LAPD memorial dedicated to fallen officers defaced with 'disgusting, vile' messages in CCTV footage
A person was seen defacing a memorial to honor fallen LA police officers on video during a Black Lives Matter protest over the weekend, authorities revealed on Monday, July 27.
The LAPD took to Twitter to share the video footage of the incident which was taken from in front of the LAPD downtown headquarters. In the video, the suspect is seen in a black hooded sweater, spray painting glass cases that showed the badges of officers who had died in the line of duty.
The tweet by LAPD reads, "No class. How is this peaceful?" The police had also shared some pictures of 'FTP' which is an acronym directed at dissing police officers. The tweet said, "The officers memorialized in these cases made the ultimate sacrifice for their city." The protests taking place on Saturday, July 25, had turned violent which led to a clash between the police and protesters near City Hall.
According to the police department, many officers had been assaulted and protesters had also blocked traffic on one section of Highway 101. It has been reported that four officers and three protesters had been treated for injuries.
Some social media users expressed their support for the police and took to commenting on the post. One such user shared, "People who are weak inside do these sorts of things because they think they are making some kind of statement, they may damage or deface these memorials but they will never take away the respect & gratitude these officers have earned & received."
Another added, "Disgusting and disgraceful that so many people are uneducated with a self-entitled mentality. I #BackTheBlue and am not ashamed to say I stand with obeying laws. Those enforcing our laws take their duty to protect innocent people seriously." "One things for sure, he knew he was committing a crime. That's why he had his face covered. Hope he gets caught and is made a caretaker of that memorial," commented a user.
The protests across the nation have been in response to the death of George Floyd who died on May 25 after a now-former Minneapolis Police Officer, Derek Chauvin, knelt on his neck for almost eight minutes.
An official post-mortem examination declared the death of George Floyd as a homicide on Monday, June 1. Chauvin was charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter while the three other former Minneapolis police officers- Tou Thao, Thomas Lane, and J Alexander Kueng were charged with aiding and abetting murder.
According to the lawyer for the Floyd family, Benjamin Crump, "Beyond doubt, he would be alive today if not for the pressure applied to his neck by officer Derek Chauvin and the strain on his body by two other officers. The ambulance was his hearse." Floyd's death resulted in nationwide fury and protests not just in the USA but across the globe with people protesting against police brutality and the disregard for African American lives.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said during a press conference while announcing the charges, "We're here today because George Floyd is not here. He should be here. The world heard Floyd call out for his mama and say 'Please don't kill me'."