A cousin of Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors died earlier this month after he was arrested by police in Los Angeles.
Keenan Anderson, 31, a DC area charter school teacher, died at a hospital in Santa Monica on January 3 after a fight with police.
Body camera footage released by the LAPD showing the arrest of Keenan Anderson.
(Fox Digital News)
An officer was reported for a traffic collision in the area of Venice Boulevard and Lincoln Boulevard in the Pacific area just after 3:30 p.m. on January 3.
LAPD said the officer observed a man, later identified as Anderson, running in the middle of the street and behaving erratically. Several people involved in the traffic collision told the officer that Anderson was responsible for the accident, LAPD said.
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The officer spoke to Anderson, who initially complied but tried to flee the scene and ran into the middle of the street when additional units arrived, LAPD said. Anderson began resisting arrest, which resulted in the use of force, according to the department.
A struggle ensued for several minutes and officers used a TASER, body weight, firm grips and joint locks, LAPD said.
In body cam footage released by the department, Anderson can be heard yelling, “They’re trying to kill me.”
“They’re treating me like George Floyd,” Anderson said when an officer threatened to use a stun gun, which was repeatedly deployed seconds later as Anderson lay face down on the pavement and pleaded for help, saying, “I’m not resisting.” .”
The officers eventually took Anderson into custody.
The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) arrived on scene and administered medical assistance for the officer’s use of the TASER. Anderson was transported to a local hospital where he went into cardiac arrest and died.
Cullors paid tribute to his cousin in an Instagram post, saying he was an English teacher who worked with high school kids.
“LAPD has killed three people this year. One of them is a member of my family,” Cullors wrote. “Keenan deserves to be alive right now, his son deserves to be raised by his father. Keenan, we will fight for you and all our loved ones affected by state violence.”
Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore discusses recent fatal police shootings during a news conference Wednesday, January 11, 2023, at LAPD headquarters in Los Angeles.
(AP Photo/Stefanie Dazio)
Chief Michel Moore said Wednesday he was “deeply concerned” by the deaths of Keenan and two other men, Takar Smith and Oscar Sanchez, who have been fatally shot by police since the start of the new year.
The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office is still investigating Anderson’s case. The office has not yet ruled on the cause and manner of his death. Both died on January 3.
Black Lives Matter supporters protested the officers’ actions in Anderson’s death outside LAPD headquarters Wednesday as Moore held his news conference inside.
“It’s unclear what role” officers played in Anderson’s death, Moore said. The officers were not named in the department’s news release.
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An LAPD toxicology test found cocaine and cannabis in Anderson’s body, though those results are separate from the coroner’s independent report, the chief said.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
