Family sues LA County following death of son who was shot by deputies

CARSON, Calif. - The family of 34-year-old Arturo Cerna, who was shot and killed by LA County Sheriff's deputies in Carson last August, is suing LA County over his death.

The lawsuit claims deputies unnecessarily used excessive force by shooting Cerna four times in the back.  

"I just want justice because it was not right what they did to my son," Cerna's mother, who doesn't want to be identified publicly, said during a news conference with her attorneys. 

The lawsuit names six deputies and five of their supervisors, who Cerna's mom believes were responsible for his death.

In a video previously released to the public by the LA County Sheriff's Department, you can hear deputies barking orders like, "Get on the ground. Get on the ground." 

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The incident happened August 7, 2023 at 2:20am. There was a call from the gas station for help claiming Cerna, who was homeless, was acting erratically and screaming. Cerna's mother says he was "schizophrenic and addicted to drugs." 

"It wasn't that we wanted him in the street, but that was his decision. He was a grown-up man, but he was a really good son before he started all this addiction he went through," his mother added.

Her attorneys say what happened should have been de-escalated differently. During the news conference, Attorney Michael Carrillo said Cerna complied when given orders. In the video provided by the sheriff's department you can hear one deputy say, "I'm going to hit him with a 40 if he goes for his pocket." A "40" refers to a less-than-lethal weapon. But, despite that plan, Michael Carrillo said, "This officer fires less lethal. One of the other officers who is named as a defendant shoots four times lethal." 

Attorney Luis Carillo said that shouldn't have happened, adding, "Police officers are trained that you cannot shoot unless there is an imminent threat to your life or to someone else's life. There was no imminent threat here at all to any deputy sheriff or to any civilian when they discharged their guns, then shot him in the back four times."

The Sheriff's Department issued a statement that read, in part: "The Department has not officially received this lawsuit but takes all deputy-involved shootings seriously... With any deputy-involved shooting, there is a robust review process."

Additionally, the case will be reviewed by the LA County DA's office.