Burbank police are looking into allegations made by L.A. City Council President Paul Krekorian said that Burbank police officers dumped an injured, homeless man in front of his office in North Hollywood on the morning of June 6.
In a statement released by the Burbank police after the video was made available to the news media, officials said that officers “initially responded to a call for service on June 6, 2024, at around 8:45 am, regarding a naked individual sitting at a bus stop near Buena Vista Street and Alameda Avenue, just outside Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center.”
Upon arrival, officers said they found the man near the front of the emergency entrance of the hospital. According to the statement from police, “Responding police officers located the individual and found him lucid and communicative, and offered him clothing. The individual refused to accept the clothing as he had his own, and after a brief conversation, the individual got dressed.
Officers asked the individual if he needed assistance. The individual said he was homeless and had been transported to the hospital from the Sunland / Tujunga area. The individual said he had a leg injury he had suffered many years ago, and officers learned he had left the hospital voluntarily prior to the officers’ arrival. Upon inquiry, the individual declined any medical service(s).
As the individual did not appear to have transportation and to gain cooperation for the individual to put on clothing, the officers offered to drive the individual to a place of his choosing. Initially, the individual asked to be taken to Sunland / Tujunga and ultimately agreed to be transported to the Metro Red Line in North Hollywood. He voluntarily got into the patrol vehicle and was driven towards the Metro Red Line station. Along the way, the individual asked to be let out of the patrol vehicle to get coffee. 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.
Radio communications obtained by myBurbank heard the officers tell their dispatch they were transporting one to the Red Line Station in North Hollywood. The unit comes back on the radio later to announce he has returned to the city. Burbank police officers have body-worn cameras that will be looked at in the investagation.
While Burbank officials are taking the matter seriously, there is no mention as to why Krekorian did not reach out to Burbank officials first before deciding to release the footage to the news media. On Friday, Krekorian asked for a motion for City Atty. Hydee Feldstein Soto, L.A. County Dist. Atty. George Gascón and California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta to investigate the incident.
Burbank responded in a release, “The City is taking this matter very seriously and will monitor the situation closely while gathering all the facts.
Burbank Mayor Nick Schultz also responded to the incident in the release, stating, “We do not take this concern lightly, as the City of Burbank’s foremost priority is to provide our unhoused residents with the support and resources necessary to transition from the streets into stable and secure living conditions,” stated Burbank Mayor Nick Schultz. “We greatly value our relationship with the City of Los Angeles and are dedicated to enhancing communication and collaboration to effectively address this issue and all homelessness-related matters. We recognize that these are complex issues with no easy solutions, but we remain steadfast in our commitment to finding effective approaches.”
Craig Sherwood
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