The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has sound policies in place to prevent the unnecessary use of deadly force. The following excerpts from the Use of Force Policy apply to the shooting of Ryan Twyman, and highlight policies which may have been violated, endangering not only the life of the occupants of the vehicle, but the safety of the deputies as well.
The fundamental duty of all sworn personnel is to protect life and property.
Members shall not move into, remain, or otherwise position themselves in the path of a vehicle in an effort to detain or apprehend the occupants. A Department member in the path of a moving vehicle shall immediately attempt to move to a position of safety rather than discharging a firearm at the vehicle or any of the occupants.