The story below is being picked up by various news sources. From the LA Times website:
An African American judge who has accused UCLA police of excessive
force ignored officers' orders to stay in his car, UCLA officials said
Monday. David S. Cunningham III, a
former Los Angeles Police Commission president, filed a complaint
against the officers after they allegedly shoved him against his car,
handcuffed him and locked him in the back seat of their police cruiser." During the course of the traffic stop, police officers instructed
the driver to stay inside the vehicle and returned to their patrol car
to run a routine license and registration check," UCLA said in a
statement released late Monday afternoon. "Despite these instructions,
the driver left the vehicle – an escalating behavior that can place
officers at risk."Cunningham "stood in the
roadway" and refused to get back in his car, the statement said. As a
result, he was temporarily handcuffed. He was released at the scene
shortly after being cited for failing to wear a seat belt. UCLA said it is conducting an internal investigation and reviewing video routinely filmed from the police car. According to Cunningham’s account, he was pulled over in his Mercedes
about 10 a.m. Saturday as he was in the process of buckling his seat
belt after paying a parking attendant near L.A. Fitness. He was dressed
in a black gym shirt and shorts. Officer Kevin Dodd asked to see his driver's license. Cunningham
handed them his wallet. Then the officers requested registration and
insurance. When Cunningham reached for his glove box, an officer “yelled
at me not to move,” he said in the complaint. “I became irritated and
told him that I need to look for the paper.” A prescription pill bottle rolled out of the glove compartment,
prompting the officer to ask if he was carrying drugs. The medicine was
for high blood pressure, said Cunningham's attorney, Carl Douglas. Cunningham couldn't find the paperwork in the glove compartment and told officers he thought it might be in the trunk.“When I got out of the car to search my trunk, Officer Dodd shoved me
against my car, told me I was under arrest for resisting and locked me
in the back seat,” Cunningham wrote in the complaint...
Here is a local TV report [may include ad]:
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