Crime & Safety

VIDEO: Deputies Shoot Suspect 'Struggling, Reaching for Waistband' in 1st Baptist Church Lot

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UPDATE: Sheriff's Department IDs Suspect Fatally Shot by Deputies in Yucaipa

Deputies shot a man Saturday afternoon who was "struggling with deputies" and "reaching for his waistband" during a traffic stop that followed a possible abduction in Yucaipa, a sheriff's captain said at the scene.

The fight and gunfire erupted in the parking lot of 1st Baptist Church on Yucaipa Boulevard, shocking residents and visitors who saw what happened, and prompting speculation about why a sheriff's helicopter landed in the middle of the town's main drag.

It started with a 911 call about 4:40 p.m. June 29 from a residence in a trailer park, where someone had allegedly forced entry to take a woman to a local bank for some reason, Capt. Lee Hamblin of the sheriff's Yucaipa Station told Redlands-Loma Linda Patch at the scene.

Deputies en route stopped the vehicle involved in the church parking lot and a fight ensued, Hamblin said.

"The subject was struggling with deputies," Hamblin said. "The deputies were fearing for their life, he was reaching for his waistband on multiple occasions. There was an attempt to Taser the suspect. It was ineffective. Deputies then used lethal force and the suspect was shot and transported to a local hospital" by a ground ambulance.

"At this point I do not have an update on the suspect in regards to his condition," Hamblin said. "The deputies are fine other than some scratches and some minor injuries."

The sheriff's helicopter that landed on Yucaipa Boulevard was there to allow investigators to get aerial photos of the scene, according to Hamblin.

Witness George Misavage said he is a resident of Florida visiting and staying in Yucaipa, and he was on his way to the hardware store when deputies pulled the suspect vehicle over at the church.

"We were coming to Best Hardware here . . . and the officers that did this cut us off and pulled the car over, then pulled the guy out of the car, both officers did," Misavage told Redlands-Loma Linda Patch.

"There was a little bit of a struggle, the guy was knocked to the ground, and . . . then they Tased him," Misavage said. "Then one said 'Don't do it,' he backed up, took his gun out and he fired about six shots into his chest. Then the other cop backed up and took his gun out and fired a couple more shots into him.

"It was a girl driving the car, a blonde-headed girl with a red dress, and she ran off to the other car over here . . . and they took her off the scene," Misavage said. "The officers were acting like they were giving him CPR until the ambulance got here, but he was probably dead. I don't know."

A block-long stretch of Yucaipa Boulevard was still closed to traffic in front of the church, where deputies patrol cars and a green sedan with California plates sat with its doors open. A bag and a pair of shoes were on the ground near the vehicles.

Yucaipa Boulevard was re-opened in both directions by 6 p.m. but Hamblin and assigned investigators remained at the scene.


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