All three officers were working the 4 p.m.-to-midnight shift as part of the now-disbanded Violent Crime Impact Section, which focused on drug deals and violent crime. Patrolling the eastern streets in an unmarked car and plainclothes wearing clearly labeled police vests, Bernstein said, they saw Anderson making a drug deal just after he left a bar. The detective said he saw Anderson slip a plastic baggie into his mouth. Strohman pounced, putting Anderson in a "bear hug," Bernstein said. He fell on top of Anderson with his arm pinned underneath. A loose pill and the bag came tumbling out of Anderson's mouth, prosecutors said. The contents were later found to have been four heroin gel capsules, one of which they said was half chewed.
The autopsy revealed only one external bruise, which Bernstein said came from the fall. There were no other marks suggesting kicks or rough treatment, he said.
"The use of a bear-hug takedown is a very standard tactic, especially used by undercover officers chasing a suspect," said retired Los Angeles police Capt. Greg Meyer, who helped run the Los Angeles Police Academy during his tenure and remains a national use-of-force consultant. "It's not typically injurious, but it can be. It's not an unusual tactic."
Originally Posted by county resident
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The guy was basically a walking dead man. All those years of drug abuse take their toll. So the police just let these people get away with hiding evidence? A healthy person probably wouldn't have been hurt nearly as bad. When a police officer instructs you to do something you are supposed to do it. I have a hard time feeling sorry for that POS dope head.
