LA Council president accuses Burbank officers of dumping homeless man outside his office

The president of the Los Angeles City Council presented video Friday that he said shows Burbank officers dropping off a homeless man who appears to be in distress outside his district office and leaving the scene in their patrol SUV.

Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian said the video was recorded Wednesday morning directly in front of his North Hollywood district office. He presented the video Friday at a City Hall news conference.

"We have known for years that neighboring cities were dumping unhoused people on the streets of Los Angeles. Here is the proof," Krekorian said. "We in Los Angeles have worked long and hard to bring our unhoused neighbors off the streets by building interim shelters, tiny homes, navigation centers and supportive housing. Meanwhile, neighboring jurisdictions have simply removed unhoused people from their streets and dumped them on ours. This is inhumane and inexcusable."

In the video recorded at about 8 a.m. Wednesday, the man appears to fall onto the sidewalk and drop onto his hands and knees after emerging from the patrol SUV. He eventually was facedown on the sidewalk.

Members of Krekorian's office staff found the man and called the Los Angeles Fire Department to provide medical help.

He was later taken to a hospital. The location is near Providence St. Joseph's Hospital.

"We are aware of an incident Thursday morning on public property near the hospital," hospital spokesperson Patricia Aidem told NBCLA. "Our understanding is that multiple calls were made to police, including one from from a hospital security guard seeking help for a person on a city sidewalk who appeared to be in distress."

Krekorian is asking the Los Angeles City Attorney, county District Attorney and the Attorney General of California to investigate the case. The council president said that he introduced a motion Thursday to have the full council vote on the issue.

Part of the motion also requests the city of Burbank and its mayor and City Council to respond. Krekorian said he believes the Burbank mayor and City Council were not aware of what happened.

"The City of Burbank takes the concerns raised by Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Krekorian very seriously," Burbank Mayor Nick Schultz said in a statement to NBCLA. "We are currently gathering all of the facts."

Schultz said he expected an updated statement to be released later Friday after the review.

In response to the video, the Burbank Police Department said officers responded to a call of a naked person sitting at a bus stop outside Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center. The man told officers he was unhoused and was taken to the hospital from the Sunland/Tujunga area. Police said the individual left the hospital on his own accord and declined medical services.

The department said officers offered to drive the man to wherever he desired and agreed to be taken to the Metro Red Line in North Hollywood.

"Along the way, the individual asked to be let out of the patrol vehicle to get coffee," the Burbank Police Department said in its statement. "The officers complied immediately with his request, pulled over, and let the individual out of the patrol vehicle in the 5200 block of Lankershim Boulevard."

"The Burbank Police Department is currently conducting an in-depth investigation into this incident, including the actions of the involved police officers. The investigation will include a review of all available body worn and in-car camera footage, interviews with witnesses, and any other relevant evidence," the statement said.

The department did not identify the officers involved in the video.