LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – A tragic incident unfolded at a Burlington store in North Hollywood, where a 14-year-old girl, Valentina Orellana-Peralta, lost her life in a deadly shooting involving a Los Angeles Police Department officer in December 2021. The officer, attempting to apprehend an assault suspect, fired a round that ricocheted off the floor, piercing through a dressing room wall and striking Valentina as she tried on holiday dresses with her mother.
The California Attorney General, Rob Bonta, announced that his office will not pursue criminal charges against the officer involved in the shooting. This decision was made after a thorough investigation into the case, which was mandated by state law. Bonta expressed the challenges of dealing with a situation where two lives were lost, emphasizing the tragedy of Valentina’s untimely death and offering condolences to her family.
The incident escalated as a 24-year-old man, armed with a metal bike lock and suspected of multiple assaults, entered the store, prompting the officer to fire his weapon. Body-camera footage released by the LAPD showed the suspect attacking a woman before officers intervened. The sound of gunshots rang out as the suspect, armed with the bike lock, was confronted by law enforcement.
Following the shooting, questions arose about the use of force by officers and whether alternative de-escalation tactics could have been employed. The LAPD clarified that officers were unaware of Valentina’s presence in the dressing room, discovering her only during a search for additional attackers. The absence of a gun at the scene raised further inquiries into the events leading up to the tragic incident.
Despite the Police Commission ruling in 2022 that the officer violated department policy in the shooting, the decision by the California Attorney General’s office not to pursue criminal charges cited insufficient evidence to support a prosecution. The report recommended improvements in communication and rapid deployment strategies for law enforcement in similar scenarios to prevent such tragic outcomes in the future.
Valentina, a student at High Tech Los Angeles Charter School, had recently excelled in her math and physics exams. The family’s subsequent lawsuit against the city underscored the devastating impact of the incident, highlighting the need for accountability and measures to prevent such tragedies from recurring.