LA Police Disciplined After May Immigration March
Posted on Tue May 08, 2007 at 06:48:58 PM EST
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LA Police Chief William Bratton has demoted and disciplined officers involved in shooting rubber bullets at and using batons on immigration rights protesters in last week's march.
At a City Hall news conference, Bratton said a two-star deputy chief, Cayler "Lee" Carter Jr., and his second-in-command, Louis Gray, were the ranking officers at MacArthur Park on May 1, when officers swept through the park swinging batons and firing rubber bullets indiscriminately. Carter has been moved down a rank in the department and has been told to stay home from work indefinitely. Gray has been reassigned within the department.
"As chief of the department, I have to be comfortable with the leadership team I have around me," Bratton said. "This is not a witch hunt."
There were several injuries resulting from the police misconduct:
More...
Seven members of the news media were injured, along with at least three demonstrators and eight police officers. Several of the injured have filed lawsuits against the city. There were nine arrests, none of which were related to the larger disturbance.
More from Bratton:
Bratton has apologized for the department's behavior and said he is "embarrassed." He said about 60 of the department's most-experienced officers, who were involved in the incident, will be taken off the street pending the investigations.
"I feel comfortable apologizing," Bratton said. "Things were done that shouldn't have been done."
Other investigations into the incident, including one by the FBI, are underway.
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