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'They're trying to George Floyd me': BLM founder's cousin dies hours after encounter with LAPD
Composite screenshot of Pacific Area ICD video

'They're trying to George Floyd me': BLM founder's cousin dies hours after encounter with LAPD

A man with familial ties to the Black Lives Matter movement died in a Los Angeles-area hospital just a few hours after he had an encounter with the LAPD.

Around 3:30 p.m. on January 3, police arrived at the intersection of Venice Boulevard and Lincoln Boulevard. There had been reports of a traffic accident and a man, later identified as 31-year-old Keenan Darnell Anderson, walking on the road and causing a disturbance.

When police arrived, they found Anderson in the road and "exhibiting erratic behavior," a police report said. Witnesses indicated that Anderson caused the accident, and a conversation between bystanders, caught on cellphone video of the incident, suggested that Anderson may have attempted to steal a car after the crash.

The unnamed officer who made initial contact with Anderson reported that he suspected that Anderson might have been under the influence. During their interaction, Anderson did cooperate with some of the officer's instructions. He also repeatedly insisted that some unidentified people were "trying to kill" him. Though he sat on the ground for some brief periods of time, he kept standing up and wandering about, despite the officer's repeated requests that he remain seated.

A few minutes later, Anderson reportedly ran back out into the street. The officer as well as fellow officers who had just arrived on the scene managed to convince Anderson to get on the ground once again, but he did not comply with orders that he turn onto his stomach. Officers eventually restrained Anderson and turned him over, while he apparently continued to resist.

At that point, Anderson repeated that "they're trying to kill" him and begged others for help. "They're trying to George Floyd me," he stated twice. After several warnings, an officer eventually tased Anderson multiple times.

The LAPD has released a video that offers the bodycam footage of the incident from several responding officers as well as a bystander's cellphone video. Warning: The content of the video is difficult to watch.

Pacific Area ICD 1/3/2023 (NRF002-23)youtu.be

Throughout the encounter, Anderson appeared conscious and cognizant. Firefighters arrived and provided medical assistance for the tasing at the scene. They then placed Anderson in a wheelchair-like apparatus and transported him to a hospital in Santa Monica for treatment for the tasing.

"While at the hospital, Anderson went into cardiac arrest and was pronounced deceased," the report states. He died at 8:15 p.m. that evening, about five hours after the traffic accident.

Initial toxicology reports on two separate blood samples showed that Anderson tested positive for "Cocaine Metabolite and Cannabinoids," the report said. The L.A. coroner's office will also conduct an independent toxicology report.

Anderson was a 31-year-old father who lived in Washington, D.C., and taught English at an area charter school. He was also the cousin of Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors. Cullors released a statement following Anderson's death.

"This is my cousin Keenan Anderson," she wrote on Instagram. "He was killed by LAPD in Venice on January 3rd, 2023."

"LAPD has killed three people this year. One of them is my family member," the post continued. "Keenan deserves to be alive right now, his child deserves to be raised by his father."

Mashea Ashton, a founder of the school where Anderson worked, also released a statement. "The details of his death are as disturbing as they are tragic," the statement said. "Keenan was a deeply committed educator and father of a six-year-old son. … He was beloved by all."

"Our community is grieving. But we’re also angry. Angry that, once again, a known, loved, and respected member of our community is no longer with us. Angry that another talented, beautiful black soul is gone too soon," the statement added.

At a news conference on Wednesday, Police Chief Michael Moore alleged that Anderson had committed a felony hit-and-run the afternoon before he died and that he then tried to "get into another person’s car without their permission," according to CNBC.

None of the officers who participated in the arrest have been named. The investigation into the incident and the use of force against Anderson remains ongoing.

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