Promotional rap video leads to arrest warrant; did portrayal contribute to fatal shooting by police?
A video posted on social media showing a man with a gun behind a police officer has led to the arrest of one person and a search for another. And it may have caused skittish police officers to believe someone was shooting at them when they fatally shot a man.
Los Angeles police investigating the video learned that it was a promotional video made by a 1990s rap group trying to make a comeback, report the Los Angeles Times, NBC Los Angeles and CBS Los Angeles.
Before that discovery, police took the video as a possible threat and warned officers about it. Police Chief Charlie Beck has confirmed that police officers who fatally shot a man on Saturday were aware of the video. Officers opened fire after the rear window of their patrol car was broken by what they believed was gunfire. It turned out the window had been broken by a beer bottle.
A lawyer for the officers, Gary Fullerton, said officers had been warned about the video and the possibility they could be ambushed from behind. “Both officers were very focused on that,” Fullerton told the Los Angeles Times. “When the window got blown out, they looked at each other and said, ‘We’re being shot at.’ ”
One person involved in the video was arrested on an outstanding warrant. Police obtained a warrant for the arrest of a second man, who was shown holding a gun in the video. Police alleged he violated the law by having a loaded gun in a car.
A lawyer for the wanted man is arranging his surrender, according to NBC Los Angeles. One man in the rap group that shot the video told TMZ the gun was a plastic prop.
