Keenan Anderson dies after police arrest

• Keenan Anderson died in a hospital in Santa Monica.
• The Los Angeles Police Department has published body camera footage.
• It shows Mr Anderson pleading for aid as officers restrain him.

Patrisse Cullors, a cousin of Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors, died hours after being Tasered and detained in the street by Los Angeles police.

Keenan Anderson, a 31-year-old father and teacher, died in a hospital in Santa Monica.

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has published body camera footage from the interaction on January 3.

It shows Mr Anderson pleading for aid as officers restrain him.

“They’re trying to George Floyd me!” he can be heard yelling at one point. – a reference to a police officer’s death of a black man in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in May 2020.

Mr Anderson, who lived in the Washington, DC region and was visiting Los Angeles, died of an undetermined cause.

The video adds to the strain on the LAPD, whose interactions with black and brown men have resulted in three murders in less than a week.

Officers fatally shot Takar Smith, 45, and Oscar Sanchez, 35, in early January.

The incidents were described as “very troubling” by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. The police department stated it was looking into the deaths of the three males.

The officers who Tasered Mr Anderson were dispatched to the location about 15:00 p.m. local time in response to a reported traffic accident.

Mr Anderson had committed a felony hit-and-run in a traffic collision, according to police chief Michel Moore, who spoke at a news conference on Wednesday.

According to him, Mr. Anderson tried to leave the area by “getting into another person’s automobile without their permission.”

While there is no immediate threat shown on video, footage shows Mr. Anderson in fear when police arrive, telling the first officer that “someone is attempting to kill me.”

At first, Mr. Anderson follows instructions and sits down, but when additional police officers show there, he gets up and charges into the street, defying orders to stop.

Mr. Anderson shouts “please” and “help” and “they’re trying to George Floyd me!” as police approach him and make an attempt to hold him.

After an officer repeatedly urged Mr. Anderson to “stop [resisting],” the stun gun was first used on him for roughly 30 seconds.

After an officer repeatedly threatened Mr. Anderson to “stop [resisting arrest] or I’m going to tase you,” the stun gun was first used on him for around 30 seconds. Other officers had him restrained. He receives another Taser for around five more seconds.

According to authorities, Mr. Anderson was taken to a nearby hospital by an ambulance that arrived about five minutes after he was Tasered. He suffered a heart arrest and passed away around four and a half hours later, according to authorities.

The LAPD’s toxicology testing revealed that Mr. Anderson’s blood had positive results for cocaine and cannabis. A separate investigation will be made by the coroner’s office in Los Angeles County.

In response to Mr. Anderson’s passing, campaigners for police reform have stepped up their calls.

Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors, who is also Mr. Anderson’s cousin, stated to the Guardian: “My cousin asked for assistance, but he didn’t get any.

“My cousin was in extreme fear. He has spent the previous ten years participating in a movement that opposes the murder of black people.

“He was making an effort to defend himself because he realised what was at stake. Nobody wanted to stand up for him.”

The LAPD police chief is being called upon to step down by Ms. Cullors and others.

Because of the public’s curiosity, according to Mr. Moore, he hastened the publication of the video footage of Mr. Anderson. It typically takes 45 days, he claimed.

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