On a January evening near Central Avenue in Chino, a routine traffic stop became a deadly encounter that only later came into view through body camera footage. Officers found two occupants of a car carrying false identification, and the passenger, a man who had allegedly hurt the woman beside him the day before, reached for a weapon while being restrained on the ground. The release months afterward gives the public a window into a moment that lasted seconds but will be weighed for much longer, as the question of whether the officer's response was justified awaits official review.
Body Cam Video Shows Chino Traffic Stop Suspect Drawing Handgun Before Fatal Police Shooting
Alberto Diaz Garcia, 34, was fatally shot by police during the traffic stop; the female passenger, whom he allegedly stabbed the day before, was reported unharmed during the shooting.
Garcia pulled out a handgun and fired one round.
Mark
Why does this video matter beyond the shooting itself?
Mimi
Because it puts a visual record behind what police describe. The footage shows Garcia drawing a handgun while officers had him pinned, after they'd already found a knife.
Mark
And the woman in the car?
Mimi
Investigators say he stabbed her the day before and was holding her against her will. She had an active restraining order against him. She wasn't hurt in the shooting.
Luke
Careful with that, though. The stabbing and the captivity are what investigators say. The source doesn't tell us how that was established.
Mark
So what can we treat as solid?
Luke
That police released the video, and that it shows a handgun being drawn, per the department's description. The false ID and the medical-emergency claim are also police accounts.
Mimi
The sequence is specific: knife found, waistband check, one round fired by Garcia, three by an officer.
Mark
Does the video settle whether the shooting was justified?
Luke
No. A review of the use of force is still ahead, and the reporting doesn't say who is conducting it or when it ends.
Mark
And why release it months later?
Luke
The source doesn't say. That's unknown.
Il Polso
- A traffic stop on Jan. 21 near Central Avenue escalated within moments when the passenger, pinned to the ground, allegedly drew a handgun.
- Two occupants gave false identifying information, and the passenger's claimed medical emergency added confusion to an already volatile scene.
- An officer who had found a knife on the man was checking his waistband when a single round was fired, and the officer answered with three shots.
- The department's footage is now public, and the findings of an official use-of-force review will determine whether the outcome holds up under scrutiny.
On a January evening near Central Avenue in Chino, a routine traffic stop became a deadly encounter that only later came into view through body camera footage. Officers found two occupants of a car carrying false identification, and the passenger, a man who had allegedly hurt the woman beside him the day before, reached for a weapon while being restrained on the ground. The release months afterward gives the public a window into a moment that lasted seconds but will be weighed for much longer, as the question of whether the officer's response was justified awaits official review.
The Chino Police Department has released body camera footage from a January 21 traffic stop, showing a moment that ended with a man's death. The encounter began near the 12800 block of Central Avenue, where officers stopped a car with a woman driving and Alberto Diaz Garcia, 34, in the passenger seat. Both occupants said they had no identification, and both gave false details that did not match police records.
When officers asked Garcia to step out, he resisted and claimed a medical emergency. Officers pinned him to the ground and found a knife in his back pocket. As they checked his waistband for other weapons, police say he pulled out a handgun and fired a round. One officer fired three times, and Garcia died.
Investigators later described the background: Garcia had allegedly stabbed the woman the day before, in an ongoing domestic violence situation, and she held an active restraining order against him. Police say she was not harmed during the shooting. The use-of-force decision and the officer's shots remain under official review, and that investigation's findings are what will define the next chapter.
The Chino Police Department has released body camera video from a traffic stop on Jan. 21, and the footage shows a man pulling a handgun while officers held him on the ground. The release came a few months after the encounter, which ended with the man dead.
The stop took place near the 12800 block of Central Avenue. Officers pulled over a car with a woman driving and Alberto Diaz Garcia, 34, in the passenger seat. According to Chino police, both said they had no identification with them, and both gave false identifying information.
Garcia's answers did not match police records, and officers asked him to get out of the car. Chino PD said they had to force him out. As that happened, he claimed he was having a medical emergency.
Officers pinned Garcia to the ground. One of them found a knife in his back pocket and then began checking his waistband for other weapons. In the video, according to police, Garcia pulled out a handgun and fired one round.
One officer responded by firing three times. The rounds struck Garcia, and he died.
Investigators told a fuller story about the car's occupants. They said Garcia had stabbed the woman the day before the shooting and was holding her against her will, part of an ongoing domestic violence situation. At the time of the shooting, she had an active domestic violence restraining order against him. Police said she was not harmed during the gunfire.
The account of the stop, the false identification, the claimed medical emergency, and the background of the stabbing and restraining order all come from the police department and investigators, and the video is the department's own release. The use-of-force decision and the officer's three shots are still subject to official review, and the findings of that investigation are what to watch for next.
Citazioni salienti
Garcia had stabbed the woman the day before and was holding her against her will, investigators said.— Investigators, per Chino Police Department
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Crime & Justice