Sandy MaloneLos Angeles, CA – An Asian man wearing a Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) shirt caused a kerfuffle by throwing white power signs and saying “white power” to Black Lives Matter protesters in front of a gym on Thursday.
LAPD said at this point, they don’t believe he is a police officer, KTTV reported.
Black Lives Matter was camped out in front of the 24-Hour Fitness to protest the officer-involved shooting of Albert Ramon Dorsey in October of 2018.
Witnesses said the man wearing a long-sleeved shirt with LAPD department patches on it was saying “White Power” over and over again to the agitated group, and making hand gestures to signify the same, according to KTTV.
One of the protesters filmed the altercation and posted it on Twitter.
“LAPD OFFICER REPEATEDLY YELLS “WHITE POWER” & THROWS UP WHITE POWER SIGN as he antagonizes the family of #AlbertRamonDorsey and #BlackLivesMatter protestors this morning at #Boycott24 demonstration outside 24-Hour Fitness in Hollywood,” was the caption on the video posted by Black Lives Matter – Los Angeles.
Police said that officers attempted to make contact with the man in the shirt, but that he fled on foot when they approached him, according to KTTV.
LAPD officials tried to quickly determine if the man in the police t-shirt shirt was actually a cop. The police department posted a series of tweets that addressed the incident.
“We have become aware of an incident involving an individual making racially discriminating remarks in front of a gym in Hollywood this morning,” LAPD tweeted.
“Officers from Hollywood Division attempted to make contact with the individual at the scene, but he fled on foot. Anyone with any information regarding this incident is asked to contact the LAPD at (800) 339-6868,” they continued.
“At this point it does NOT appear that the individual in the video is an LAPD Officer, but we will continue to investigate,” LAPD tweeted.
Police department apparel is readily available in stores and online for almost every police department in the United States.
You can see video of the man antagonizing the Black Lives Matter protesters: