The Three Fatal Incidents That Have LAPD Chief 'Deeply Concerned'

Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said he's "deeply concerned" after three men died during interactions with officers in the city over a period of just two days.

On January 3, English teacher Keenan Anderson, the cousin of Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors, died from a cardiac arrest in a hospital after being hit with a stun gun several times while detained by police responding to a traffic incident.

In separate incidents on January 2 and 3, two men, Takar Smith and Oscar Sanchez, were shot and killed during interactions with LAPD officers. According to officers, Smith was armed with a "large knife," while Sanchez had a sharp metal pole when the shootings took place.

Reacting to the deaths, Moore said: "These cluster of events, while miles apart, deeply concern me. My commitment to the families is not just the condolences, though. It's my commitment to ensure the greatest transparency as possible, as much as the law allows, to include the details of the investigation as well as the findings and my recommendations, eventually, regarding the actions of our people."

The LAPD has released bodycam footage showing all three incidents.

In response, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said: "I have grave concerns about the deeply disturbing tapes that were released today. My heart goes out to the families and loved ones who are mourning the loss of Takar Smith, Keenan Anderson and Oscar Sanchez."

Newsweek reached out to the LAPD for comment.

Takar Smith

Police shot 45-year-old Takar Smith dead on January 2 in Los Angeles' Westlake District. CBS News reported that Smith was wanted for breaching a domestic violence restraining order violation.

Officers arrived at the scene on the 200 block of Witmer Street at around 3:30 p.m. after being called by Smith's wife, who said he was throwing objects around her apartment and had previously been violent towards her.

In a statement, the LAPD said: "Upon arrival, the officers made contact with the suspect, a male in his 40s, inside of an apartment unit. The suspect refused to exit the apartment unit or comply with the officers' orders, and they continued talking to him for approximately 15 minutes."

Police said Smith refused repeated requests to surrender, resulting in pepper spray and stun guns being deployed. When these failed to fully subdue Smith, he was able to access a knife in the kitchen.

"The suspect momentarily dropped the knife, but immediately rearmed himself with the large knife at which time, an officer-involved shooting occurred," the police statement said.

No officers were injured in the incident, which is being investigated by the LAPD's own Force Investigation Division, along with the District Attorney's office.

Kennan Anderson

A police officer encountered Anderson running in the road when responding by motorbike to reports of a traffic collision on January 3 at the intersection of Venice and Lincoln Boulevards.

According to police, the officer ordered Anderson to the sidewalk. The 31-year-old reportedly claimed someone was trying to kill him and "put stuff" in his vehicle.

Anderson appeared distressed and erratic during the exchange, with the police officer describing the incident on his radio as a "possible DUI [driving under the influence]."

After a couple of minutes, Anderson reportedly ran from the officer who caught up, along with police backup, further down the road. There was a struggle, during which Anderson was repeatedly hit with a stun gun.

During the tussle, Anderson shouted "they're trying to George Floyd me," and "they're trying to kill me."

He said the officers were "actors" and "not police."

Anderson was transported to a Santa Monica hospital, where he went into cardiac arrest and died.

According to the LAPD, traces of cocaine metabolite and cannabinoids were later found in his blood.

Anderson was the cousin of Patrisse Cullors, who helped launch the Black Lives Matter movement in 2013 following the killing of Trayvon Martin.

Cullors posted a photograph of her cousin on Instagram after his death, writing: "This is my cousin Keenan Anderson. He was killed by LAPD in Venice on January 3rd, 2023. My cousin was an educator and worked with high school aged children. He was an English teacher.

"Keenan deserves to be alive right now, his child deserves to be raised by his father. Keenan we will fight for you and for all of our loved ones impacted by state violence."

Oscar Sanchez

On January 3 at around 5:25 p.m. police said they were called to the 2700 block of South Central Avenue, following reports a suspect had thrown "an unknown metal object" at a passing vehicle, then threatened the driver with a knife.

According to an LAPD statement, officers located the suspect, later identified as 35-year-old Oscar Sanchez, in a nearby vacant residence holding "what appeared to be a metal pipe."

Police reportedly asked Sanchez to come down, but he refused, so an arrest team stormed the building.

The statement said: "They were confronted moments later by the suspect, who stepped toward them while holding a two-foot-long metal object with an approximate three-inch spike protruding from one end. An Officer-Involved Shooting (OIS) occurred at that point along with a simultaneous deployment of a less-lethal munition."

Sanchez was pronounced dead at a local hospital at 7:55 p.m.

Police said they later determined the metal object was "the stem from a motorized scooter with a sharpened implement attached to one end."

Christian Contreras, an attorney representing Sanchez's family, said Sanchez was having a "mental health crisis" when he was shot.