BURBANK — Two Burbank police officers did not violate department policy or commit misconduct when they dropped off a man who had told them he was homeless near L.A. City Council President Paul Krekorian’s North Hollywood office, the BPD said Wednesday.
Krekorian held a news conference the day after the June 6 incident, accusing the officers of “dumping” the man out of their city. He released video of the man emerging from the back seat of a Burbank police cruiser and apparently being released from handcuffs before holding his hands to his head, seemingly in emotional distress.
The man, whose name has not been released, then dropped to his knees and rested his forehead on the sidewalk as the officers drove off.
According to a statement from the department in June, officers initially responded to a call at 8:45 a.m. June 6 regarding a naked individual sitting at a bus stop near Buena Vista Street and Alameda Avenue, just outside Providence St. Joseph Medical Center.
Officers found the man lucid and communicative, and offered him clothing. The individual refused to accept the clothes, and put on clothing he had. The man told officers he was homeless and had been transported to the hospital from the Sunland/Tujunga area.
The man told officers that he had a leg injury he had suffered many years ago, and had left the hospital voluntarily. The department said the man declined any medical services.
The officers offered to drive the man to a place of his choosing, the department noted. The individual asked to be taken to the Metro B (Red) Line station in North Hollywood.
On the way, the man asked Burbank officers to let him out of the patrol vehicle to get coffee. The officers complied, pulled over, and dropped off the man in the 5200 block of Lankershim Boulevard, near Magnolia Boulevard, one block from the station and near Krekorian’s office at 5250 Lankershim Blvd.
The department’s investigation determined the man was not homeless and had been renting a room in a house in Sylmar for several years.
The investigation included a review of body-worn camera and in-car camera footage as well as surveillance video footage, interviews with witnesses, a review of service calls and response logs for the Los Angeles Fire Department, and an interview of the man’s landlord.
In addition to the investigation by the Burbank Police Department, the FBI’s Civil Rights Division reviewed the incident and internal investigation. The FBI declined to take any further action, according to Burbank police.
