No charges have been filed against the Huntington Park police who shot the body, the DA said
Citing insufficient evidence, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said it will not file charges against two Huntington Park police officers in the 2023 shooting of Anthony Lowe, an amputee who was trying to flee police with a long bladed knife.
Prosecutors announced the decision on Tuesday afternoon, issuing a report that cleared the police of wrongdoing when they opened fire.
The report says that the officers, Paul Munoz and Joshua Volasgis, were forced to make a second decision when they confronted Lowe, an armed suspect who had just stabbed someone.
“What happened in this incident is a series of tragic events initiated by Lowe and his dangerous and violent actions,” said the DA’s report. “The fact that police action was taken against a possibly suicidal person who was mentally disturbed and physically disabled does nothing to lessen the emotional response to this tragedy.”
In a statement accompanying the video, Dist. He said. Nathan Hochman called investigating the use of lethal force by police “one of the most challenging, important and sensitive tasks our office takes on,” but said he ultimately did not believe prosecutors could prove the police’s crimes at trial.
Attorney Christian Contreras, who filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Lowe’s family, said his clients had always hoped that the officers would be charged with a crime. He commented on the DA’s decision to drop charges in another police killing — the 2023 shooting death of Christopher Deandre Mitchell — and asked how serious Hochman was about arresting police officers.
Minutes before the January 2023 shooting, prosecutors say Lowe, 36, jumped out of his wheelchair and stabbed a man in the chest in the 1900 block of Slauson Avenue. The victim, who suffered a punctured lung and two ribs, was captured by a nearby camera running wild, while Lowe waited on the corner for a few seconds before crossing the road.
Footage released by Huntington Park police showed three officers – Munoz, Volasgis and Freddy Ramirez – arriving at the scene and approaching Lowe as he attempted to wheel away. Volasgis grabbed his gun and grabbed Lowe’s wheelchair, throwing him to the ground. As he fell to the pavement, the knife he was hiding fell and landed nearby.
Emails seeking comment from Volasgis and Munoz were not immediately returned Tuesday.
Lowe grabbed a knife and fell to his knees as the officers trained their guns on him. The video showed Lowe swinging the knife above his head at one point. At about the same time, Ramirez used his Taser, and Munoz and Volasgis opened fire with their service weapons.
After the shooting, according to the DA’s report, Volasgis told investigators that he feared for his life and that of his fellow officers, based on his previous training that a knife could be thrown 10-15 feet away.
An autopsy found that Lowe was struck by 8 of the 11 rounds that were fired. It also revealed small traces of methamphetamine in his blood.
None of the officers involved were wearing body cameras, and the police team was not equipped with dashboard cameras. The incident was captured in great detail by a security camera at a nearby clinic.
A wrongful-death lawsuit filed by Lowe’s family — one of several legal challenges stemming from the incident — says he suffers from mental illness and was dealing with the recent amputation of both of his legs.
Lowe was on parole after serving an 18-year federal sentence for a string of crimes, including “gang-related robbery,” the DA’s office said. After staying with an aunt in Texas, Lowe broke his legs following an incident where he jumped off a freeway while being chased by law enforcement.
He eventually returned to LA to live with his mother; LAPD officers responded to his home at least twice for mental health-related emergencies, the DA’s office said.
Contreras, the attorney for the Lowe family, said the shooting case had been resolved but said he could not disclose the details because the agreement had not yet been finalized.
