LOS ANGELES _ Police detectives on Thursday served search warrants at the Los Angeles home of a former University of Southern California gynecologist and a storage facility as they investigate allegations that he sexually mistreated patients.
Los Angeles Police Department Capt. Billy Hayes said sex-crimes detectives talked to Tyndall and seized evidence during the search but did not provide further details.
The LAPD has been in contact with more than 100 women about Tyndall, who served as the campus' gynecologist for nearly 30 years. More than 400 women have called a university hotline since a Los Angeles Times investigation detailed how USC allowed Tyndall to continue practicing at a student health clinic on campus despite a record of complaints that spanned more than two decades.
The scandal over how USC handled complaints against the physician has roiled the campus and led to the departure of school's president, C.L. Max Nikias.
Tyndall, who resigned last year, has denied wrongdoing and said he never mistreated patients. He could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday.
The search warrants were filed under seal, Hayes said, to protect the integrity of the investigation.
USC has said that complaints about Tyndall dating to the early 2000s reached the head of the clinic, who died in 2016, but that he "handled patient complaints independently." The university said it was unclear why Tyndall was allowed to remain in his position.
It was only after a frustrated nurse reported Tyndall to the campus rape crisis center in 2016 that the gynecologist was removed.
USC leaders have acknowledged that the system for reporting and disciplining Tyndall had broken down, but they denied having known about the complaints before last year, according to a letter from Provost Michael Quick.
The university, in a secret deal last summer, allowed Tyndall to resign quietly with a financial payout. USC did not report him to the Medical Board of California, which investigates misconduct by physicians and has the power to terminate their licenses, until last March. The university has acknowledged that "in hindsight" Tyndall should have been reported much sooner.
