By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
• Santa Ana police released body-worn camera footage of a Jan. 28 encounter in which an officer fatally shot an 18-year-old suspect after he reached for a dropped firearm in a parking garage.
• The incident followed a short traffic pursuit that ended in the underground garage of an apartment complex near Third and French streets.
• Officers had attempted to stop the vehicle for a traffic violation before the pursuit unfolded.
• Police said the officer ordered the man not to pick up the gun before shots were fired; the suspect was pronounced dead at the scene.
• The suspect’s girlfriend and their 1-year-old child were in the vehicle at the time and were uninjured, authorities said.
SANTA ANA, CA — Santa Ana police have released body-worn camera footage of a Jan. 28 officer-involved shooting that ended with the death of an 18-year-old man who reached for a firearm he had dropped during a brief pursuit, officials said.
The incident began around 10:30 p.m. when officers attempted to stop a vehicle for a traffic violation in the downtown area, according to a police spokeswoman. A short pursuit ensued, ending in the underground parking garage of an apartment complex near Third and French streets.
Body-cam video shows the suspect exiting the vehicle and dropping a gun to the ground before walking toward officers with his hands raised, then bending down toward the firearm, police said. The officer issued commands not to pick up the weapon before firing.
The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene; his 19-year-old girlfriend and their 1-year-old child were in the car but were not injured, authorities reported.
The Santa Ana Police Department has not released further details about the suspect’s identity or pending investigative findings.