Homeless Man, Unable To Walk, Dumped On LA Sidewalk By Burbank PD: Councilman

LOS ANGELES, CA — In what City Council President Paul Krekorian called "callous, cruel, inhumane and also fundamentally irresponsible," Burbank police officers were caught on camera this week dumping a severely injured homeless man on a North Hollywood sidewalk, where he was left to "fend for himself," Krekorian said.

Krekorian's staff hours later found the man, who was unable to walk, he said.

The video, which Krekorian shared during a news conference Friday afternoon, was captured by a security camera outside Krekorian's district office in the NoHo Arts District, he said. It prompted the councilman to call on city, county and state prosecutors to investigate whether the incident constituted criminal action.

"A Burbank Police Department vehicle pulled up in front of my office. A person was discharged from that vehicle in handcuffs. The handcuffs were removed, the person fell to the sidewalk — clearly experiencing a mental health crisis, as well as physical injuries — and the officers of the Burbank Police Department got back in their vehicle and drove back to Burbank," Krekorian said.

The officers did so "without giving any aid to this person, without determining whether there was anybody who could provide services to this person," he said.

Krekorian's staff became aware of the incident — which occurred around 8 a.m. — later Thursday afternoon, when building management approached his office about what they saw on the security camera, he said.

Krekorian's staff located the man nearby that afternoon. He was unable to walk; the man said he believed he was suffering from a broken leg, the councilman said.

The man told responders that he had sought care at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank. When hospital staff determined he was behaving in an "unruly" manner, they called police, who responded and apprehended the man before dropping him off on the North Hollywood sidewalk, Krekorian said.

LA Fire Department paramedics cared for the man after Krekorian's staff found him and then transported him to a local hospital for treatment, he said.

The hospital released a statement Friday afternoon.

"We are aware of an incident Thursday morning on public property near the hospital," according to a statement from Providence St. Joseph. "Our understanding is that multiple calls were made to police, including one from a hospital security guard seeking help for a person on a city (Burbank) sidewalk who appeared to be in distress."

Krekorian's office is located over a mile from the Burbank city border and around 4 miles from the Burbank hospital. It marks at least the second time that the councilman said Burbank police have brought a homeless person from their city into the city of Los Angeles.

"If you see it happening like this on a random security camera chances are it's happening a lot more often in times we don't see it," he said.

This latest incident mirrors so-called patient "dumping," where LA hospitals were caught dropping off indigent and homeless patients on the streets of Skid Row, rather than continuing their care or connecting them to services they needed. The practice resulted in lawsuits and City Council action in 2008.

Krekorian noted that Burbank officials have referred to the dismantling of encampments as "homeless abatement," and that the city has no shelter beds within its borders. Additionally, he said Burbank city officials have shown up to LA Planning Commission meetings to voice opposition to supportive housing projects in Krekorian's district.

Krekorian on Friday introduced a motion at the City Council meeting that calls upon the city attorney, LA County district attorney and state attorney general to investigate the matter and determine what, if any, legal actions could be taken.

He also said he planned to contact Burbank Mayor Nick Schultz and share the video with him.

City News Service contributed to this report.