David McLaughlin has been a Vallejo police officer since 2014 and was previously in the Oakland Police Department. His twin brother, Ryan McLaughlin, is also a Vallejo police officer.
McLaughlin has been involved in two shootings since joining Vallejo police, including being one of five officers who shot and killed Jeffrey Barboa after a pursuit into Richmond in 2017.
In 2019, McLaughlin was sued for arresting U.S. Marine Corps. veteran Adrian Burrell as he was filming a traffic stop.