FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — The Fairfax County Police Department released body camera video that shows the moment a suspect grabbed an officer’s gun.
The July 28 incident began when woman called 911 to report a domestic incident. She told dispatchers that her husband was armed with two knives.
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The man had inflicted injuries upon himself before leaving the home. Officers then worked to establish a perimeter, requesting K-9s and air support.
The department’s helicopter detected a heat source in a wooded area off Americana Drive and directed officers toward it. Police Chief Kevin Davis said trees and a nearby sound barrier sometimes obstructed the helicopter crew’s view of the area.
Body camera video shows officers searching for the man in the wooded area, when his arm emerged from beneath vegetation less than a foot away from the officer.
The suspect suddenly grabbed the officer’s gun, prompting a second officer to deploy a TASER.
The officer holding the gun was able to maintain control of the weapon, pulling it from the suspect’s hand before stumbling back and firing shots.
One shot appeared to graze the suspect’s arm. Officers rendered medical aid before EMS personnel arrived to transport him to a hospital.
After the encounter, the department’s Real Time Crime Center used camera footage to retrace the suspect’s movements. The video helped police locate both knives, which he had discarded after leaving the home, police said.
The suspect was charged with attempting to disarm a law enforcement officer and booked into the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center, where he was held without bond.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has also lodged a detainer for the suspect, asking Fairfax County authorities not to release him from custody. DHS identified him as a Honduran national who entered the U.S. illegally in 2022.
