Los Angeles city council president claims the footage displays cops from a neighboring city neglecting a homeless individual right outside his office.
A police car from the Burbank Police Department pulled up outside my workplace, Council President Paul Krekorian mentioned in a press conference on Friday. A guy was taken out of the vehicle in handcuffs. The handcuffs were removed. The man collapsed on the sidewalk, obviously going through a mental health problem and physically hurt. The Burbank Police Department officials left the scene in their car without extending any help or trying to find out if someone could provide assistance to this guy.
In the shown security video during the press conference, two officers are seen taking the man out of their vehicle's back seat and taking off what appears to be hand restraints. As the officers walk away from the car, the man seems to lose his balance, waives his arms and falls to the sidewalk on all fours. The police car drove away, leaving the man lying flat on his stomach. The video ends and the time span he stayed on the sidewalk is unknown.
Krekorian concluded that he put forth a motion on Friday, urging the Los Angeles City Attorney, County District Attorney, and the Attorney General of California to examine this case and "determine what suitable legal actions should be taken."
Burbank Mayor Nick Schultz, in a Friaysay message, stated that the "City of Burbank regards the concerns raised by Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Krekorian seriously," and that they are "gathering all the facts."
The Burbank Police Department then issued a statement claiming they were aware of a video exhibiting Burbank police officers dropping off the person on the sidewalk in North Hollywood.
According to the police department, they had answered a call for service Thursdy around 8:45 a.m., about a naked person sitting at a bus stop just outside Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank. The responding police officers found the guy "lucid and communicative," and he got dressed after a conversation with the police, the statement said.
Burbank Police reported that the man told them he was homeless and had been transported from the Sunland-Tujunga neighborhood in Los Angeles to the hospital for a leg injury he had suffered "many years ago." According to police, the man had left the hospital voluntarily before the officers' arrival and had rejected any medical assistance.
Burbank Police explained that the man asked to be driven to Sunland-Tujunga, but "finally agreed to be taken to the Metro Red Line in North Hollywood."
"He voluntarily got into the patrol vehicle and was driven towards the Metro Red Line station. Along the way, the individual requested to be let out of the patrol car to get coffee. The officers complied promptly with his request, pulled over, and allowed the individual out of the patrol car," the statement added.
In a statement to CNN on Saturday, Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center said they are aware of the incident from Thursdy morning and said there were "several calls" to police, including one from a hospital security guard, regarding an individual in distress on a public sidewalk.
"I was outraged by it and still am," Krekorian said at his press conference on Friday. "It's nearly impossible to imagine, you know, experts who are trained and paid to protect and serve the community - to take someone at this moment of supreme vulnerability, someone seeking medical help - and discarding him, literally discarding him, on a sidewalk to fend for himself. It's a disgrace."
According to the council member, after being briefed on the surveillance video, his team looked for the man, whom Krekorian didn't identify, found him around 3 p.m., and could organize medical care for him through the Los Angeles Fire Department.
"It's been widely accepted by many, and we've been told, that some of our surrounding cities and jurisdictions, who don't invest their funds in providing services, who don't build shelters for their homeless population, who don't spend resources on permanent supportive housing, who don't perform the basic human things to address homelessness, are instead moving their homeless residents into the city of Los Angeles," Krekorian asserted. "We know it happens, and it's uncommon that we can witness it with our own eyes like we can in this video."
"I would propose that if you see it happening on a random security camera, chances are it's happening a lot more frequently," he added.
The Burbank Police Department said they are now carrying out an "intensive investigation" into the case, including assessing the actions of the engaged police officers. The probe will look into all available body-worn and in-car camera footage, interviews with witnesses, and any other helpful evidence, according to the department.
"The Burbank Police Department is committed to treating the homeless community with compassion and respect, and thank Paul Krekorian for bringing this situation to our notice," their statement said.
CNN's Lola Proctor contributed to this report.
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In response to the incident, Krekorian urged various legal entities to investigate the actions of the Burbank Police Department.As a result of the investigation, the Burbank Police Department acknowledged their officers' involvement in the situation and stated they are conducting an intensive investigation into the matter.
