The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has approved a $12.5 million settlement to resolve a federal lawsuit over the 2021 fatal shooting of David Ordaz Jr., a 34-year-old father of three who was killed by sheriff's deputies responding to a mental health crisis at his family's East Los Angeles home. The board approved the payment without discussion, according to county attorneys who recommended the settlement.
Ordaz's relatives filed the federal lawsuit against Los Angeles County, contending that deputies used excessive force and that Ordaz posed no threat to the responding officers when he was killed on March 14, 2021, as reported by mynewsla.com. The family said Ordaz was experiencing a mental health crisis and had reported he was suicidal and armed with a knife when they called for help, and relatives claimed he was shot in the back while lying on the ground. Per authorities, deputies who responded to the family's home said Ordaz continued to advance on them with a knife and walked toward them while holding the weapon.
What the Body Camera Footage Showed
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department released body-camera footage from the scene, which was later posted on YouTube. That footage indicated at least 10 rounds were fired, and showed that a single shot was fired after the main flurry of gunfire had already stopped. Two deputies also fired bean-bag rounds at Ordaz, according to a statement from the District Attorney's Office.
Multiple deputies opened fire on Ordaz, per authorities, though prosecutors ultimately determined that only one of the four deputies who discharged weapons that day, Remin Pineda, would face criminal charges. Los Angeles County prosecutors concluded that two of the other deputies acted without sufficient evidence of criminal intent and that a third acted in lawful self-defense, according to the Los Angeles Times. A coroner's report showed that all but two of the bullets that struck Ordaz hit him in the back and side, and Ordaz was found lying face up on the sidewalk while holding his shoulder.
A Rare Criminal Case Against a Deputy
Then-Sheriff Alex Villanueva relieved Pineda of duty in 2021 after reviewing the footage, saying he had grave concerns about the circumstances of the shooting. Prosecutors said Pineda continued firing after Ordaz fell and dropped the knife, and in November 2022, District Attorney George Gascón's office charged Pineda with assault with a semiautomatic firearm and assault under color of authority. In announcing the charges, Gascón's office stated that unlawful excessive force by law enforcement erodes public trust and causes long-term community harm, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. The filing marked a rare instance of local prosecutors criminally charging an active-duty LASD deputy over an on-duty fatal shooting, per LAist.
The criminal case did not move smoothly toward resolution. In October 2023, Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor rejected an initial no-jail plea deal after hearing emotional victim impact statements from Ordaz's family, who opposed the arrangement and wanted Pineda to receive a harsher sentence. More than a year later, in November 2024, Superior Court Judge Mark Arnold approved a similar no-contest plea deal, and Pineda pleaded no contest to two felonies stemming from the shooting.
Probation, Community Service and Lingering Family Anger
Under the 2024 deal, Pineda received a suspended 180-day county jail sentence, meaning he would serve no actual jail time unless he violated probation conditions, along with two years of probation, per KCAL News. He was also ordered to write an apology to Ordaz's family, perform 250 hours of community service, and undergo one year of psychological counseling. Pineda gave up his peace officer certification in 2024. Hoodline previously covered the deputy's no-jail plea deal, which drew criticism from the family at the time.
The family's outrage did not end with sentencing. In August 2025, community members organized by Centro CSO joined the Ordaz family outside the downtown Los Angeles courthouse to protest after court staff provided Pineda with a law-enforcement escort out of the building to avoid the family, according to Fight Back! News. Family members condemned what they described as continued preferential treatment for the former deputy. Ordaz's relatives had retained civil rights attorney Federico Sayre for the federal lawsuit, arguing that all four deputies involved in the shooting shared liability even though only Pineda faced criminal charges.
The Broader Cost to County Taxpayers
The $12.5 million settlement adds to a mounting tab for Los Angeles County taxpayers tied to Sheriff's Department liability. In fiscal year 2024–2025, the county spent $112 million defending the Sheriff's Department against legal claims and lawsuits, nearly half of the county's total $229 million in legal defense spending that year, the Los Angeles Times reported. Excessive force civil rights settlements accounted for a major share of those payouts, underscoring the financial weight that deputy-involved shootings continue to place on the region's budget.
