MODESTO, Calif. — The Modesto Police Department released body camera footage showing an incident where a suspect drove toward an officer, striking him as the officer fired shots, KCRA reported.
According to Police Chief Brandon Gillespie, the incident began on Aug. 8 when a woman reported that someone in a black Acura had driven by her home twice and fired a gun. The suspect was reportedly dating the woman’s granddaughter at the time.
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Officer Jesus Padilla, patrolling nearby, spotted a black Acura matching the description. Bodycam footage released on Sept. 17 shows Padilla exiting his patrol car and aiming his weapon at the vehicle. The suspect then accelerated toward him, prompting Padilla to fire nine shots. The suspect struck Padilla’s leg with the vehicle before fleeing.
Shortly after, a Stanislaus County Sheriff’s sergeant spotted the suspect’s vehicle and pursued him. The suspect ran a red light, crashed while attempting to enter a highway and fled on foot into nearby brush.
A perimeter was established, and drones and air support were deployed. A drone located the suspect hiding in the bushes along the freeway median. Officers inside an armored vehicle approached the suspect and issued commands, which he ignored.
Footage shows the suspect with a gunshot wound, believed to have been sustained during the initial encounter. A 9mm handgun was recovered from his vehicle, and a loaded magazine was found in the bushes where he was hiding.
The suspect faces charges including attempted murder of a police officer, two additional counts of attempted homicide, felony domestic violence, criminal threats, weapons violations and shooting at an occupied dwelling, according to the report.
