Gun case dismissed against husband of former District Attorney Jackie Lacey
LOS ANGELES - A misdemeanor gun case has been dismissed against former Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey's husband, who was charged in 2020 with pointing a gun out his door while ordering a group of Black Lives Matter protesters to leave the couple's Granada Hills property.
David Allan Lacey was allowed to enter an 18-month diversion program last May to resolve the misdemeanor case in which he was ordered to perform 100 hours of community service, complete 13 anger management classes, complete a gun safety course and not to possess any firearm during the diversionary period, but Superior Court Judge David Stuart terminated diversion early after Lacey completed all the program's terms, according to defense attorney Samuel Tyre.
"David is happy this matter is behind him," Tyre said.
The judge said last May that he believed Lacey's case was "an appropriate case for diversion," noting that he was at the time a "67-year- old man who has led an otherwise exemplary, productive life." The judge also noted that there was a "unique politically charged situation that's unlikely to recur again."
In a statement shortly after the May 2021 hearing, David Lacey's attorney said, "We maintain David's innocence. He was protecting his wife and family from protesters the night of the incident. This diversion allows David to avoid the risks of a jury trial. We are happy the judge and the attorney general agreed diversion was appropriate."
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• VIDEO: Black Lives Matter protesters say husband of DA Jackie Lacey pointed gun at them
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At an April 2021 hearing, one of the group's members, Melina Abdullah, who is listed as one of the alleged victims in the complaint, told the judge, "So, what I experienced at the hands of David Lacey was one of the most traumatic experiences of my life ... He's getting special treatment because he's the husband of the former district attorney."
Attorney Carl Douglas, who is representing Abdullah and the other two victims listed in the complaint, said protesters had been outside the Laceys' house for 40 minutes before the run-in.
"This is not a circumstance of a distraught husband protecting his family," Douglas told the judge during the hearing in April 2021.
Lacey was charged in August 2020 with three misdemeanor counts of assault with a firearm by the California Attorney General's Office involving the March 2, 2020 encounter with demonstrators. The protest occurred before sunrise. David Lacey was seen on video pointing a handgun out the front door of the couple's home and ordering the protesters to leave the property. No arrests or injuries were reported.
Protesters can be heard asking to see his wife, prompting him to again order the group off the property.
Members of Black Lives Matter who took part in the protest immediately condemned David Lacey's actions. Activist Jasmyne Cannick posted the video online and sent links to local media outlets.
Black Lives Matter repeatedly protested against Jackie Lacey, criticizing her for what they saw as a failure to hold law enforcement officers accountable for shootings of minority suspects, and accusing her of failing to meet with them to discuss the issue.
Abdullah -- who has said the protesters were off the Laceys' porch in less than 60 seconds -- insisted Lacey's house was not off-limits given that the district attorney is a public official and BLM never threatened her.
On Twitter, Abdullah alleged David Lacey "pointed a gun at my chest and said `I will shoot you."' She noted last year that the counts filed against him are "misdemeanors, but charges nonetheless."
Jackie Lacey lost her bid for a third term as the county's top prosecutor to former San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón.
In a statement released by her re-election campaign in 2020, she said, "The events that took place earlier this year have caused my family immense pain. My husband acted in fear for my safety after we were subjected to months of harassment that included a death threat no less than a week earlier. Protesters arrived at my house shortly after 5 a.m. while I was upstairs. My husband felt that we were in danger and acted out of genuine concern for our well being."
Shortly after the charges were filed, Tyre said he and his client were "disappointed that the Attorney General's Office felt that the conduct at issue amounted to criminal behavior."
He added then that his client's "human instinct is forever and always to protect his wife and his family and to keep them safe from physical harm."