Dozens of protesters gathered outside Los Angeles City Hall on Tuesday to demand accountability and change after the death of 31-year-old Keenan Anderson.
Anderson died Jan. 3 after being restrained and shocked by a stun gun by Los Angeles Police Department officers in Venice.
Police claim they responded to the scene of a car crash near Venice and Lincoln boulevards and found Anderson acting erratically, running into traffic and trying to carjack an Uber at one point.
Officers detained Anderson, a teacher and father in Washington, D.C., and restrained him, then used a stun gun. He died hours later after going into cardiac arrest at a local hospital.
His friends and family, including Black Lives Matter cofounder Patrisse Cullors, Anderson’s cousin, are calling for change.
“We want a complete reevaluation of cops at traffic stops,” Cullors said.
The group also wants to see the full video of Anderson’s arrest and for Mayor Karen Bass to not appoint Chief Michel Moore for another term.
Jamie McBride of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, however, defended the officers’ actions.
“The officers did everything right,” he said. “They tried to deescalate the situation for over 10 minutes.”
Police say they’ve found preliminary evidence of drugs in Anderson’s system, but the family wants a full autopsy performed.
Bass released a statement reading, “No matter what these investigations determine, the need for urgent change is clear.”
