Less than 10 seconds after officers opened the door, police shot Yong Yang in his parents’ Koreatown home while he was holding a knife during a bipolar episode.

Parents in Los Angeles’ Koreatown called for mental health help in the middle of their son’s bipolar episode this month. Clinical personnel showed up — and so did police shortly after.

Police fatally shot Yong Yang, 40, who had a knife in his hand, less than 10 seconds after officers opened the door to his parents’ apartment where he had locked himself in, newly released bodycam video shows.

Now the parents of Yang, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder around 15 years ago, have told NBC News exclusively that they are disputing part of the account captured on bodycam, in which police recount a clinician’s saying Yang was violent before the shooting on May 2.

    • jeffw@lemmy.worldM
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      11 months ago

      Just to be clear, the family didn’t call the police. The mobile response team did, which is typically done when there’s a weapon.

      • deweydecibel@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        Ok, that’s fine. We’d need more details about what actually transpired and what the support team told the cops.

        But it sure seems like in a situation where the support team calls them, it should be with the understanding that they’re there for backup, not to barge in and fire.

        But looking at the report, that’s what happened.

        Also:

        On May 2, 2024, at 10:58 a.m., Olympic Division uniformed officers responded to a radio call at an apartment in the 400 block of South Gramercy Place to assist the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (DMH) who were attempting to place an individual, later identified as 40-year-old Yong Yang into custody.

        Why was the Department of Mental Health “attempting to place him into custody”? They were trying to detain him and take him from the premises, under the law…which sounds an awful lot like an arrest with a different set of paperwork.

        So basically these were just cops without guns…who went ahead and called the cops with the guns anyway.

        I said it another comment but where was the emergency here? Why did they need to get him into custody immediately? He could not hurt anyone but themselves locked in an apartment alone. He was showing aggression when people tried to enter, but could not hurt them if they stayed out.

        Why did they enter and give him someone to hurt? Seeing as how all that was going to do was give them justification to hurt him.

        • Soup@lemmy.world
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          11 months ago

          The police also tried to calm him down by whining about how “hard” their job is and tried to bitch about him “making a scene”. They really have zero empathy and probably aren’t even capable of understanding how the entire outcome was their fault. The definition of “why did you make me abuse you?”.

        • BlanketsWithSmallpox@lemmy.world
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          11 months ago

          1: They want to hurt themselves or others.

          2: They said how they’ll do it.

          3: They said they’ll be doing it NOW or at a definitive time.

          If these 3 things aren’t answered with any definitive answers, they’ll leave you alone.

          You can say who you’ll kill, you can say how, but if you don’t say you plan to do it NOW or on May 23rd, you’re going to stay at home unless you have insurance and plan to go somewhere voluntarily.

          =

          Use this life hack to never have to deal with police and kill yourself if you want to as long as you’ve exhausted all real options. Pro-Choice all the way. Ain’t nobody but you gets a say on whether you want to live or not.

          Set time? Set how? No person? No 51.15.

          Don’t know when? Set how. Set kys. No 51.15

          Say it’s tomorrow? Don’t know how. Say you’ll kys. Maybe 51.15, just don’t convince them differently.

          E: Forgot the obvious. Don’t threaten anyone while you have a weapon in your possession. No, the police can no longer leave you alone. They are not allowed to just let you kill yourself without being sued into oblivion. Yes, if you threaten them with a weapon at close distance, they will kill you. No, it doesn’t matter if you’re mentally unwell, don’t threaten people with lethal weapons. Being unwell doesn’t give you carte blanche to PHYSICALLY threaten and/or hurt people.

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    I honestly don’t know what the hell you’re supposed to do in America if a loved one has a psychotic episode and threatens you, because calling the cops for help could be a death sentence for them, but not getting help could be a death sentence for you. Maybe make some sort of plan with neighbors in case something happens? But then you get the neighbors all worried that they’re living next to someone who could get dangerously psychotic. I’m not talking about what should be done if things were more ideal, I’m talking about what people with such loved ones should do if it happens today, May 22, 2024. Because it sounds like someone has a good chance of dying no matter what.

    • FartsWithAnAccent@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      You just have to fucking deal with it yourself basically, our social safety net is a bad joke. If you’re a minority, neurodivergent, queer, or anything else they decide they don’t like, you have a much higher likelihood of literally being murdered by the people who are supposed to help and protect society.

    • Thteven@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      I have a family member who had a wellness check called in for her and the cops came in and immediately beat her ass. Don’t let these fuckers into your house. Ever.

      • hoshikarakitaridia@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        Never call a wellness check on someone if you aren’t cool with them being killed.

        Wellness checks are notorious for being lethal, it’s absurd.

    • Promethiel@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      It sounds like what it is, Flying. Not a tasty pill to swallow but these are the dues of the division modern society has allowed.

      No more Village raising the children. No more respected elders, trusted craft people, or neighborly bonds.

      For the illusion of connection and its subsequent gamification and for the enrichment of those who say what we want to hear, these are the dues to be paid.

