Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) demanded “swift” accountability this weekend for the death of Keenan Anderson in a confrontation with police before the facts were known — including whether Anderson was trying to hijack cars.
Anderson, a 31-year-0ld teacher from Washington, DC, who happens to be a cousin of Black Lives Matter founder Patrisse Cullors, died Jan. 3 after being tased during a confrontation with Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers.
The Los Angeles Times reported:
The incident began Jan. 3 at 3:30 p.m. with a motorcycle officer arriving at what the LAPD characterized as a “felony hit-and-run” car crash at Venice and Lincoln boulevards. Police said Anderson was in the middle of the street, declaring, “Please help me.” LAPD Chief Michel Moore alleged this week that another driver reported that Anderson had attempted “to get into another car without his permission.”
Anderson then wanders in and out of cars, with the officer telling him to get on the sidewalk, according to the video. The officer yells, “Get up against the wall.”
…
Moore said data from the Taser weapon showed “there were six separate activations over 42 seconds. The first two [were] in the probe mode. We believe the darts weren’t effective. Then four activations over 33 seconds” in the stun mode in which the pulse was applied directly to the skin.
The LAPD released body camera footage of the encounter, which led to public condemnations by elected officials, and expressions of grief and outrage, including from Rep. Schiff.
You tweeted out a deceptively edited video clip that removes crucial context around this tragic incident. Full release from the LAPD (includes multiple camera angles and body camera footage): https://t.co/9a1yBSj3FQ https://t.co/ihsCxyfD37
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) January 16, 2023
However, the cause of death has not yet been determinged, nor are many of the facts known, including whether Anderson was, in fact, the victim of an accident or the perpetrator of attempts to hijack vehicles in the area.
Local Black Lives Matter leaders are demanding that the LAPD be removed from traffic enforcement duties, and that LAPD Chief Michael Moore not be appointed to a second five-year term by new Mayor Karen Bass.
Los Angeles suffered widespread rioting and unrest in the last round of Black Lives Matter protests after the murder of George Floyd by police in 2020. Crime has spiked in the city and the county since those riots.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the new biography, Rhoda: ‘Comrade Kadalie, You Are Out of Order’. He is also the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.