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``We're
here to listen but also here to explain. We're here
to tell the good, the bad and the ugly,'' he said.
Before
the meeting, Baca visited and talked with residents
on the street where deputies fired 120 shots at an unarmed
driver in a pre-dawn attack Monday that was captured
on an amateur videotape.
Four
bullets struck the driver, Winston Hayes; one hit a
deputy who was only bruised because he was wearing a
protective vest.
The
Rev. Al Sharpton, a civil rights activist, arrived in
Los Angeles on Wednesday and met with Hayes, 44, and
his family at the hospital where he is recovering. Sharpton
said Hayes was in ``intense pain.''
Sharpton
also called for an investigation, saying an apology
from Baca was inadequate.
``An
apology isn't equal to what happened,'' Sharpton said.
Investigators
believe the shooting could be an example of ``contagious
fire,'' in which officers in different positions open
fire because others are shooting, said Michael Gennaco,
head of the sheriff's Office of Independent Review.
Danny
Bakewell of the Brotherhood Crusade disagreed. ``This
is not friendly fire, it's not contagious fire, it is
absolutely reckless fire,'' he said. ``It is fire that
has complete disregard for people who live there.''
Deputies
tried to stop the vehicle after getting radio calls
about a shooting that Hayes turned out not to be involved
in, authorities said.
The
18-second period of gunfire followed a 12-minute chase
of a sport utility vehicle that Hayes was driving.
A
videotape showed deputies firing several shots when
the SUV backed toward them, followed by a longer burst
of gunfire after the Chevrolet Tahoe was surrounded.
The vehicle then rolled forward and hit the back of
a patrol car, prompting a final outburst of shooting.
Also
Wednesday, the sheriff's department presented its case
against Hayes to the Los Angeles County district attorney's
office, recommending that he be charged with three counts
of assault with a deadly weapon. Hayes has not been
arrested.
The
deputies were placed on desk duty for five days following
the shooting and were expected to return to their regular
assignments at the end of this week.
Meanwhile,
Compton Mayor Eric Perrodin said the city will consider
terminating its contract with the sheriff's department
and creating its own police department. Five years ago,
the city disbanded its police department in favor of
the sheriff's department.
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