The Los Angeles Police Department has released body-camera video of an officer-involved shooting in Boyle Heights, offering the public its account of a confrontation that ended with a man wounded by police.
What the department says happened
Officers were sent to the 3000 block of Glenn Avenue at about 1:45 a.m. on a report of an assault with a deadly weapon, KTLA reported. According to the LAPD, officers found a man armed with a knife and repeatedly ordered him to drop it. When he instead advanced toward them, at least one officer fired, NBC Los Angeles reported. Officers also deployed a 40-millimeter foam round, a less-lethal munition, as they moved to take him into custody.
The man was struck and taken to a hospital, where he was reported in stable condition, ABC7 reported. No officers or bystanders were reported hurt. The department has not publicly identified the man, and no charges have been announced; the Herald is withholding his name absent charges.
What the footage is — and isn't
The release is part of the LAPD's critical-incident policy, which calls for the department to make body-worn camera video public after use-of-force incidents that cause death or serious injury. That footage shows the encounter from the officers' vantage point and reflects the department's account of events; it is not, on its own, an independent reconstruction of what happened. Attorneys, witnesses and investigators may yet offer differing accounts.
The review process
The LAPD's Force Investigation Division, which examines all shootings by officers, is handling the case, and detectives said they were gathering evidence and additional camera footage. The city's Office of the Inspector General, which independently monitors LAPD use-of-force cases, typically reviews such incidents as well. Any findings on whether the shooting complied with department policy would ultimately go before the civilian Police Commission.
A neighborhood watching
Boyle Heights, a largely Latino neighborhood east of downtown, has been the setting for past high-profile police encounters, and community advocates there have pressed for years for greater accountability in use-of-force cases. Supporters of the department's transparency policy say releasing video promptly builds trust; critics note that footage selected and released by the department is not a substitute for an independent investigation. For now, the LAPD has attributed the shooting to the man's refusal to drop the knife and his move toward officers — an account that the coming review will weigh.
