Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced plans for an independent review of two recent fatal encounters involving the Los Angeles Police Department, stating the footage of the incidents was "incredibly difficult to watch." Both cases began with individuals allegedly engaging in dangerous or violent behavior that prompted police intervention.
Bass, who is examining officer-involved deaths and severe injuries, particularly those involving individuals experiencing mental health crises, acknowledged that law enforcement will continue to be called upon when people in crisis become violent. "The reality is, until society provides the proper care for individuals with mental health disorders, law enforcement will continue to be called upon to respond, especially when those individuals exhibit violent behavior," she said.
The first case involved Jose Carlos Hoyos-Munoz, 59, who was arrested on July 13 after allegedly attacking his mother and brother with a weapon and barricading himself in a Chatsworth home. The eight-hour standoff concluded with his arrest. According to the LAPD, after being taken to a hospital for treatment of exposure to gas used by SWAT personnel, Hoyos-Munoz was booked into jail. Subsequent incidents involving jail staff and officers, described by the LAPD as "non-categorial use of force" during fingerprinting and a later restraint, resulted in Hoyos-Munoz being found unconscious and not breathing approximately 20 minutes after being placed face down on his bunk. Despite medical intervention, he was pronounced deceased. Three detention officers sustained minor injuries during altercations with Hoyos-Munoz.
The second fatal encounter occurred on July 29 in South Los Angeles, where Alejandro Lopez Garcia, armed with a baseball bat, was allegedly swinging it at people and vehicles under the 10 Freeway near Normandie Avenue and Washington Boulevard. Responding officers encountered Garcia still wielding the bat and allegedly swinging it at officers and bystanders. Officers opened fire, killing Garcia.
Mayor Bass suggested both men appeared to be experiencing mental health crises and attributed the situation to decades of underinvestment in community-based mental and behavioral health services. She stated that LAPD officers are not adequately trained to be first responders to mental health crises and do not join the force for such roles.
The planned independent review will scrutinize LAPD policies, training, tactics, supervision, and accountability. It will also consider mental health support for officers after critical incidents. Bass also advocated for expanded civilian crisis-response and co-response programs for individuals in crisis who have not exhibited violent behavior, aiming to reduce the need for armed police intervention.
"Public safety cannot be achieved through law enforcement alone," Bass stated. The city has faced increasing challenges with homelessness and mental health crises, with tents lining streets in downtown Los Angeles visible reminders of the issue.