A day after the Burbank Police Department cleared two officers of any policy violations or misconduct for dropping off a distressed man on a North Hollywood sidewalk, Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian said on Thursday unanswered questions remain.
BPD’s investigation determined the man was not homeless, as Krekorian had claimed. The department said he had been renting a room in a house in Sylmar for several years — information confirmed by his landlord, who spoke with investigators.
Krekorian said in a statement Thursday the city has only begun to review Burbank’s findings.
“There are many obvious inconsistencies and unanswered questions remaining,” Krekorian said.
The Burbank police investigation included a review of body-worn camera and in-car camera footage as well as surveillance video footage, interviews with witnesses, a review of service calls and response logs for the Los Angeles Fire Department.
On June 6, video footage from Krekorian’s 2nd District office in North Hollywood captured two BPD officers leaving a man on the sidewalk.
A day after the incident, Krekorian held a news conference accusing the officers of “dumping” the man out of Burbank and into L.A. He also played the video where the man was seen emerging from the back seat of a Burbank police cruiser and apparently being released from handcuffs before holding his hands to his head, seemingly in emotional distress.
The man, whose name had not been released, then dropped to his knees and rested his forehead on the sidewalk as the officers drove off.
According to a statement from the BPD in June, officers initially responded to a call at 8:45 a.m. June 6 regarding a naked individual sitting at a bus stop near Buena Vista Street and Alameda Avenue, just outside Providence St. Joseph Medical Center.
Officers found the man lucid and communicative, and offered him clothing. The individual refused to accept the clothes, and put on clothing he had. The man told officers he was homeless and had been transported to the hospital from the Sunland/Tujunga area.
The man told officers that he had a leg injury he had suffered many years ago, and had left the hospital voluntarily. The department had said the man declined any medical services.
Officers offered to drive the man to a place of his choosing, the department noted. The individual asked to be taken to the Metro B (Red) Line station in North Hollywood.
On the way, the man asked Burbank officers to let him out of the patrol vehicle to get coffee, the department said. The officers complied, pulled over, and dropped off the man in the 5200 block of Lankershim Boulevard, near Magnolia Boulevard, one block from the station and near Krekorian’s office at 5250 Lankershim Blvd.
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