Black Lives Matter protests disrupt LA Police Commission meeting

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Protests erupted at the Los Angeles Police Commission meeting on Tuesday as Black Lives Matter activists called for the firing of Police Chief Charlie Beck and demonstrated against several officer-involved fatal shootings.

The protesters chanted "Fire Chief Beck," as well as the names of several individuals who had been killed by police, such as Kenny Watkins.

Watkins was killed Aug. 16 after an officer conducted a traffic stop in South Los Angeles. The officer said a passenger got out of the vehicle and was then shot by the officer and the driver fled in the vehicle. Police said they recovered two handguns at the scene.

At one point, the commission protest became rowdy enough that the activists were escorted outside the meeting room, where they joined with other protesters.

During the meeting, the commission asked Beck to appoint someone in the department to serve as a liaison to relatives of people killed or injured in confrontations with police or who died in police custody.

Beck agreed.

"There isn't a good avenue by which to address grieving family members," Beck said.

"As I believe - to my core - even though the acts of the individual involved directly with the police may have been criminal, that doesn't mean the family isn't grieving, that doesn't mean they don't need information, that doesn't mean the process shouldn't be explained to them, so we will work to identify somebody.''

That decision came after complaints have been aired publicly from relatives of those killed by police or who died in police custody that the department was not providing enough information to them in a timely manner.

City News Service contributed to this report.