Carlos Peña, a North Hollywood business owner, is expressing his outrage after a judge ruled that the City of Los Angeles will not be responsible for compensating him for damages caused by a SWAT team nearly two years ago. Peña feels frustrated and defenseless in light of this decision.
On August 4, 2022, a federal fugitive entered Peña’s print shop and assaulted him before law enforcement intervened. The incident included U.S. Marshals and the LAPD’s SWAT team, who engaged in an extensive standoff with the suspect. The authorities used tear gas, which contaminated all of Peña’s printing equipment and supplies, including printers, ink, T-shirts, and banners. Despite Peña’s efforts to file a claim for around $60,000 in lost equipment and wages, the U.S. Marshals denied his claim leading him to sue the city for damages.
However, a federal judge ultimately ruled that the government is permitted to seize property in the course of criminal investigations, absolving the City of Los Angeles from compensating Peña for the damages incurred during the standoff. This decision has devastated Peña even further as he has relocated his business operations to his garage and experienced an 80% decline in business due to extensive destruction caused by law enforcement.
Peña has lost faith in the government and feels abandoned in his time of need especially since the suspect was not apprehended despite extensive damage caused by law enforcement.
The incident has left Peña feeling helpless and frustrated with no hope of receiving compensation from those responsible for causing him significant losses both financially and personally.
In conclusion, Carlos Peña’s story highlights how vulnerable small business owners are when they become victims of violent crimes committed by criminals or law enforcement personnel alike. It also underscores how difficult it can be for them to receive justice or compensation when their property is damaged or destroyed during such incidents.
It’s important that governments take steps to protect small business owners from such incidents while ensuring that justice is served fairly and efficiently for all parties involved.
