Jackie Lacey Apologizes After Husband Points Gun At Black Lives Matter Protesters At Their Home
GRANADA HILLS (CBSLA) — Black Lives Matter protesters say the husband of Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey pointed a gun at them as they tried to get her to come outside to have a community meeting with them Monday morning.
Video from the group shows a man in a blue T-shirt open a door and point a black handgun, before demanding, "get off my porch. Right now. Get off. Get off of my porch. I will shoot you. Get off of my porch."
The man appears to be David Lacey, the district attorney's husband. Police have not confirmed if David Lacey is the man who brandished the gun at protesters.
The early-morning protest at Lacey's Granada Hills home – which included demonstrators in the driveway with signs, bullhorns and chairs – called for Lacey to come outside to have a community meeting. The activists say they have asked Lacey to come meet with them countless times.
Melina Abdullah says she recorded the video of the disturbing encounter.
"We rang the bell to invite her out to meet with us and instead of being met with, you know, 'I'll come out' or 'I won't come out,' we were met with a gun pointed at my chest," she said.
Lacey and her husband were later given a police escort away from the home.
At a news conference, Lacey said that as the district attorney, she has received death threats, been followed and confronted in public. She said her husband responded to the early-morning protest in fear and that he is profoundly sorry.
"I too am sorry if anybody as harmed. It's never my intent to harm any protester," Lacey said. "I just want to live in peace and do my job."
Shortly after Lacey's news conference, Abdullah spoke outside of the D.A.'s office.
"His finger was on the trigger and he had trained the gun at my chest," she said. "I'm a mother."
Police say the incident is being investigated as assault with a deadly weapon, and will be handed over to LAPD's robbery-homicide division.
Lacey, Los Angeles' first black and woman district attorney, is in a tight race for reelection. The video happened to be posted by Jasmyn Cannick, who is working as the communications person for Lacey's opponent, Rachel Rossi. In a statement, Rossi said, "As District Attorney, I will never run from the community. And I never thought I'd have to say it, but I will also never threaten to shoot or have others threaten to shoot community members protesting my actions."
George Gascon, the former district attorney of San Francisco, is also running against Lacey. He refused to comment on the video.