LOS ANGELES—A day after the Burbank Police Department (BPD) 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 Aug. 29 unanswered questions remain.
BPD’s investigation determined the man was not homeless as Krekorian had claimed. The police department said the man 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 Aug. 29 afternoon that the city has only begun to review BPD’s findings.
“There are many obvious inconsistencies and unanswered questions remaining,” Krekorian said.
“I look forward to working with the Burbank City Council to thoroughly review the department’s report about this tragic incident, and more importantly, the broader practices of the Burbank Police Department and the city of Burbank in dealing with people who are unhoused or suffering from mental illness,” he continued.
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, and an interview of the man’s landlord.
In addition to the investigation by the Burbank Police Department, the FBI’s Civil Rights Division reviewed the incident and internal investigation. The FBI declined to take any further action, according to Burbank police.
“All governments in our region need to work collaboratively to address this crisis and provide care to those who need it,” Krekorian said in his statement. “We will follow up with additional questions shortly.”
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 Los Angeles. 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 has 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 the 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.
In late June, Los Angeles City Council approved a motion sponsored by Krekorian and Councilwoman Imelda Padilla. Council members called on the city attorney, Los Angeles County district attorney, and attorney general of California to investigate both the June 6 incident and the alleged ongoing practice of one jurisdiction dumping its homeless and indigent residents on the streets of another. Los Angeles city officials said those investigations are underway.
In addition, the motion requested the city of Burbank to respond to the incident and provide the city of Los Angeles with its policies on homelessness, relocation of unhoused individuals, and policy changes that will be made as a result of the incident.
In response to Los Angeles’s motion, Burbank officials issued a statement, welcoming any investigation and confirming they would conduct their own “rigorous internal investigation.”
“As images depicted on video don’t always relay the entire situation, the city of Burbank cautions against inflammatory rhetoric and a rush to judgment without the benefits of the investigation findings,” Burbank’s statement continued.
