A cousin of Patrisse Cullors, one of the founders of Black Lives Matter, died a few hours after being tasered and detained by the Los Angeles Police Department several times on the street.
Keenan Anderson, a teacher and father who was 31 years old, died in a hospital in Santa Monica. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) released footage from a body camera used on Jan. 3.
It shows Mr. Anderson begging for help while being held by the police. At around 3 p.m. local time, police who tasered Mr. Anderson were called to a car crash in the Venice neighborhood of Los Angeles.
“They’re trying to give me George Floyd”
— Keenan Anderson
English teacher, friend, mentor and so much more put to death by the LAPD in this encounter:pic.twitter.com/EHgrFUx9dX
— Isaac G. Bryan (@ib2_real) January 12, 2023
At a press conference on Wednesday, Police Chief Michel Moore said Mr Anderson was guilty of hit-and-run, which is a crime. He said Mr. Anderson had tried to flee the crime scene by trying “Getting into someone else’s car without permission”.
When the police arrive, the video shows Mr. Anderson being upset and telling the first officer: ‘Someone is trying to kill me’ even though there is no visible threat on camera.
At first, Mr. Anderson does as he is told and sits down, but when more police show up, he gets up and runs into the street, ignoring their pleas to stop.
Keenan cried out, “They’re trying to give me George Floyd.”
He knew what was happening and he was powerless to prevent it. Instead, the LAPD he stopped to help him – as the law requires civilians to do after an accident – held him down and groped him 7 times. SEVEN. Cruel & Inhumane.
— Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@QasimRashid) January 13, 2023
When the police find Mr. Anderson and try to take him into custody, he cooperates at first, but then starts yelling, “Please!” and help!” and “They’re trying me George Floyd!” – a reference to the May 2020 murder of a black man by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
An officer used the stun gun on Mr. Anderson for about 30 seconds after telling him several times to stop resisting arrest or he would “tase” him. He was held by other agents. Then he was startled again for about five seconds.
Police said an ambulance arrived about five minutes after Mr Anderson was tasered and took him to a nearby hospital. Police say he died about four and a half hours later when his heart stopped beating.
The LAPD’s toxicology report found cannabis and cocaine in Mr. Anderson’s blood. The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office will prepare a separate report.
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The footage heightens the pressure on the LAPD, which has had three black or brown men die in less than a week of encountering them. Officers shot and killed both Takar Smith, 45, and Oscar Sanchez, 35, in early January.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the events were “deeply disturbing.” Police said they were investigating the deaths of the three men.
Mr. Anderson lived in the Washington, DC area and was traveling in Los Angeles. His death has led activists to call again for police reform. Some of them believe that police with guns should not be sent to traffic accidents.
The LAPD killed Keenan Anderson. A beloved English teacher and high school dad who turned them IN FOR HELP after a car accident. He was no threat to anyone. He needed help and it cost him his life. The LAPD should be held accountable for this at all costs. #KeenanAnderson pic.twitter.com/fPQ6gYsmUO
— Travon (@Travon) January 12, 2023
Patrisse Cullors, co-founder of Black Lives Matter and Mr. Anderson’s cousin, told the Guardian: “My cousin asked for help and he didn’t get it.”
“My cousin feared for his life. He witnessed a movement for the past 10 years that challenged the killing of black people.” “He knew what was at stake and he tried to protect himself. No one was willing to protect him.”
Ms. Cullors and other people want the LAPD chief to resign. Mr Moore said he released Mr Anderson’s video footage quickly because there was a lot of interest in it. He said 45 days is the norm.
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