Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com
A Los Angeles Police Department investigation into the death of a man while he was in the custody of the DEA has been virtually stalled because the federal agency has refused to cooperate with the investigation, the LA Times reports.
After analyzing records, the Times wrote that LAPD investigators can’t determine how the man’s injuries were inflicted without DEA assistance.
The LAPD believes the DEA may have caused the fatal injuries, which included 21 fractures on his ribs, while handcuffing the suspect. A coroner found that the blunt force caused internal bleeding.
A DEA spokeswoman said the Justice Department’s Inspector General also is investigating.
“It is not uncommon for an agent under multiple ongoing investigations to decline specific law enforcement interviews until an inspector general investigation is completed,” spokeswoman Dawn Dearden said.
