Mom Begs Anaheim to Stop Violence Over Son's Death
Mother of Manuel Diaz urges protesters in Anaheim, California to stop violence.
The tension between police and residents in the Guinida neighborhood in Anaheim started back in July when police officers shot and killed two young Hispanic men in different incidents during the same weekend. One of the men was Joel Acevedo. He was shot during a police pursuit.
This Saturday, just by chance, Acevedo's mother Donna pulled her car up right next to a police car driven by Kelly Phillips, the officer who killed her son.
"I stopped for a few seconds and I told him 'Why are you here? Why don't you work somewhere else?'" Donna Acevedo told FOX 11 News.
She says she was pulled over for impeding traffic, but felt like she was being harassed and targeted.
"I was told there were seven to ten patrol cars and some gang unit and undercover behind me, and some came up ahead of me. There was also a helicopter," said Acevedo.
A spokesperson with the Anaheim police department says that's not the whole story.
"A group of about 50 to 75 people out of the neighboring apartments and began yelling at officers at some point throwing apples and eggs at the police cars and officers," said Sgt. Bob Dunn, with Anaheim Police Department.
Two young girls claim another police officer trashed the memorial the community made for Joel Acevedo on the same day his mom was pulled over. The girls' mother asked us not to show their faces.
Donna says at a very minimum she wants the officer who shot her son reassigned or she fears the conflicts could lead to another riot.
"I don't fear that there could be another riot. What I fear is that people are not listening. They're doing a lot of taking and making a lot of allegations," said Sgt. Dunn. Dunn added that all of the complaints and allegations are investigated but the process takes time.
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