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FONTANA, Calif. (KABC) — Witnesses are speaking out about an incident in which a man armed with a metal pipe was shot by Fontana officers – and then beaten as he writhed on the ground afterward.
Video of an officer slamming a suspect to the ground after shooting him has raised questions about the incident and the officers’ actions, but Fontana police say it doesn’t tell the whole story.
The encounter began around 2:17 p.m. near Cherry Avenue and Baseline Road. Police said officers responded to the area after receiving reports of a man armed with a metal pipe.
“We received a call of a violent subject threatening people with a metal pipe,” said Officer Steve Reed with Fontana Police. “He had also broken into a local business and damaged their cash registers or computers.”
When officers arrived, the suspect smashed the patrol car with a pipe, police say, and attacked an officer.
“The officer attempted to de-escalate the situation and gave multiple verbal commands, but the suspect refused to comply,” Fontana police said in a news release. “During the encounter, the suspect attacked the officer with the pipe, resulting in a deadly force response by the officer.”
A still photo released by the officer’s body camera shows the man raising the pipe to strike before the officer fired his gun.
Following the shooting, the suspect was on the ground but was not obeying officers’ orders to detain him and provide him with medical assistance.
The video shows the officer repeatedly striking the suspect, who appeared to be writhing on the ground at the time.
“After the shooting, officers attempted to take the subject into custody,” Reed said. “He continued to resist. They had to do what was necessary to take him into custody and then render him medical aid.”
He was eventually arrested and taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. According to police, the officer suffered minor injuries and was treated at a nearby hospital.
The man was later identified as Jesus Adrian Garcia, 44, of Fontana.
Witnesses to the incident described what they saw to Eyewitness News:
“I just heard four or five shots,” said one man who recorded a video of the encounter. “I got out of my car immediately. I saw the guy on the ground and another cop showed up.”
That witness, who asked not to be identified by name, questioned the need for the officers to beat the suspect.
“He had already been shot. He didn’t have any gun or weapon on him, so there was no need to punch him.”
Another witness offered her opinion: “The guy couldn’t cooperate (with the officer) so he jumped on him, put his gloves on and just punched the guy a few times until he was unconscious,” said Fontana resident Amanda.
Fontana police asked the public not to judge the officers’ actions by the brief video segment showing the punches.
“The Fontana Police Department is aware of a video circulating on social media that depicts a portion of the incident. It is important to note that this video only depicts a small portion of the event and not the event in its entirety,” the agency said in a statement. “The Fontana Police Department is conducting an internal administrative investigation into the entirety of the incident.”
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department is also investigating the deadly force encounter.
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