Footage of man dragged by LAPD cruiser is released as part of investigation of officers

An allegedly intoxicated man was dragged by a police cruiser last month in Hollywood after getting into a fight with people on the street, according to video footage released by the Los Angeles Police Department.

The man was dragged about 15 feet and landed in the street, the LAPD said Wednesday in a video statement about the incident and the ongoing investigation.

The incident began on Sept. 11 when a witness called 911 to report that a man was fighting with people near the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Gower Street. The man, later identified as Robert Thompson, allegedly attacked someone on the street and a business owner in the 6000 block of Sunset Boulevard, according to the LAPD. Thompson appeared intoxicated and bloodied, the witness told a 911 dispatcher. A cellphone video recorded by a witness showed two men wrestling on the ground as others watched.

When officers arrived around 12:40 a.m., they found a security guard leading Thompson out of a second-story bar in a shopping center. Thompson was intoxicated, but listened to the officers, according to the LAPD police body camera footage.

Thompson’s shirt appeared ripped and he stumbled onto the sidewalk outside the shopping center. Officers ordered him to walk away from the property. But as the officers returned to their cruiser in a nearby parking lot Thompson appeared by the driver’s window and walked beside the vehicle as it backed up and then began to pull out of the parking lot. Thompson continued to pull on the car’s rear door handle, according to the LAPD.

His body appeared to get caught on the door and he was dragged about 15 feet as the cruiser turned onto the street and pulled away. He was lying in the middle of the street when the officers stopped, exited the vehicle and moved him to the sidewalk, according to surveillance and body camera video released by the LAPD.

An ambulance transported Thompson to a nearby hospital. His injuries included a fractured skull, bleeding of the brain, a broken jaw and multiple abrasions to his knees and upper body. He was released from the hospital on Sept. 15, according to the LAPD.

Because Thompson was hospitalized, the Police Department will investigate the incident as a use of force. The investigation’s findings will be sent to Chief Michel Moore, who will present his recommendation to the Board of Police Commissioners to determine whether the officers’ actions were in compliance with department policies.

The LAPD did not release the names of the officers.