BLM Co-Founder's Cousin Dies After Wild Arrest In Los Angeles

A cousin of Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors died earlier this month after police officers arrested him in Los Angeles.

Keenan Anderson, 31, a D.C.-area charter school teacher, died at a hospital in Santa Monica on Jan. 3 following a struggle with police.

An officer was flagged down for a traffic collision in the area of Venice Boulevard and Lincoln Boulevard in Pacific Area just after 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 3.

LAPD said the officer observed a male – later identified as Anderson – running in the middle of the street and behaving erratically. Several people involved in the traffic collision told the officer that Anderson was responsible for the accident, LAPD said.

The officer spoke with Anderson who was initially compliant but tried to flee the scene and ran into the middle of the street when additional units arrived, LAPD said. Anderson began to resist arrest, resulting in the use of force, according to the department.

A struggled ensued for several minutes and officers used a TASER, bodyweight, firm grips, and joint locks, LAPD said.

In bodycam footage released by the department, Anderson can be heard yelling, "They're trying to kill me."

"They're trying to George Floyd me," Anderson said as an officer threatened to use a stun gun, which was repeatedly deployed seconds later as Anderson was face down on the pavement and begged for help, saying, "I'm not resisting."

The officers eventually restrained Anderson.

The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) arrived on the scene and administered medical aid for the officer’s use of the TASER. Anderson was transported to a local hospital where he went into cardiac arrest and died.