Protests Follows Anaheim Mini-Riot After Police Clash, Fire Rubber Bullets At Residents [VIDEO]

By Joseph Orovic | July 22 2012 6:38 PM

Angry locals and police clashed in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday evening after cops shot and killed a suspect, prompting a confrontation involving riot-control gear.

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Protesters outside a police station in Anaheim, Calif., called for better review of why police discharge their firearms, claiming itchy trigger fingers and lackluster oversight have led to growing tensions between residents and officers.

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Residents plan to protest what they claim is growing and unwarranted aggression by the cops and lackluster reviews of police shootings.

Police officers were chasing three men down an alley in Anaheim when one of them shot one of the suspects, who later died at a local hospital. The incident was followed by angry residents banding together and lighting a Dumpster fire, according to KABC-TV in Los Angeles.

The slain man was identified as Manuel Diaz, according to the Orange County Register in Santa Ana. Police have not given a reason as to why cops where chasing him or why he was shot, saying the matter was still under investigation.

Crystal Ventura, who told the Register she witnessed the shooting, said she saw the shooting from about 20 feet away. Ventura said a first bullet hit him in the buttocks area, sending him to his knees, and a second bullet hit him in the head, sending him to the ground. Officers then handcuffed him, even though he was not moving.

They searched his pockets, and there was a hole in his head, and I saw blood on his face, Ventura told the Register.

Anaheim Police Sgt. Bob Dunn told the newspaper he was unable to substantiate Ventura's version of events.

Police claim a group of people began throwing rocks and bottles at officers, leading to a confrontation that involved pepper spray and rubber bullets, as well as the unleashing of a K9-unit German shepherd, which reportedly bit several rioters.

Anaheim residents have asked for reviews of police shootings in the neighborhood. The latest incident is just one in a string of many, some residents said.

Anaheim PD opened fire into a crowd of women and children and released the K9 dogs, said Joel Hunt Jr., a Fullerton resident, according to KABC. There was rubber pellets, women got hit, men got hit, babies got knocked over by dogs, kids got bit by dogs.

Residents promised to respond by protesting in front of an Anaheim police station Sunday, according to the Orange County Register.

[The Anaheim police] are not judge, jury, and executioner. Nobody is given their due process, local community organizer Theresa Smith told the Register. It just seems like everything has gotten out of hand.