LOS ANGELES _ The Los Angeles Police Department said Tuesday it is investigating 52 complaints of misconduct filed by former patients of the University of Southern California's longtime campus gynecologist as detectives launch a sweeping criminal investigation into the scandal that has rocked the school.
LAPD detectives said they are trying to determine whether the allegations amount to criminal behavior. As part of the investigation, three veteran sex-crimes prosecutors from the Los Angeles County district attorney's office have been assigned to assist detectives, according to Shiara Davila Morales, an office spokeswoman.
Capt. Billy Hayes, who oversees the LAPD's elite Robbery-Homicide Division, said the investigation is still in its early stages. Dr. George Tyndall, 71, treated thousands of patients during his nearly three decades at the university's student health clinic. More than 380 people have contacted a university hotline about the physician since the Los Angeles Times revealed the allegations earlier this month.
Still, Hayes pleaded for more former patients to come forward and directly contact the LAPD.
"Dr. Tyndall saw tens of thousands of students, so we believe that with only 52 people coming forward at this point in time, that's probably not an accurate representation of the people that saw him," Hayes said.
The Times detailed how the private university allowed Tyndall to continue practicing on campus despite a record of complaints that spanned more than two decades.
The advancement of the criminal investigation comes as more women lodge civil lawsuits against USC. By Tuesday, an additional five women had sued Tyndall and the university, bringing the total number of former patients with pending litigation to 26.
Revelations of Tyndall's conduct in the clinic have fomented an uproar at the university, prompting trustees to announce Friday that President C.L. Max Nikias would step down.
Tyndall, who was allowed to resign last year in a secret deal, could not be reached for comment Tuesday, and it's unclear if he is represented by an attorney. In previous interviews, he has denied wrongdoing. In a letter to the Times dated May 17 but received late last week, the 71-year-old physician said he had heard of only one patient complaint before March 2016 _ an allegation that he did not wear gloves during a pelvic exam.
"Patients sometimes fabricate stories," Tyndall wrote.
He included with his letter more than a dozen positive comments from patients who sent clinic supervisors emails from 2013 to 2015. "Overall Dr. Tyndall is a great doctor and a very friendly man who shows great care for his patients," one read.
