Skid Row Homeless Man Killed By LAPD Was a Convicted Bank Robber
The homeless man shot and killed by police officers on L.A.'s Skid Row this past Sunday has, until now, only been identified as "Africa." Sources inside the investigation of the shooting now tell the Los Angeles Times that the man was 39-year-old Charley Saturmin Robinet, a convicted bank robber and French national.
According to the Times, Robinet was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2000 for the robbery, and was just released last May:
In 2000, Robinet, described as a French national, was accused with others of robbing a Wells Fargo Bank branch. Authorities said at the time that when employees were slow in handing over the money, Robinet pistol-whipped one of the tellers.
He and the other suspects led police on a chase through Ventura County, where they were arrested after striking a police car and running over a spike strip. Robinet attempted to run from police after the car chase but was caught and was found to have $33,500 on him, according to prosecutors.
During his initial interviews with investigators, Robinet said he robbed the bank to cover the cost of acting classes at the Beverly Hills Playhouse, authorities said.
Body cameras worn by two officers in the shooting Sunday, police told the Times, have provided a "unique perspective":
Law enforcement sources said one of the body camera recordings captured the start of the incident, when officers initially approached the man's tent. One source said the man is seen running inside the tent, at which point the officers tell him to show them his hands and come out of the tent.
At one point, the source said, the man began running toward the officers, flailing his arms. He can also be seen in the video spinning around, the source said.
In the days following Robinet's death, the LAPD has defended their actions, claiming he reached for an officer's gun before cops opened fire.
[Image via AP]
