Los Angeles Police Department officials are investigating whether
excessive force was used in an incident that shut down Figueroa Street
for 15 to 20 minutes Monday afternoon, said Sergeant C. Perkins. One
taser was used as police officers detained a man with a mental illness
near the intersection of Figueroa and 28th streets, Perkins said. The
man was not arrested but sent to a hospital for evaluation of a mental
illness. Witnesses said that the man was sitting in an ambulance when
police officers tried to remove him. "I saw them pulling him out of the
ambulance, and all of a sudden lots of police officers were on top of
him," said Juan Cruz, a worker at Del Taco. Cruz described the detainee
as a black man in his 50s to 60s. At least 10 squad cars and 20 police
officers were at the intersection. The squad cars did not respond to a
call, and they were already in the area before the incident - possibly
to get food at one of the local restaurants, Perkins said. Cruz said
that there were a lot of police officers who converged on top of the
man. [more ]
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