After a drunk driver assaulted a firefighter and crashed into the car of an undercover LAPD officer, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón declines to file nearly all charges.
Faith in Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón continues to wane. This week, his office once again faced scathing criticism for its poor handling of a violent crime case involving a violent assault on peace officers.
On Wednesday, a woman—later identified as Inglewood resident Jessica Chavez—was arrested after a series of reckless and violent acts in Gardena. Chavez, who was intoxicated at the time, could be seen on video assaulting a firefighter, repeatedly striking him through the open window of his truck. Chavez then fled the scene by car, returned, and violently rammed her car into an LAPD vehicle. The impact was so severe that it ripped one of the vehicle’s tires off.
Following her arrest, Chavez faced a list of five charges which would typically warrant serious legal consequences. These include battery against a peace officer (firefighter) – 243(e)(1)PC; assault with a deadly weapon (vehicle) – 245(a)(1)PC; evading police (disregard safety) – 2800.2(a)CVC; DUI collision causing injury – 23153(a)CVC; and DUI Probation (refusing sobriety tests) – 23154(a)CVC.
By Friday, Gascón’s Office announced it would decline to file all charges against Chavez except for a DUI. The decision has, unsurprisingly, sparked great outrage.
Critics of Gascón’s soft-on-crime policies continue to make the case that the DA’s progressive stance on crime and correction has made Los Angeles County far less safe. Since taking office, Gascón has implemented a series of controversial, sweeping policy changes, including ending cash bail from 2020 to 2022, refusing to seek the death penalty (despite the state having the largest death row in the nation), and severely reducing sentences for numerous crimes. Any way you slice it, the result has been a staggering increase in crime across Los Angeles County—as well as an exodus of peace officers.
During Gascón’s first three years in office, violent crimes in L.A. County rose 12%, robberies rose 16%, property crimes rose 20%, shoplifting rose 133%, auto theft rose 23%, and burglaries rose 8%, according to statistics provided by the California Department of Justice (CA DOJ). While the stats for 2024 won’t be available until the end of the year, the general trend continues. Between March 2023 and March 2024, violent crime rose another 2.9%, robberies rose by 9.5%, and homicides in the first three months of the year rose by a dramatic 28.1%.
Couple this with the LAPD’s difficulties retaining talent. Despite the approval of massive pay raises and hiring bonuses, the Los Angeles Police Department continues to fall far below its hiring goals. In April, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass expressed her desire to increase the department’s ranks to 9,504 officers by June. When June rolled around, the number had instead dropped to 8,799.
This trend continues statewide as California’s most populous counties—with the notable exception of Orange County—continue to elect progressive District Attorneys and statewide legislators, and a “succession of ‘anti-law enforcement’ policies have made their work impossible.” According to the CA DOJ’s Law Enforcement Personnel Survey and data compiled by the Public Policy Institute of California, the number of patrol officers per 100,000 residents is the lowest since 1991.
“When you’re getting beaten up constantly, your cost of living is getting worse and you’re dealing with all this political stuff, it is overwhelming,” said Ray Bottenfield, a former Santa Monica College Police Captain who moved to Texas in the wake of the defund the police movement.
The case of Jessica Chavez is a clear example of how the soft-on-crime approach further endangers the lives of overworked and underappreciated law enforcement officers and enables violent criminals to evade repercussions.
That leniency has defined Gascón’s tenure from the start. His office has created an environment where lawlessness is tolerated and criminals like Chavez feel emboldened to assault first responders. Until that changes, California will continue to hemorrhage thousands of officers each year to places like Texas and Arizona.
“What is most sad about the lack of new officers wishing to join this most noble and honorable profession is that the citizens who need police the most—those living in high-crime areas—will not get the level of protection they need and deserve,” said retired San Francisco Police Department officer Martin Halloran, who has written extensively about the state’s police officer shortage. “It is the responsibility of our elected representatives in San Francisco—and nationwide—to change the course of this crisis. Let’s see if they have the will to do so.
