LAPD officers deny excessive force in death of cousin to BLM founder
Tori Richards
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The Los Angeles Police Department said a hit-and-run suspect died at the hospital after trying to evade police and being tasered.
Los Angeles police officers did everything possible to restrain the suspect safely before using a Taser leading up to his death, a spokesperson for the police officers’ union said.
Keenan Anderson, a Washington, D.C., high school teacher and cousin of Black Lives Matter founder Patrisse Cullors, was hospitalized after the Jan. 3 incident. He experienced a medical emergency hours later, but doctors were unable to save his life, the LAPD said in a press release.
Media reports said it was a heart attack.
The backlash on social media has been intense. BLM supporters and others demanded accountability from police and the resignation of Chief Michel Moore. Two other residents have also died following attempted police arrests this year.
Moore released an officer body camera recording Wednesday showing the encounter with Anderson, who initially ran up to police asking for help saying someone was trying to kill him.
He acted erratically and would not stay seated as the officer attempted to find out what had happened.
Anderson bolted into a busy intersection and was wrestled to the ground by several officers who repeatedly threatened to use a Taser on him if he did not roll onto his stomach. Anderson refused, and the Taser was fired several times, the video shows.
“He was high on cocaine, and we know from experience when folks are on those types of drugs, they tend to be a lot stronger than normal, and it took numerous officers and dozens of commands to put the cuffs on this suspect,” said Los Angeles Police Protective League spokesman Tom Saggau.
After causing the initial car crash, Anderson also attempted to take a vehicle belonging to an Uber driver, Saggau said.
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“Officers had done everything they possibly could to put a suspect into custody. Is it OK in LA now to just get in a car wreck and run away?” Saggau asked. “They did everything to de-escalate it, and this individual just refused to be safely taken into custody.”
After the release of this video and the two other deaths, newly elected Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) said she had “grave concerns” about the tapes.
“My heart goes out to the families and loved ones who are mourning the loss of Takar Smith, Keenan Anderson and Oscar Sanchez. Full investigations are underway, and I pledge that the City’s investigations into these deaths will be transparent and will reflect the values of Los Angeles,” she said in a statement.
Bass also criticized the officers for not calling in mental health experts in these cases.
“Especially as a former health care professional, I am deeply troubled that mental health experts were not called in, even when there was a documented history of past mental health crisis. When there is no immediate risk to others, law enforcement must not be the first responder when someone is experiencing a mental health crisis. I believe officers and Angelenos agree on this,” she said.
Moore agreed in a news conference that mental health experts should have been called in one of the other incidents.
But utilizing these experts in crisis situations before a suspect is arrested is not practical, Saggau said.
“It’s a cheap political stunt and we are not happy about it,” Saggau said about the comments.
“They come after the suspect is arrested and in custody and make a determination,” Saggau said. “Mental health experts are not the ones who knock on the door during domestic violence or an emergency. In LA, with a city that size and the hundreds of calls, you are lucky if there are three or five units citywide. It’s laughable for the chief or anybody to think you could call them immediately.”
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Several officers were involved in the Anderson arrest and will be on paid leave during a 14-day investigation, which is standard for use-of-force incidents in which a suspect dies.