Witnesses are speaking out about an incident in which a man armed with a metal pipe was shot by Fontana officers – and was then punched as he writhed on the ground afterward.
The video of an officer punching the suspect on the ground after he had already been shot has raised questions about the incident and officers’ actions, but Fontana police say it doesn’t convey the whole picture.
The encounter started around 2:17 p.m. near Cherry Avenue and Baseline Road. Police said officers responded to the area after receiving reports about a man armed with a metal pipe.
“We got a call of a violent subject threatening people with a metal pipe,” said Officer Steve Reed with Fontana police. “He had also gone into a local business and damaged their registers or computers.”
When officers arrived, he smashed their patrol car with a pipe, police say, and attacked an officer.
“The officer attempted to de-escalate the situation and gave multiple verbal commands, but the suspect refused to comply,” Fontana police said in a press release. “During the encounter, the suspect attacked the officer with the pipe, resulting in a lethal force response from the officer.”