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LOS ANGELES () — A man is suing the city of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Police Department, claiming officers violently attacked him while he was livestreaming an immigration protest last summer.
According to a civil rights lawsuit filed on Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Rodolfo Cano was standing on a public sidewalk near Oakwood Avenue and Western Avenue on June 11, 2025, documenting police activity during protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Video from Cano’s livestream shows the scene moments before the video suddenly cuts out.
In the livestream, Cano can be heard saying, “They’re using the rubber bullets, which again, if you look around, these are people who just live here. They’re not protestors.”
Minutes later, a marked LAPD vehicle pulls up, and the video cuts out before going to black.
The lawsuit alleges officers tackled Cano to the ground and assaulted him.
“Officers repeatedly punched Mr. Cano on his head, his face, they struck him in the ribs, in the kidney area, kicked him, placed a knee on his back, and one officer placed his steel-toed shoe on his hand and pressed hard,” said Toni Jaramilla, Cano’s attorney.
Photos taken after the incident show the injuries Cano says he suffered that night.
The lawsuit claims Cano was unarmed, not resisting and did nothing to provoke the alleged attack. It also alleges officers destroyed his recording device and falsely accused him of felony assault on an officer. According to the complaint, that charge was later rejected by the Los Angeles County District Attorney, and no criminal charges were filed against Cano.
Cano said he was on his way home from work when road closures rerouted him into the area of the protest. He said he felt compelled to document what he was seeing.
“While I did feel it was my responsibility to document the peaceful protest,” Cano said. “I didn’t expect whatsoever to have to document the criminal activity that was on display by the police. I was shocked by that.”
Jaramilla said Cano is a U.S. citizen with no criminal history and was engaged in activity protected by the First Amendment.
Cano is seeking damages from the city and the officers involved.
When asked for comment, LAPD told Eyewitness News it does not comment on pending litigation.
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