      We live and die alone, bemoaning a loss of bonds that could be mended at any time; let he who is lonely lay their cynicism down first.

      No, I don’t believe it’s that easy (and recognize the risks of being first) but it probably is that simple. No clue how the message is amplified back through time in a manner that gets enough likes though.

        • Promethiel@lemmy.world
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          11 months ago

          Sometimes, others share their opinions and lived-in experience not to give you insight, but because to speak is to human. Sonder on that, whatever your generation.

          I am aware the oldest writing is of a merchant swindling. I am aware of the atrocities respected elders have carried out against the Village children, all villages.

          I am not here to insight you; use your own faculties for that.

    • braxy29@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      they asked me and others to leave the house when i called (active suicidality and psychosis). i told them we would not, that i was sitting next to him on the floor and two minors were in their rooms nearby. i hoped they would be less likely to do something stupid when they knew there were three other people here and one actively witnessing and close to him.

      i think it ensured they were more thoughtful entering my home, and he was calmer when they entered because i remained.

      fortunately, i had calmed him enough and taken the weapon that this was even a possibility. i suspect it doesn’t hurt that we’re white.

    • ZoopZeZoop@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      Some places have mobile response teams for mental health issues. Florida has a few programs being piloted right now. They have direct numbers. So, the police are not necessarily involved in reported events.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        And that’s great, but mentally ill people are everywhere, not just in the places in Florida with pilot programs. There are many ideas with how to deal with this problem in the future. Meanwhile, cops are killing mentally ill people today.

        • ZoopZeZoop@lemmy.world
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          11 months ago

          I’m not disagreeing. My comment was solution focused. Some areas have teams set up to help. Not everyone knows about them or even to look for them. So, I was providing information that might lead people to look around for programs that might help.

      • SaddieTheMad@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        I’d try to be understanding with the parents, but I admit family waiting too long is a problem. I remember watching this video and getting frustrated at every missed opportunity…

    • Gigasser@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      I mean if you need help, you can always ask a neighbour for help. Would be useful if everyone had a mancatcher pole as well, as messed up as the implications of everyone in society having a mancatcher is.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        I can’t speak for anyone else, and I am not in this situation myself, thankfully, but I wouldn’t know my neighbors well enough to ask them, sad as that is.

  • jeffw@lemmy.worldM
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    11 months ago

    It sounds like the family did the right thing. They did NOT call the police, they contacted LA’s mental health team, who sent a mobile response unit.

    The issue with mobile crisis teams (which most cities have by now) is that they won’t do anything if there’s a weapon besides call the police. That’s where things went south.

    There needs to be more collaboration between mental health response teams and police to prevent this sort of thing. Also, wtf is the point of carrying a taser if you pull out your gun on a dude who is barely moving and holding a knife? Probably didn’t even need to be tased.

  • alienanimals@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    Step 1) Find out the name of the cop who shot your son

    Step 2) Call a mental health check on the cop

  • Phegan@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    Police have 1 job…

    And it’s to uphold order for the ruling class.

    Police are class traitors. ACAB.

  • TheHarpyEagle@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    Very genuine question: why do cops never use taser guns for situations like this? Presumably they knew the weapon was a knife, so no risk of a shootout.

    • spirinolas@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      HEY! Civilian, stop talking about stuff you know nothing about!

      In dangerous situations and non-whites (same thing , right) we need LETHAL FORCE to control the situation. If someone us murd…I mean, fatally shot, so be it.

      Tasers are just for torture. It’s fun but we can’t be always playing! We’re working here!

      /s

  • Coreidan@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    Cops aren’t your friend. They aren’t there to help you or protect you. They are there to oppress you.

  • nutsack@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    do not call the police. many countries outside the united states understand this already

    • Aux@lemmy.worldBanned
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      11 months ago

      It’s normal practice in the UK for police to aid the handling of mentally unstable people. The difference is that British police don’t shoot people. Ever.

    • andros_rex@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      988 - the mental health hotline that is supposed to be the alternative to 911 - will call the cops too. There’s no winning.

      Edit: I can suggest the Trans Lifeline, and suggest other people look to warm lines, to be a little less nihilistic. They will not involve emergency services without your consent. Unfortunately, hours/availability are limited for most.

  • NarrativeBear@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    If a blind man were to ask a police officer for help crossing the road, the cop would probably shoot all the drivers.

  • Red_October@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    At this point we need to treat Police with rules similar to the handling of a firearm. Always assume they can go off, only ever point them at something you’re willing to kill, and be aware of possible collateral damage.

  • Suavevillain@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    The less interactions with Police you have the better. Even if a family member is having a mental health episode, you’re better off trying to figure out something yourself at this point. This same thing keeps happening where people call for help during a mental health crisis and Police kill them.

  • SaddieTheMad@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    This keeps happening and it is infuriating. It’s also scary for people with SMI/SEMI (severe and enduring mental illnesses) such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, as if the fear of the illness itself wasn’t enough.