to pay $20,000 in punitive damages personally, on top of the city's share of the $6.5 million award.
Vera Said He Was Honoring Kobe, Not Causing Trouble
Vera testified he was a lifelong Lakers fan who came out that night to document a historic win and honor the memory of Kobe Bryant, who had died earlier that year. He said he was filming the celebration on 12th Street near Staples Center when mounted officers moved in after police declared an unlawful assembly, according to L.A. Taco.
The broken forearm required surgery and years of physical therapy. The incident took place on October 11, 2020 — the same night the LAPD made 76 arrests and reported 8 officer injuries stemming from the post-game unrest, according to Press Enterprise.
The Bokken: A Medieval Tool Still Used by LAPD
The bokken is a heavy wooden sword borrowed from Japanese martial arts. The LAPD's Mounted Unit adopted it in the mid-1980s as a way for officers on horseback to keep crowds at a distance. Critics have called it "medieval" and say the leverage a mounted officer has makes it especially dangerous, according to Daily Breeze.
This case is not the first from that same night. In 2022, a federal jury awarded $1.5 million to Kimberly Marroquin, who suffered a brain injury from a less-lethal projectile fired during the same Lakers celebration. That prior verdict adds weight to claims of a broader pattern of excessive force during crowd events.
$6.5 Million Adds to LA's Massive Police Payout Tab
The award hits a city already drowning in police-related legal costs. In the 2025–2026 fiscal year alone, Los Angeles paid over $107 million to settle police cases, according to Daily News. The City Council must now approve this latest payout, likely reigniting debate over the LAPD budget during a period of deep fiscal strain.
The verdict may also pressure the LAPD to rethink how its Mounted Unit operates in crowd situations. A 2025 court injunction already bars officers from arresting journalists who stay in dispersal zones. Advocates say this ruling could push that scrutiny further — to how ordinary fans and bystanders are treated under the same conditions.
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