BLM Activist Loses Lawsuit Against LAPD Over Swatting Call

Melina Abdullah condemned the Los Angeles Police Department responses to her residence, which included armed SWAT officers surrounding her house and ordering her to come outside through a loudspeaker.

May 24, 2024

A Black Lives Matter activist in Los Angeles on Thursday lost her lawsuit against the city's police department over its handling of swatting calls, the Associated Press reports.

Police say three teens driven by racial hatred were behind the two calls regarding false hostage situations at the home of Melina Abdullah, co-founder of BLM-LA and a Cal State LA professor.

Abdullah condemned the Los Angeles Police Department responses to her residence, which included armed SWAT officers surrounding her house and ordering her to come outside through a loudspeaker.

She sued the the department for its actions during the Aug. 12, 2020, incident, which she said left her and her three children fearing for their lives. A jury found the LAPD and the city were not liable, the Los Angeles City Attorney's office said.

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