Anaheim police officers acted with intent to defend themselves and others in the 2021 fatal shooting of Brandon Lopez in Santa Ana, a report released by California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Wednesday, Nov. 1, found.
Lopez, 34, led police on a high-speed pursuit in September 2021 in Santa Ana after the car he was driving was reported stolen and officers discovered three warrants out for his arrest, including one for armed robberies, officials said. The pursuit ended when Lopez’s car stalled in a construction zone near the 1200 block of West Santa Ana Boulevard.
Video footage released in a critical incident briefing by Anaheim police two months after the shooting showed that at 6 p.m. a Santa Ana police officer said Lopez, who was still inside the car, had a gun in his right hand.
After three hours of negotiating with Santa Ana police, Anaheim SWAT and tactical negotiators took over and worked for an additional hour to no avail
Around 9:30 p.m., a family member at the scene told a Santa Ana police officer that Lopez had previously said to another family member that he wanted to commit “suicide by cop,” according to the report. Other officers were relayed the message that Lopez “wants the cops to kill him.”
When Lopez emerged from the car after police fired gas into the vehicle to force Lopez out and end the hours-long standoff, footage showed he was holding a narrow, black object which officers believed to be a gun.
Multiple officers yelled for him to put his hands up, before one officer yelled, “Gun! Gun! Gun!”
Four Anaheim officers opened fire, according to the report.
No firearm was recovered from Lopez or inside the vehicle, according to the Department of Justice. The black object he was holding was a black drawstring bag with an empty, crumpled water bottle inside.
“The loss of life is always a tragedy. We understand that this incident was difficult for everyone involved, including the family of Mr. Lopez, law enforcement, and the…
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