Sacramento police release video of officers shooting minivan driver after vehicle chase
The Sacramento Police Department on Wednesday afternoon released video of two officers shooting at a minivan driver after a vehicle pursuit last week that ended in an industrial park.
The minivan driver, later identified as Adan Martinez, was struck by gunfire and injured in the shooting. He was treated and released from the hospital before being booked at the Sacramento County Main Jail.
Police said Martinez reportedly burned a vehicle and threatened to kill his girlfriend before leading officers in a vehicle chase.
The department released an edited and narrated video of the police shooting. The edited video contains footage from four body cameras and three dashboard cameras, along with five dispatch audio recordings and a drone camera.
The department also released unedited versions of the video clips and the audio recordings.
Restraining Order
The incident began shortly before 10 p.m. Feb. 15 on Occidental Drive in East Sacramento, where the vehicle was burned. Martinez’s ex-girlfriend called authorities to report “her ex-boyfriend, against whom she has a restraining order, had burned their vehicle, threatened to kill her, and was possibly armed,” according to a police news release.
As the officers were speaking to the victim at the scene, one officer spotted Martinez drive past his ex-girlfriend’s home in a red minivan. Police officials said the officer tried to pull over the vehicle near Occidental and Julliard Drive, but Martinez failed to stop.
The police chase began. The video shows the minivan sped away once the patrol vehicle lights and sirens were activated. Police said Martinez continued to speed through the residential neighborhood, running stop signs along the way and reaching speeds of up to 80 mph during the nearly 6-mile chase.
As the minivan slowed, the video shows another officer in a vehicle ahead had stopped on the side of the road. Police said officers tried to deploy “stop-sticks” to disable minivan’s tires. The video then shows the minivan swerve to the left and off the street.
The minivan then accelerated into the industrial complex in the 8500 block of Fruitridge Road, just east of Florin Perkins Road, according to police.
Police said Martinez drove the minivan into a corner of the complex, where a fence was blocking it from continuing forward. The video shows three patrol vehicles followed Martinez into the complex before the minivan stopped. One patrol vehicle’s front bumped that minivan’s rear bumper when both vehicles came to a sudden stop.
Police officers shoot at minivan
The video shows the officers immediately started shouting demands at Martinez, telling him, “Hands up! If you f------ move, you get shot!” One officer warned the others, “He’s putting the car in drive.”
As the officers shouted at Martinez, he began making a three-point turn and attempted to turn the minivan around. Police said two officers opened fire as the minivan moved forward.
Video from the dashboard camera in the patrol vehicle initially directly behind the minivan shows Martinez driving to the left of that patrol vehicle when the officers fired their guns. It appeared Martinez was trying to drive around the patrol vehicle.
Officers fired several shots at the minivan. The video shows several bullet holes in the driver’s side window as the vehicle’s front end came to a stop against a fence with a cement foundation.
One officer is heard in the video saying “He’s definitely dead, he’s definitely dead. I’m going to reload, cover me.” The officers radios dispatchers that they can hear Martinez moaning and talking in the driver’s seat.
The officers then waited for backup to arrive as they positioned themselves and requested an ambulance to stage nearby, ballistic shields and bean-bag shotgun rifle.
Before approaching, one officers fired a bean-bag projectile into the front window. Police said the officers used the less-than-lethal weapon “to create visibility into the vehicle.” One officer is heard in the video yell at Martinez, “Put it in park and get out now!”
Injured driver surrenders
The video shows Martinez, injured by gunfire with blood on his arms and his shirt, got out of the minivan with his hands up. It appeared Martinez, who was still moaning in pain, was struggling to keep his hands up. It’s unclear whether Martinez had a gun or another weapon with him or in the vehicle.
The officers then approached Martinez, took him into custody and provided medical aid, according to police. Martinez was booked at the jail two days later.
The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office has filed against Martinez felony charges of arson and stalking in violation of a restraining order, according to Sacramento Superior Court records. He also faces misdemeanor charges of evading a police officer in a reckless manner and drug possession.
This shooting remains under investigation by the Police Department’s Homicide Unit and Internal Affairs Division, according to the news release. The Office of Public Safety Accountability and the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office are monitoring the investigation.
Police said the officers involved in the shooting will be on administrative leave as the investigation continues. The department expects to release more videos of the shooting within 30 days.
This story was originally published February 24, 2021 at 6:56 PM.
