Pasadena Police Chief Plans to Release Video of Saturday’s Officer-Involved Fatal Shooting This Week

Pasadena Police Chief John Perez said he would release police body-worn camera footage of Saturday’s fatal officer-involved shooting this week.

According to police, the shooting took place during a traffic stop for a vehicle code violation shortly before 8 p.m. near Raymond Avenue and Grandview Street, just north of Washington Boulevard.

In a prepared statement, police said during the traffic stop the suspect — who was a passenger — became uncooperative and refused to allow officers to search him.

At some point, the man ran into the street holding up his pants and pulled a firearm from the waistband, according to police.

An officer saw the gun and “fearing for both his and the public’s safety, the officer fired his weapon twice, striking the suspect at least once in the upper torso,” according to police.

He was taken to Huntington Hospital, where he died.

Police have not said if the suspect turned toward them. Perez said it was not immediately clear if the man fired his weapon.

“We are looking at our body-worn camera video, our in-car camera video as well,” Perez said. “So we put all this together and release it to the public as soon as we can. It’s going to be very, very important that the public is able to see the video.”

If police release the footage this week it would be well before the required deadline by law. According to state law, police have 45 days to release audio and law enforcement-recorded footage after an officer-involved shooting case or other use of force incidents in which a suspect is severely injured.

Police said they have recovered several guns in a short period of time.

“We had more officers than usual out in the last few days,” Perez said. “We have recovered about six or seven guns. It’s been a very dangerous area over the past week, so we have been concerned… And again, we want the video to come out as soon as we can for the public to view it.”

After the shooting, a crowd gathered and police subdued one man with Taser darts. He was arrested. Police then used pepper spray on the crowd. A 10-year-old boy was sprayed. His mother used her own pepper spray on that officer, but she was not arrested.

The investigation is ongoing and no further details are available at this time.

“These are tragic for our community,” Perez said. “Anytime we have an officer-involved shooting, it is at a time when our community needs to come together, to understand the facts, hold me, as police chief, accountable, to what we put out for the community and ensure that we have video to release to the community, and the facts as well. But these are horrific for our community and tragic for everybody, especially the family who lost somebody they loved very much.”

On Sunday more than 50 protesters marched from the Pasadena Police Department to Old Pasadena and blocked traffic in the intersection at Raymond Avenue and Colorado Boulevard. A vigil was planned for Sunday evening at La Pintoresca Park at 7 p.m.

The shooting comes amid a City Council debate on police oversight. A majority of the council voted against an oversight model that would have provided subpoena power to an oversight commission and an auditor.

The model would have required a change to the city’s charter, which can only be approved by voters.

No vote has been taken on a second model that would provide a citizen commission appointed by the City Council and an auditor. The auditor would be under the purview of the City Manager.

“The officer-involved shooting that took place last night at Grandview and Raymond is a tragedy on multiple levels,” said Councilman John Kennedy, who chairs the council’s Public Safety Committee. “The most troubling fact is that another young African-American male is dead. My prayers and condolences go out to the family and friends of the deceased. “Certainly, there are other salient facts we must learn in the days and weeks ahead. I do not have all of the facts at this point. However, please know that I am urging Police Chief John Perez and City Manager Steve Mermell to release and publish prominently, with all deliberate speed, all video of the incident in the possession of the Pasadena Police Department. It is my sincere hope that the City Council will now swiftly adopt meaningful and real community oversight of the Pasadena Police Department without delay.  The time is now.” 

Attorney and local activist Skip Hickambottom said he was awaiting more information on the shooting.

“I have no opinion until I know more of the facts. The reason we need an IPA [Independent Police Auditor] is to bring clarity to tragic situations like this,” Hickambottom said. “[It is] irrelevant who hires the person or if that person has subpoena power.”