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Burning USA flag at a protest in New York (picture from June 2022)
Photo: ANGELA WEISS / AFP
It probably began with a traffic accident and ended fatally: In Los Angeles, a man died after the police used a Taser.
The deceased, Keenan Anderson, was related to one of the founders of the Black Lives Matter movement: he was the cousin of Patrisse Cullors, who invented the hashtag "#BlackLivesMatter".
This is reported, among other things, by the »Guardian«.
The case could rekindle the debate about police violence against black people in the United States.
The man, Keenan Anderson, was apprehended by police in Los Angeles on the afternoon of January 3.
This is shown by videos of the operation, which the police published on Wednesday (note: the recordings are drastic).
The video shows a police officer riding a motorcycle when he saw Anderson walking down the street.
Anderson apparently excitedly addresses the police officer.
He then drives to a car parked in the middle of the street.
There, several people point out to him that Anderson is apparently the driver of the vehicle.
The policeman drives up to him and asks him to leave the street and stand against the wall of a house.
Anderson is very excited, says, "Someone is trying to kill me." He clasps his hands behind his head and kneels on the floor.
He keeps saying, "Please, I didn't want that." The policeman asked for backup.
Anderson explains to the cop which car he is driving and says someone is trying to tamper with his car.
The operation escalates after Anderson runs away
Then the recording stops.
In the video released by the police, the text appears: "Seven minutes later, Anderson tried to escape."
How much time actually passed and what happened in the meantime is unclear.
Anderson can be seen getting up and asking the cop if he can get some water.
The policeman tells him that he will get him water and that he should sit back down.
Anderson stands on the sidewalk and says he wants others to see him.
He's obviously scared that the policeman might do something to him.
The policeman says, "All right, then sit here," referring to the sidewalk.
Then Anderson says to the cop something like,
"You're putting a thing on me."
), and that he is warm.
He's obviously confused.
Then he runs into the street.
The cop follows him and yells at Anderson to lie on his stomach.
He kneels down and lies on his back.
The operation escalates.
Two other police officers now approach Anderson and try to push him to the ground.
Anderson yells, "Please don't do that!" and seems to be fighting back.
One of the cops says, "Stop it or we'll taser you." They scuffle with Anderson, over and over telling him to stop resisting them.
They manage to turn Anderson onto his stomach.
A total of five police officers are now apparently trying to fix him.
Anderson exclaims desperately: "They're trying to do to me what they did to George Floyd!" (
"They're trying to George Floyd me!").
Anderson appears to be in a confused state.
As he lies on the floor, he calls out several times: "They're all actors!" and "It's all just played!".
One of the officers repeatedly yells, "Stop struggling or I'll taser you." Then he pulls out his taser and shocks Anderson.
He keeps saying, "Stop struggling." The officers keep trying to bring Anderson under control.
The buzzing of the taser can be heard again and again.
Finally, the police officers manage to put handcuffs and ankle bracelets on him.
Anderson was later rushed to the hospital, where he suffered cardiac arrest and died four and a half hours later, according to police.
“My cousin asked for help and didn't get it.
He was killed"
According to the Guardian, Anderson was a high school English teacher and father.
Anderson's cousin, Patrisse Cullors, told The Guardian: "My cousin asked for help and didn't get it.
He was killed.” No one deserves to die in fear.
“For the past ten years he has witnessed a movement opposing the killing of black people.
He knew what was at stake and tried to protect himself.
But no one helped him,' she said.
The case is now causing a stir.
Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said in a press conference that Anderson behaved "erratic".
The taser was "activated" ten times, but not every "activation" was actually "effective."
According to Moore, there is no limit to the number of times the taser can be activated, but repeated activation is dangerous because it can lead to injury.
It is still unclear to what extent the use of the taser and the fixation of Anderson were partly responsible for his death.
He said a preliminary blood test showed he may have been under the influence of cannabis and cocaine.
However, the exact cause of death is still unclear, according to the authorities.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement that the incident is being thoroughly investigated.
She demanded that the police officers involved should be put on leave during the investigation.
But regardless of the outcome of the research, Bass said, "we need to reduce the use of violence in general, and I do not condone the use of excessive force." There is also a need to address the fact that many people suffer from untreated mental illness.
She was shocked that no one with experience in dealing with the mentally ill was called to the mission.
"If there is no danger to others, police officers should not be the first to be there when someone is going through a mental crisis," she said.
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