Panel Rejects LA Police Chief On Shooting Of Autistic Man
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A civilian commission has rejected a recommendation from Los Angeles police Chief Charlie Beck and ruled that officers were not justified in the fatal shooting of an unarmed autistic man last year.
The Los Angeles Times says Saturday that the panel unanimously gave the rebuke to Beck for just the third time in dozens of use-of-force cases since he became chief in November, 2009.
Beck had concluded after a long investigation that gang enforcement officers Allan Corrales and George Diego violated department policy in dealing with 27-year-old Steven Eugene Washington, but ultimately decided it was reasonable for them to believe he had a gun.
Police say the two officers shot Washington in the head near Koreatown on March 20 as he appeared to remove something from his waistband.
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