Officers violated policy in Keenan Anderson's death, oversight board finds

Some of the five Los Angeles police officers who restrained, shocked, and arrested Keenan Anderson in Venice earlier this year were found by a police oversight board Tuesday to have violated department policies during the encounter, after which Anderson died while in police custody.

Two of the officers, R. Ford and J. Fuentes, neither of whom was the first officer to stop Anderson on Jan. 3, were found by the Board of Police Commissioners to have violated the LAPD’s policy on use of lethal force.

The commissioners found one officer’s use of less lethal force, a Taser stun gun, was out of policy, and decided the tactics employed by all five didn’t meet department standards.

The commissioners voted unanimously that all five officers’ use of non-lethal force, their efforts to physically force Anderson to the ground in attempting to handcuff him, were within policy.

Three of the five commissioners also found all of the officers failed to place Anderson in a “recovery position” once he appeared to be in medical distress.

Read the LA Police Chief's findings on the officers' use of force:

Anderson, 31, died from the effects of an enlarged heart and cocaine use, according to autopsy findings by the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office, which said in June that pathologists were unable to determine how much the force used by officers had played a role in the death. 

Anderson died at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, several hours after he was arrested after the struggle near the scene of a car crash.

The LAPD said Anderson had tried to take another person's car and had caused the collision.

Body-worn video released by the LAPD showed Anderson was stopped by an LAPD officer on a motorcycle near the scene of the collision and initially followed the officer's directions.

The officer spoke with Anderson for several minutes near the intersection, police said. Anderson attempted to leave the scene as more officers arrived, the LAPD said.

"As officers contacted Anderson, he began to resist, resulting in a use of force," the LAPD said in post that included video of the encounter. "Officers struggled with Anderson for several minutes, utilizing a TASER, bodyweight, firm grips, and joint locks to overcome his resistance.

The Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union that represents the officers involved, said in a statement it strongly disagreed with the Commission's findings, and characterized its conclusions as politically-influenced.

"Each responding officer acted responsibly in dealing with Mr.Anderson who was high on cocaine and ran into traffic after fleeing a car accident he caused," the League said.

"The coroner confirmed he was not tased but rather drive stunned when he refused to follow simple directions while in the middle of a busy street. Mr. Anderson and Mr. Anderson alone was responsible for what occurred," it said.

Anderson was a cousin of Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors, and recently taught at Digital Pioneers Academy, a charter school in Washington, D.C. He was in Los Angeles visiting relatives during the holidays.

A wrongful death claim was filed on behalf of Anderson's 5-year-old son, and the family's attorney said Friday the Coroner's findings will not change the plans to file a lawsuit.

"An unarmed Black man, in obvious mental distress was savagely attacked and repeatedly Tased, in clear violation of LAPD policy, by several trained officers, and the innocent life of a little five-year-old boy will be forever changed as a result," said attorney Carl Douglas.

"The mere fact that the coroner’s office has confirmed the presence of cocaine in Keenan Anderson’s system at the time of his death will have absolutely no impact on our intention to seek justice," Douglas said.

Douglas implored the commissioners Tuesday to hold the five officers accountable for their actions.

"We are hopeful that by their verdict, they will bring some small measure of justice to his son, and hopefully, they will hold those that are responsible, five officers, Black, white, five officers, and will be held accountable by the fair people of Los Angeles," he said.