The attorney for a Deutsche Bank AG (DB) media banker arrested in a confrontation with Los Angeles police denied the authorities’ report that his client said he ingested so-called bath salts and marijuana.
Officers who filed the report made up the story to justify their May 15 beating of Brian Mulligan, vice chairman and managing director of the Los Angeles entertainment practice, attorney J. Michael Flanagan said yesterday in an interview.
“They concocted a story to justify the unmerciful beating that they gave him,” Flanagan said.
The local TV station KCBS reported yesterday that Mulligan, 52, told officers he had used the drugs, citing a police report about the incident. Flanagan said he read the assertions in the report, which details circumstances around Mulligan’s early morning arrest in Los Angeles’ Highland Park area. Mulligan filed a claim with the city, accusing officers of beating and illegally detaining him.
City prosecutors are investigating and haven’t charged Mulligan with a crime related to an outburst of erratic behavior that led to his arrest, Frank Mateljan, a spokesman for the city attorney’s office, said in an interview. In his claim, Mulligan said he sustained a broken shoulder blade and 15 nasal fractures. He seeks damages of as much as $50 million.
Mateljan said he couldn’t comment on the drug allegation because Mulligan’s case is under review. Police Lieutenant Andy Neiman didn’t immediately respond to an e-mail.
Bath salts is the term used for a drug made from several synthetic stimulants, according to WebMD.com. The drug can induce agitation, paranoia and hallucinations, according to the website.
To contact the reporter on this story: Michael White in Los Angeles at
mwhite8@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Anthony Palazzo at
apalazzo@bloomberg.net; Rob Golum at
rgolum@bloomberg.net
