Michael “The Duke” De Luca — the bodyguard of Sylvester Stallone named in a 1986 police report of a sexual assault allegation which Stallone adamantly denies — was shot dead by police in 2013 during a traffic stop.
In its September 2013 report on De Luca’s untimely death at age 53, the Ventura County Star provided several details of the encounter that led to the tragic shooting, as well as an overview of his professional life which included working with the likes of Stallone and Tony Danza. A report by the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office published September 1, 2015 found that the actions of the officers who shot De Luca were justified.
De Luca, who was living in Thousand Oaks, California at the time, was shot dead by Port Hueneme police just after 4 a.m. on September 6, 2013, after the former boxer and bodyguard wrecked his pickup truck into a palm tree near the entrance of a parking lot at Hueneme Beach Park.
The District Attorney’s report says that when Officer Robin Matlock and Sgt. Chris Graham appeared on the scene, De Luca was uncooperative and acting as if he were “impaired,” Sgt. Graham stating, “There was something not right.”
De Luca told the officers he had a handgun and placed his hand near his waistband as he stepped toward Graham, prompting Matlock to fire her Taser gun on De Luca, who fell in a “somersault-like movement” to the ground. While he was still on the ground, De Luca appeared to remove his hand from his waistband and point it like a gun, at which point Graham yelled that he was armed and fired four shots. In response, Matlock fired one shot.
De Luca was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities found no handgun, only a knife in his vehicle. He had no criminal record in Ventura County.
“An autopsy found his blood contained Adderall, Lexapro, Klonopin and Lamictal, all which had been prescribed by his psychiatrist, as well as cannabinoids,” notes the Star in its summary of the DA’s report. “De Luca, who had attempted suicide in the past, called his mother after leaving his ex-girlfriend and may have expressed suicidal thoughts.”
De Luca was originally a boxer who won a 1979 New York State Golden Gloves championship at age 19 and a sliver medal at The Empire State Games. Danza, who also once boxed, was De Luca’s manager. Eventually, De Luca began to work as Stallone’s bodyguard and also tried his hand at acting as well as building film sets.
On Thursday, the Daily Mail published a 1986 Las Vegas Police report on the allegations of a 16-year-old girl who claimed that Stallone, then 40, coerced her into having a threesome with De Luca, who was working as Stallone’s bodyguard at the time. After willingly having intercourse with Stallone, the girl claimed that the actor invited De Luca in, at which point she alleged that the bodyguard “forced her head down” to perform oral sex on him and then had vaginal sex with her. The girl told authorities, “I’m humiliated and ashamed, but I don’t want to prosecute.”
On Thursday, a representative for Stallone, Michelle Bega, said the actor adamantly denies the “ridiculous” and “categorically false” accusations.
“This is a ridiculous, categorically false story,” Bega told the Daily Mail. “No one was ever aware of this story until it was published today, including Mr. Stallone. At no time was Mr. Stallone ever contacted by any authorities or anyone else regarding this matter.”