The Lodi Police Department released body-worn camera video late Wednesday showing events leading up to an officer fatally shooting a McDonald’s employee who had shot and injured a coworker.
You can see the video here, but be warned, some may find the violence disturbing.
Lt. Matt Latino, a public information officer for the police department, said the incident began about 9:32 a.m. Aug. 24, when officers were dispatched to the McDonald’s at 200 W. Lodi Ave. after a report of an armed person in the business’s rear storage area.
The armed suspect was identified as 29-year-old Jonathan Anguiano.
Latino said officers arrived about 9:35 a.m. and began clearing the area. As officers entered the business to evacuate people who remained inside, Anguiano shot the victim. Officers then moved to the rear of the business and confronted the suspect.
The department’s field supervisor, Sgt. Elias Ambriz, an 18-year veteran, was the first officer to encounter Anguiano, Latino said. Latino said Ambriz believed there was an imminent threat to officers and the wounded employee. Ambriz fired his duty weapon, striking Anguiano.
Anguiano was pronounced dead at the scene by medical personnel.
Medical personnel treated the victim at the scene before she was taken to a local hospital.
Police chief cites transparency in video release
Lodi Police Chief Ricardo Garcia said the department was releasing the critical incident video to provide the community with information about the recent officer-involved shooting.
“We recognize that incidents involving use-of-force and deadly force are serious and can deeply impact our community,” Garcia said. “Our purpose in releasing this video is to provide the public with as much factual information as legally permitted, promote transparency and help the community understand what occurred based on evidence currently available.”
Garcia said the video was not intended to determine criminal or civil liability or whether the officer’s actions were consistent with department policy.
“At the time of this release, this remains an ongoing investigation being conducted in accordance with the San Joaquin County officer-involved critical incident protocol,” Garcia said.
After Garcia’s remarks, Latino walked viewers through the footage.
Latino said the footage reflected the information available to the department at the time of its release. It included body-worn camera recordings, restaurant security footage, radio communications and 911 calls to the department’s dispatch center.
Video shows events leading to shooting
Restaurant security camera footage shows Anguiano walking into the employee break room at about 9:30 a.m. and instructing employees to contact law enforcement without specifying why, according to police.
Immediately afterward, Anguiano appears in the back storage area with the victim and another employee. Anguiano removes a firearm from his backpack and fires one round into the ceiling, police said.
Two employees speak with Anguiano for about two minutes before the 911 call.
At about 9:32 a.m., an employee who does not appear in the restaurant security camera footage calls 911, police said.
In the dispatch audio, a restaurant employee asks the dispatcher to send police to McDonald’s after receiving information from a manager who was with Anguiano.
“We have a guy in here — an employee — he has a gun,” the reporting party tells the dispatcher. “We’re not sure if he wants to harm himself, but he just shot it off.”
The dispatcher asks whether Anguiano is a former employee. The reporting party says he is a current employee who is on the clock and describes him as a Hispanic man in his 20s with long hair.
“He came in and told our other manager, ‘Call the police,’” the reporting party tells the dispatcher. “He walked around the corner to the back of the store and then that’s when everyone heard the gun go off.”
The dispatcher asks whether Anguiano is threatening anyone, and the reporting party says she does not believe he is.
As the 911 call continues, security camera footage shows Anguiano handling the gun while an employee speaks with him and backs away.
“I think he’s trying to commit suicide,” the reporting party tells the dispatcher.
The suspect then removes his hat and places his earbuds in his shirt pocket.
“He’s pointing it to his head,” the reporting party tells the dispatcher, referring to the gun.
In the dispatch audio, officers instruct people inside McDonald’s to leave. The reporting party then tells officers at the scene that Anguiano remains in the back, talking to his manager with the gun pointed at his head.
Meanwhile, the manager backs away from Anguiano with her arms raised as officers evacuate the restaurant and coordinate their response.
Anguiano fires toward the manager as a woman screams and officers move toward them.
In the body-worn camera footage, an officer orders people inside the restaurant to move and show their hands. As the officer yells, “Hands,” a bang is heard and Anguiano falls to the floor.
The footage also shows the victim lying on the storage area floor with blood around her and repeatedly saying “ow” as officers move in to help.
An officer then tells dispatch that an officer-involved shooting has occurred.
Officers order Anguiano to show his hands. One officer says, “Show me your hands, boss,” as Anguiano lies on the floor.
The officer tells dispatch that Anguiano is down and not moving.
Police said officers did not immediately approach Anguiano because his position made it difficult to determine where the firearm was located.
After Anguiano appears unresponsive, officers coordinate a plan to approach and secure him, police said.
Officers then locate and recover a handgun from Anguiano’s hand, according to the department.
Ambriz was placed on paid administrative leave following the officer-involved shooting as part of standard department procedure and has since returned to work, police said.