The cousin of Black Lives Matter founder Patrisse Cullors died after being tased by the police. Keenan Anderson, a 31-year-old English teacher, was tased to death on Jan. 3 following a traffic stop in Venice, California.
Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department responded to the scene of an accident near Venice Boulevard and Lincoln Boulevard around 3:38 p.m.
According to the LAPD, they arrived on the scene to find Anderson allegedly “exhibiting erratic behavior” and running in the middle of the street. The officers also said that witnesses involved in the accident blamed Anderson for the car crash.
“Several citizens involved in the traffic collision motioned to Anderson, indicating that he caused the accident,” read the police report. “The officer contacted Anderson, verbalized with him, and requested additional units for a DUI investigation. Anderson initially followed the officer’s commands and sat at the northeast corner of Venice and Lincoln Boulevard for several minutes as the officer spoke with him.”
Anderson reportedly “cooperated and sat down on the street” initially as additional officers arrived on the scene but suddenly ran down Venice Boulevard as the LAPD gave chase.
Once the officers reached Anderson, they struggled with him for several minutes and used their body weight to detain him. Officers then struggled with Anderson for several minutes after he allegedly resisted arrest, tackling him, tasing him, and putting their body weight on him before he was handcuffed and ankle cuffed.
The paramedics arrived on the scene and reportedly gave medical aid to Anderson before he was taken to a hospital in Santa Monica. He went into cardiac arrest at the hospital and passed away.
Cullors shared the tragic news on Instagram with a picture of Anderson.
“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,” she wrote. “LAPD has killed three people this year. One of them is my family member. 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. I love you. #JusticeForKeenan#BlackLivesMatter.”
One of the officers received minor abrasions on his hands due to the use of force on Anderson during the arrest.
Anderson was the father of a 6-year-old boy and is the third person killed by the LAPD in 2023. Detectives from LAPD’s Force Investigation Division are currently investigating Anderson’s death.