The #LosAngeles Board of #Police Commissioners has determined that the actions of five officers in the death of #KeenanAnderson were not in compliance with department policies.
Anderson passed away on January 3 following a traffic accident at the intersection of Lincoln Boulevard and Venice Boulevard in Venice. When Anderson signaled an LAPD officer for assistance after the crash, officers discovered his involvement and attempted to approach him. Anderson fled, resulting in five officers eventually restraining him, with one officer deploying a Taser multiple times. He was later transported to a local hospital, where he died four hours later. The LA County Medical Examiner attributed his demise to an enlarged heart and cocaine use.
In a closed session, the Board evaluated the conduct of Officers Joshua Coombs, Stephen Feldman, Christopher Walters, Rasheen Ford, and Jaime Fuentes, focusing on de-escalation tactics, Taser use, and the pressure applied to Anderson's neck during the restraint. While Coombs, Feldman, and Walters' use of force was considered within policy, Ford and Fuentes were found to have applied neck pressure nine times, contravening #LAPD policy. Chief Michel Moore determined that Anderson did not pose an immediate deadly threat; hence the use of deadly force was not warranted.
Ford was noted to have compromised Anderson's breathing with his arm placement, and Fuentes inadvertently applied pressure to Anderson's trachea during the restraint. Nevertheless, policy exceptions were not applicable. Additionally, Fuentes was found to have misused his Taser, deploying it six times in less than a minute, which was considered excessive. All officers involved were cited for specific tactics and uniform violations. Only Fuentes and Ford were found to have violated use-of-force policies. The disciplinary actions, if any, for these officers remain uncertain at the present moment.
The findings regarding the death of Keenan Anderson underscore significant violations of use-of-force policies, with the fact that disciplinary actions for the officers involved remain uncertain raises concerns about accountability. #abolitionnow
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Link: FOXLA
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