LA’s police chief said the new incident is one of two troubling incidents involving officers in the last week. Eric Leonard reports for the NBC4 I-Team on Tuesday, May 5, 2020.
A Los Angeles Police Department officer is under investigation for allegedly assaulting a trespassing man during an altercation in Boyle Heights.
Two Hollenbeck Division officers responded to the 2400 block of Houston Street, near Soto Street, on April 27, where they located a man trespassing on private property and directed him to leave, according to an LAPD statement issued late Monday.
During the investigation, a fight broke out between the man and one of the officers. The officer suffered a minor hand injury and the man had cuts to his head and face, but refused medical attention, according to the statement.
A supervisor was called to the scene and a witness who had seen a portion of the fight gave the supervisor a copy of a cellphone video, the statement said.
"Upon review of the content of the cellphone video and the involved officer's body worn video, the supervisor notified his commanding officer and investigators of the Internal Affairs Group responded to conduct a personnel complaint investigation,'' police said.
The man was released from custody, pending further investigation, the department said.
A formal investigation was begun and the officer, who was not identified, was assigned to home duty pending the results of the investigation, police said.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office and the police department's Office of the Inspector General will monitor the investigation.
