PHOENIX — On January 12, a domestic violence report led to a search for a suspect that ended with a man, who turned out not to be the suspect officers were looking for, getting shot and run over by officers. On Friday, Phoenix Police released body camera footage of the incident.
It began with a 911 call from an apartment complex near 14th Street and McDowell Road, where the caller said a suspect was banging on a door with a knife. The caller told a dispatcher the suspect had previously been involved in a domestic violence incident.
When officers arrived at the apartment, the suspect had left.
A search ensued in the surrounding neighborhood and officers found a man, later identified as 38-year-old David Epaloose, near 15th Street and McDowell Road.
The body camera footage shows officers yelling at Epaloose and telling him to stop and put his hands up.
"Stop right there," an officer yelled. "Put your f------ hands in the air or you will get hurt!"
Epaloose did not, leading officers to fire pepper balls and 40mm foam bullets at him.
>>Warning: The video may be disturbing for some viewers.
However, that did not stop Epaloose, who continued to run. Officers followed him using pepper balls and foam bullets in an effort to make him stop.
Police also released surveillance video from nearby businesses showing Epaloose pointing what appeared to be a gun at officers. That was later determined to be a pellet gun, which looked like a semi-automatic handgun.
A Phoenix police lieutenant then got to the scene, got out of his patrol vehicle and armed himself with a shotgun. After confirming that Epaloose was in front of him, the body camera footage shows the lieutenant fire one shot, which hit Epaloose.
At the same time, two officers in a patrol vehicle attempted to stop Epaloose.
"We're gonna have to take him out," an officer said before hitting Epaloose with his patrol vehicle. "You ready?"
"Watch the civilians," another officer in the car responded. "He's reloading too."
One of the officers then fired a foam bullet at Epaloose, but it did not stop him.
"I'm running him over," the first officer said. "Hold on."
The video then shows the car run Epaloose over and crash into a fence.
Epaloose was seriously injured, treated at a nearby hospital and then booked into jail on several felony charges.
It was not until later in the investigation that officers learned he was not the suspect in the original 911 call.
Epaloose was released from custody after a judge had issues with the amount of time officers took to book him after he was released from the hospital, but was re-arrested.
Police have found and arrested the suspect of the original 911 call. That man, who was not identified, has been charged with domestic violence-related offenses.
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