The Cochran Firm Legal Blog

Los Angeles County Sheriff, Lee Baca, has called for an investigation into an incident that occurred on September 14, 2009 in Athens, CA. Athens is an area just south of downtown Los Angeles.

The Events So Far Known
That night, there was an armed robbery in this area and sheriff's deputies from the Lennox station were looking for two suspects. They were near 120th St. and Budlong Ave. when they saw two men who matched the suspects' descriptions. According to Sgt. Diane Hecht, the deputies approached to speak to them but one of the men ran and the deputies chased him. When he reached into his waistband, a deputy fired at him, thinking him to be armed. By this time they were in the 1200 block of Poindexter St.

The man was hit in the upper body and was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. He was one Darrick Collins, aged 36, who had apparently been playing a video game with a friend. He is reported to be the father of two and one of them, a daughter, lives in L.A. with her mother. The other child is a boy of 16 months whose mother is one Kendra Dean.

According to Sheriff's Lt. Dave Dolson, who spoke with reporters at the scene, the deputies called out to Collins to "Freeze!" but as the man then ran, they did not get to question him about the armed robbery. The Sheriff’s office is still looking into whether Collins might have been involved with the robbery.

The other man was not detained and no weapons have been yet found at the scene. So far there are no details available about the armed robbery. Collins' uncle, brother, and other family members are much grieved and angry at this sudden loss - perhaps a wrongful death.

An Expedited Investigation
The President of the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable, Earl Ofari Hutchinson, will be meeting with Sheriff Lee Baca and various community leaders to discuss this incident. Baca has called for an expedited investigation. Usually such investigations take up to twelve months to complete, but Baca would like this one to be finished within 90 days.

Pending the investigation results, the true facts of Collins' death cannot be certain. It is well known that one should never run when a police officer wants to speak to you - it suggests guilt. On the other hand, Collins was apparently planning to attend barber school and could have been an innocent citizen mistaken for the suspect. Police brutality is never acceptable; yet the police and sheriff's deputies risk their lives daily to protect the innocent and must often make snap decisions under a lot of stress. Genuine mistakes can happen.

If you or a loved one has been injured by a law enforcement officer and are wondering about legal rights and options, please contact our personal injury attorneys today for a free case review. The Cochran Firm has offices nationwide and we are here to serve you regardless of where you live.

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