New cellphone video of a weekend police shooting in Los Angeles provides a disturbing view of a skirmish in LA’s notorious Skid Row.
The footage shows three police officers and a homeless man, wrestling on the ground. As the struggle progresses, viewers hear five shots fired, and then screaming. A second person, a woman, is handcuffed and removed from the scene, after she allegedly reached for an officer’s club.
LA Police Commander Andrew Smith says the unidentified man resisted arrest, and that police officers were unable to subdue him with a Taser. Smith further says that the homeless man was trying to take one of the officer’s guns when the shooting occurred.
Some witnesses agree with that description, while others are calling the shooting an excessive use of force. You can see the video captured by eyewitness Anthony Blackburn here, but be warned that the content is graphic.
Steve Chiotakis is covering the story for KCRW in Los Angeles and joins Here & Now’s Robin Young with the latest information on the shooting.
Guest
- Steve Chiotakis, anchor for KCRW in Los Angeles. He tweets @RadioChio.
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