Forbes covered KHIKS client Marshall Woodruff’s lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Police Department in the article “Filmmaker And Photographer Marshall Woodruff Sues LAPD Alleging Life Altering Injuries,” which details the injuries Mr. Woodruff sustained while documenting the “No Kings” protest in downtown Los Angeles on June 14, 2025.
According to the article, Mr. Woodruff, armed only with his professional camera, was struck twice by 40mm “less lethal” projectiles, first in the arm and then in the face shortly after, causing extensive facial fractures and a ruptured right eye, resulting in permanent blindness.
The lawsuit alleges the shooting was inconsistent with LAPD’s own written Use of Force Directive No. 3, which provides that intermediate force options like 40mm launchers, “should not be used” on a person believed to be unarmed who is passively resisting or merely failing to comply. It further cites a separate 2021 federal injunction that limits deployment of 40mm munitions only to circumstances where an officer reasonably believes a suspect is violently resisting arrest or poses an immediate threat of violence or physical harm, criteria that Mr. Woodruff allegedly did not fit.
The complaint, filed by Shawn Holley and Aaron Liskin, also notes subsequent federal court action addressing LAPD crowd-control tactics during the same protest period, including a January 15, 2026, contempt finding and an order granting a request “for a ban on LAPD’s use of 40mm KIPS for crowd control.”
“Beyond being blinded by the LAPD, I have frequent nightmares and am angered and traumatized every time I hear about another police or DHS shooting…,” Mr. Woodruff says in a statement to Forbes. “I am hopeful my case will result in accountability for the officer who shot me and helps to prevent these shootings from happening in the future.”
