A homicide suspect who was shot and killed by officers after driving onto the Newport Beach Pier was holding a handgun and appeared to ignore an officer’s commands moments before the police shooting, according to video footage released this week by the Santa Ana Police Department.
Video footage from four Santa Ana officers’ body-worn cameras and an Orange County Sheriff’s Department helicopter captured the police shooting that killed 45-year-old Jose Alfonso Velasquez and left bystanders on the pier running for cover just after 6:30 a.m. on Feb. 1.
Earlier that morning, dispatchers with the Menifee Police Department informed their Santa Ana Police Department counterparts that a cell phone belonging to Velasquez had been tracked to the area around the 1400 block of North Freeman Street, according to newly-released recordings of the 911 calls.
“He shot a female over here, we believe she may be his girlfriend, she is dead,” the Menifee dispatcher told the Santa Ana dispatcher, adding that the suspect’s ex-wife was believed to live in the Santa Ana neighborhood where detectives had tracked his cell phone.
Santa Ana officers were sent to the neighborhood with a description of the suspect’s vehicle — a silver Honda CRV — and a warning that he was believed to still have the handgun used in the Menifee killing.
The officers spotted the vehicle and saw someone inside it. That person immediately drove off, kicking off a police pursuit through several cities and roadways.
A camera on the Orange County Sheriff’s Department helicopter captured the Honda driving over a curb and maneuvering past safety barriers meant to keep vehicles off of the Newport Beach pier. A handful of bystanders can be seen walking down the pier as the Honda — trailed by two police cars — drove by. A larger group of bystanders move out of the way as the by then slow-moving pursuit reaches the end of the pier.
The body-worn camera footage from the two officers in the patrol car closest to the Honda captured at least one of them yelling out a command, though exactly what they said is difficult to discern on the video due to the sounds of sirens. A volley of gunshots can be heard immediately after that, as bystanders fled the area.
The video footage from the helicopter shows the driver of the Honda — later identified as Velasquez — get out of the driver’s door holding what appears to be a gun and facing in the direction of the officers. Within seconds of exiting the car, Velasquez is seen falling backward and to the ground, having been struck by gunfire.
Velasquez did not fire any gunshots at police, officials have previously said.
Velasquez was still breathing and holding a firearm in his hand after being shot, police said, leading the officers to use a “40 millimeter less-than-lethal launcher” and a police dog to help them handcuff him.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
No officers or bystanders were injured.
Santa Ana Police officials released a close-up photo of a Glock 17 9mm handgun they say officers recovered from Velasquez.
That firearm is believed to be the same weapon used in the Menifee killing, Santa Ana police officials added. The victim of that shooting — 38-year-old Storm Wolf of Temecula — was found in a silver pickup truck with a bullet wound to the head around 2:45 a.m. on Feb 1 by officers responding to reports of gunshots in the 25000 block of Mesa Edge Court, according to the Menifee Police Department.
Velasquez had previous arrests for a DUI, driving on a suspended license and exhibiting a firearm in a threatening manner, according to the Santa Ana Police Department.
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office is investigating Velasquez’s death, as is routine for shootings involving police officers. The Santa Ana Police Department is also conducting its own internal investigation to determine if their officers acted within department policy, as is also routine for police shootings.