FULLERTON, Calif. (AP) — A Southern California city has approved the hiring of a law enforcement consultant to investigate the death of a mentally ill homeless man after a violent confrontation with police that sparked outrage and protests by residents.
The Fullerton City Council on Tuesday agreed to sign two contracts with Michael Gennaco to probe the death of 37-year-old Kelly Thomas and conduct a top-to-bottom review of department policies and procedures.
Gennaco specializes in examining law enforcement agencies and is chief attorney for the Los Angeles County Office of Independent Review, a civilian oversight body that monitors that county's sheriff's department.
Councilman Bruce Whitaker voted against awarding Gennaco a contract to probe Thomas' death, noting that he might not be able to start the independent investigation until ongoing probes by the FBI and the Orange County District Attorney's office are completed.
Meanwhile, the community uproar over Thomas' death has grown as the six officers involved in the clash were put on paid administrative leave. At the meeting, some residents berated council members for what they called inadequate response to the bloody encounter and insensitive comments by Mayor F. Richard Jones.
Jones, a former surgeon, said last week that he had seen patients survive who looked worse than Thomas after he was beaten.
"I came here to offer you an olive branch, but then you opened your mouth, and I wanted to grab a baseball bat," Ron Thomas, Kelly's father, told Jones.
Ron Thomas then sought a private meeting with Jones with "no baseball bat." Jones agreed and the closed-door meeting was held Wednesday morning.
After the private meeting, Jones had no immediate comment, said Sylvia Palmer, a spokeswoman for the city.
Thomas could not be reached by phone, and an email left for him was not immediately returned.
Police said Kelly Thomas ran when officers tried to search his bag while investigating a report of vehicle break-ins, and they struggled to arrest him on suspicion of possession of stolen goods.
Video from a bystander's cell phone taken from a distance showed parts of the confrontation, including a snippet in which he can be heard screaming for his father. Surveillance video aboard a bus showed agitated passengers saying officers beat and repeatedly used a stun gun on him.
Thomas was hospitalized after the July 5 confrontation. He suffered severe head and neck injuries and was taken off life support several days later.
An autopsy initially failed to determine the cause of death pending further tests.
The council's move to hire the consultant came on the same day that Acting Police Chief Kevin Hamilton ordered an internal affairs review of the arrest of a man in October who was later acquitted of misdemeanor charges of attacking an officer and resisting arrest.
Veth Mam saw his friend Sokha Leng being arrested by Fullerton police and took out a cell phone to record what he thought were officers using excessive force, said David Borsari, Mam's attorney.
Borsari said an officer knocked the camera out of Mam's hand and another man picked it up and continued recording. The lawyer said the video contradicted an officer's testimony about what happened and led to Mam's acquittal on July 7.
Leng was convicted last month of three misdemeanor counts, including assault on a peace officer and resisting arrest, and was sentenced to 45 days in jail and three years' probation.
Sgt. Andrew Goodrich, a spokesman for the police department, said Hamilton ordered the review based on information that was brought to Hamilton's attention over the last week.