Victim’s family demands state investigation of LAPD after pursuit-turned-carjacking that resulted in death of woman [VIDEO]
Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck on Tuesday said his agency has been investigating the pursuit-turned-carjacking that killed a woman who was shot in the city last week. But Beck declined to talk specifics, saying he was bound by a “confidentiality agreement” with the woman’s family, who asked the chief not to speak to reporters about the case.
“I need to respect that,” Beck told a press conference at City Hall Tuesday, adding that the family is demanding an investigation.
On Sunday, a black sedan sped away from a traffic stop by two California Highway Patrol officers in Northridge, Calif. The car, later found abandoned, had been driven in the opposite direction, the police said.
Beck said the officers on the scene asked the black sedan’s occupants to move over so they could talk to them. When one of the drivers, a woman named Tiffany Brown, refused to comply, the officers had to use force to stop the sedan and take her into custody.
The chase ended and the woman was killed when a passenger ran out of the car and tried to hold on to her. Police said Brown was shot by multiple officers after she resisted as officers attempted to handcuff her.
Police said the passenger, 24-year-old Brandon McBee, was armed and shot multiple officers. He was killed by police as he was being handcuffed by officers. Two of the officers wounded in the shooting died.
The shooting has been investigated for two months and has been characterized as a “takedown with an assault” by the district attorney’s office, which has not provided details to the public on the incident. The police department has declined to charge McBee.
“Our detectives are still at the scene, interviewing witnesses, collecting evidence and analyzing what occurred, but I can’t get into the specifics,” Beck said.
The LAPD told the family of Brown that it does not have the video footage, but it plans to release it once it has finished its investigation.
A second LAPD officer, who was with Brown when she was shot, died last week from his