Burbank police officers accused of dumping injured homeless man in front of council office in LA

BURBANK, Calif. (KABC) -- Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian says he's outraged after a video released by his office shows two Burbank police officers "dumping" a homeless man in the city of L.A.

It happened Thursday morning at Krekorian's district office in North Hollywood on Lankershim Boulevard. In the video, you see a Burbank Police Department cruiser pull up in front of the office.

Inside the vehicle, according to Krekorian, was a man experiencing homelessness. The footage then shows the two officers get out of the car to take the barefoot man out.

They remove his handcuffs then leave him in visible pain on the sidewalk of a different city.

"Some of our surrounding cities and jurisdictions who don't spend their resources on providing services, who don't build shelters for their unhoused residents, who don't invest in permanent supportive housing, who don't do the basic human things necessary to address homelessness are instead pushing their unhoused population into the city of Los Angeles," said Krekorian.

Krekorian pointed out that this has happened before, but in his district, it happened at facilities where the homeless could receive services. That wasn't the case Thursday.

According to Krekorian, the man was seeking medical attention for a broken leg at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank. When he became unruly, the hospital called police who did something that has long been assumed neighboring cities do but has rarely been captured on video.

"The Burbank Police Department, putting this man in handcuffs and taking him to the city of Los Angeles where someone else will deal with it, and obviously this is callous, cruel, inhumane and also fundamentally irresponsible," said Krekorian.

The council president said he's outraged because the city of L.A. spends $1 billion a year to address homelessness, a regional and national problem (not just a city issue) that continues to get worse.

Krekorian has introduced a motion calling on the district attorney, the city attorney and attorney general to investigate the matter and said officials in other areas need to step up.

Burbank Police Department speaks out

Burbank Mayor Nick Schultz issued a statement Friday afternoon, saying, "the city of Burbank takes the concerns raised by Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Krekorian very seriously."

The Burbank Police Department released their own statement shortly after, saying officers initially received a call around 8:45 a.m. Thursday about a naked man sitting at a bus stop near Buena Vista Street and Alameda Avenue, just outside Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center.

Officers found the man "lucid and communicative" and offered him clothing, the department said.

"The individual refused to accept the clothing as he had his own, and after a brief conversation, the individual got dressed," said Burbank PD in a press release.

The man told officers he was homeless and had been transported to the hospital from the Sunland-Tujunga area. He also told the officers he had a leg injury that he suffered many years ago, according to police.

The man reportedly left the hospital on his own before the officers' arrived and declined any medical services. Police also said the man asked to be dropped off in the North Hollywood area.

"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," read the statement from police. "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."

The statement continued, saying, "The Burbank Police Department remains committed to treating the unhoused community with compassion and respect, and thanks Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian for bringing this matter to our attention."

Police did not address why the man was in handcuffs.

Schultz's full statement states, "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."