Ex-Torrance police officer pleads guilty to assault for on-duty shooting

A former Torrance police officer, David Chandler Jr., 37, pleaded guilty on November 5th to a felony assault charge related to an on-duty shooting that injured a man. This plea deal is expected to lead to the case being dismissed after one year. As part of the agreement, Chandler must complete 100 hours of community service and surrender his California peace officer certification. Despite pleading guilty, Chandler’s lawyer, Tom Yu, emphasized that his client will avoid a conviction. Chandler faced charges stemming from a shooting incident that occurred on August 27, 2018. He was accused of firing multiple rounds at Jarvis Goode, who had just stepped out of his grandmother’s home in Torrance holding a knife and was then moving away from the officers. The case drew significant scrutiny after a judge reviewed body-worn camera footage in a hearing held in August 2023. During this hearing, the Deputy District Attorney, Guy Shirley, acknowledged that the initial shots might have been justified as protection for Goode’s grandmother, who was also outside at the time. However, Shirley argued that Chandler continued firing unnecessarily after Goode fled the scene. Chandler’s defense argued that he only had about a second and a half to react and that Goode’s threatening posture with the knife justified the shooting. Goode’s grandmother, Margo Goode, provided testimony indicating a complicated family situation. She explained she had called police earlier after her grandson, who struggles with mental health issues, damaged windows at her home. Although she was angry, she wasn’t scared at that time, and her grandson left on a skateboard before officers arrived. She called the police again when he returned that afternoon, and shortly after she stepped outside, the shooting began. Margo described the incident as terrifying and traumatic, saying she nearly got hit by the bullets. A spokesperson for the Torrance Police Department confirmed that Chandler is no longer employed by the department. This case was the third involving a current or former Torrance officer to face criminal charges in a short span during October 2021. Two other officers, Christopher Tomsic and Cody Weldin, pleaded guilty in April to felony vandalism charges related to racist graffiti found inside an impounded vehicle in 2020. Both received probation, community service requirements, anti-racism education, and were stripped of their peace officer certifications. Their lawyers are seeking to reduce the charges to misdemeanors, potentially allowing for expungement of the cases. These incidents have brought fresh attention to the Torrance Police Department’s conduct and disciplinary processes. The combination of abuse of power allegations and racially charged offenses linked to officers within such a short timeframe has raised concerns among the public and oversight bodies. The legal outcomes and administrative responses in these cases could set important precedents for how police accountability is handled in the region moving forward.