The Los Angeles City Council is demanding answers after video surfaced earlier this month of Burbank Police Department officers dropping off a homeless man outside the council president's North Hollywood office.
The council's Tuesday agenda included a motion from council president Paul Krekorian and Councilmember Imelda Padilla requesting a response from Burbank's mayor and city council regarding the June 6 incident seen on security camera video. The motion also calls on the city attorney and county and state prosecutors to investigate and take appropriate legal against against the city of Burbank and its police department.
Council members voted 13-0 in favor of a motion.
When he shared the video earlier this month, Krekorian said it shows Burbank officers "dumping" the homeless man, who appears to be in distress outside his district office, and leaving the scene in their patrol SUV.
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"We have known for years that neighboring cities were dumping unhoused people on the streets of Los Angeles. Here is the proof," Krekorian said. "We in Los Angeles have worked long and hard to bring our unhoused neighbors off the streets by building interim shelters, tiny homes, navigation centers and supportive housing. Meanwhile, neighboring jurisdictions have simply removed unhoused people from their streets and dumped them on ours. This is inhumane and inexcusable."
In the video recorded at about 8 a.m. June 6, the man appears to fall onto the sidewalk and drop onto his hands and knees after emerging from the patrol SUV. He eventually was facedown on the sidewalk.
Members of Krekorian's office staff found the man and called the Los Angeles Fire Department to provide medical help.
He was later taken to a hospital.
Krekorian is asking the Los Angeles City Attorney, county District Attorney and the Attorney General of California to investigate the case. His motion also requests a response from the city of Burbank regarding the case and its policies on relocating homeless people.
In a statement Tuesday, the city of Burbank addressed the city of LA's motion.
"In reference to today's Los Angeles City Council meeting discussing the incident from June 6, 2024, the City of Burbank welcomes any investigation and is in the process of conducting its own rigorous internal investigation," the city of Burbank said in its statement. "As images depicted on video don’t always relay the entire situation, the City of Burbank cautions against inflammatory rhetoric and a rush to judgment without the benefits of the investigation findings."
In a response on June 7, the day the video was shared by Krekorian, the Burbank Police Department said officers responded to a call of a naked person sitting at a bus stop outside Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center. The man told officers he was unhoused and was taken to the hospital from the Sunland/Tujunga area. Police said the individual left the hospital on his own accord and declined medical services.
The department said officers offered to drive the man to wherever he desired and agreed to be taken to the Metro Red Line in North Hollywood.
"Along the way, the individual asked to be let out of the patrol vehicle to get coffee," the Burbank Police Department said in its statement. "The officers complied immediately with his request, pulled over, and let the individual out of the patrol vehicle in the 5200 block of Lankershim Boulevard."
"The Burbank Police Department is currently conducting an in-depth investigation into this incident, including the actions of the involved police officers. The investigation will include a review of all available body worn and in-car camera footage, interviews with witnesses, and any other relevant evidence," the statement said.
The department did not identify the officers involved in the video.
