The newly released body-worn camera film depicts the moment Orange County police shot and killed a 45-year-old homicide suspect who had drove his vehicle onto the Newport Beach Pier.
The incident began on February 1 when the Santa Ana Police Department got a 911 call from a dispatch operator with the Menifee Police Department regarding the suspect, Jose Alfonso Valasquez.
Menifee detectives traced the 45-year-old’s cellphone to the 1400 block of North Freeman Street, where his ex-wife supposedly lived. The dispatcher then alerted SAPD that Velasquez was wanted for fatally killing a woman, maybe his girlfriend, in Menifee, and that he was most likely armed and driving a silver Honda CRV.
Just after 6:30 a.m., two SAPD officers arrived at the scene and located Velasquez’s CRV, where he was sitting with a passenger.
“As officers approached, the subject immediately fled the area, prompting a pursuit,” SAPD officials said in a video posted online.
The 45-year-old led cops on a 13-mile chase into Newport Beach, where he hopped the curb and navigated by several barricades set up to prevent vehicles from entering the pier.
Police pursued Velasquez to the dock, where people raced to avoid the automobiles. The 45-year-old stopped at the end of the pier and apparently disembarked the CRV.
SAPD CCTV shows responding officers in two police cars stopping a short distance behind the subject and opening fire on him.
Footage from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department aircraft shows the 45-year-old on the ground alongside his vehicle, holding what seems to be a revolver in his right hand. According to police, while Velasquez was still on the ground, armed and breathing, he refused to obey officers’ demands.
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“Given the ongoing threat posed by the suspect, who did not respond to officers’ verbal commands, a 40 millimeter less-lethal launcher was deployed,” SAPD officials said. “Following the deployment, a police K9 was used to facilitate the officers in handcuffing and arresting the suspect.”
Medical officials from the Newport Beach Fire Department arrived at the site and pronounced Velasquez dead.
A firearm thought to be used in the alleged Menifee homicide was discovered at the location.
According to authorities, the 45-year-old was previously arrested for driving under the influence, driving with a suspended license, and brandishing a pistol in a threatening manner.
An inquiry into the fatal use of force is ongoing.
Reference: Police fatally shoot homicide suspect on crowded Southern California pier
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