More than two years after a California Highway Patrol officer shot and killed a 34-year-old man on the 105 Freeway, the California Department of Justice has announced that no criminal charges will be filed. State investigators concluded there was insufficient evidence to prosecute Officer Lucas Ritter in the November 19, 2023 death of Jesse Dominguez, whose family has accused the officer of using unjustified deadly force.
What the DOJ Report Says Happened on the 105
According to MyNewsLA, the DOJ report states that CHP's communications center received reports at 3:14 p.m. that a pedestrian was walking in the westbound Interstate 105 traffic lanes near the Wilmington Avenue off-ramp. Ritter responded in a marked patrol vehicle and full uniform, but without a body-worn camera, and dispatch informed him that Dominguez was on the right shoulder of the off-ramp. The report says Ritter stopped about 20 feet from Dominguez, who was wearing a backpack on his chest with a satchel on top, and directed him to put down his bags and show his hands.
Per the DOJ account relayed by MyNewsLA, Dominguez briefly raised his arms before dropping them and walking toward the westbound traffic lanes. Ritter grabbed Dominguez's left wrist, and the two fell flat onto the pavement in the second and third freeway lanes, with Ritter on top. The report states Dominguez kicked at Ritter and then discharged a stun gun against the officer's left side during the struggle.
Officer Opens Fire, Reports Shots to Dispatch
Following the stun gun strike, Ritter fired seven shots in Dominguez's direction, according to the DOJ report cited by MyNewsLA. He reported shots fired to CHP dispatch at 3:28:10 p.m. and, about a minute later, reported that Dominguez was not moving or responding to commands. Ritter told investigators he feared his life would be in danger if he were incapacitated during the struggle, per the DOJ report.
That account of an officer firing after being struck with a stun gun largely mirrors earlier reporting. FOX 11 Los Angeles reported in 2023 that CHP said an officer made repeated verbal attempts to persuade Dominguez out of the traffic lanes before he accessed and used the stun gun, and that the officer then fired his service weapon out of fear for his safety. Additional CHP officers arrived after the shooting, and CHP officers and a sergeant performed CPR on Dominguez after he was handcuffed, according to the DOJ report. CHP stopped all westbound freeway traffic west of Long Beach Boulevard during the incident.
Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel transported Dominguez to St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, where he was pronounced dead soon after arrival, per the DOJ report. At the time, CHP officers were not required to wear body cameras, though the agency used in-car cameras, NBC Los Angeles reported in the weeks after the shooting.
A Hospital Visit Hours Before the Shooting
The DOJ report, as described by MyNewsLA, also details Dominguez's movements earlier that day. He contacted the Los Angeles Fire Department around 1:45 p.m. and was taken to Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital, but he declined admission and asked for a ride home. Dominguez left the hospital on foot at approximately 2:22 p.m., and the Wilmington Avenue off-ramp where he was later seen was located about one mile from the hospital, according to the report.
Dominguez had resided at A Step to Freedom, a transitional living facility on East 104th Street in Los Angeles. His relatives have said he struggled with substance abuse and bipolar depression, and he worked primarily as a waiter while aspiring to become an actor or singer.
Family's Attorney Disputes the Findings
Attorney Luis Carrillo, representing Dominguez's family, has said Ritter fired seven shots at Dominguez and that Dominguez was experiencing a mental breakdown at the time. Carrillo has said Ritter should face criminal charges. Attorneys for the family have also said Ritter had no justification for using deadly force, and they filed a damages claim against CHP that preceded a lawsuit.
The California Department of Justice concluded that the evidence did not establish beyond a reasonable doubt that Ritter acted without the intent to defend himself and others from what he perceived as imminent death or serious bodily injury. The department said it found insufficient evidence to support criminal prosecution and announced that no further action would be taken in the case. The review was carried out by the DOJ's California Police Shooting Investigation Team under state mandates, following the independent review process the department opened in the days after the shooting, as LAist reported in 2023.
Divided Expert Opinions and Political Concern
Law enforcement experts interviewed by the Los Angeles Times were divided over whether the use of deadly force appeared appropriate. Use-of-force expert Ed Obayashi told NBC News that a stun gun could cause a grave and immediate threat to anyone, while the same report raised questions about whether there had been an opportunity to de-escalate or retreat before the shooting. City and state political leaders with constituencies in the area issued a joint statement expressing concern about the shooting video after it emerged.
The case was reviewed under AB 1506, a state law effective since July 1, 2021 that created a statewide DOJ role to investigate officer-involved shootings of unarmed civilians, according to the California Attorney General's Office. That same framework was applied in a separate case this month, when the DOJ declined to bring charges against an LAPD officer in the fatal shooting of a 36-year-old man, as reported by MyNewsLA.
