By Sarah Roebuck
Police1
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Body-worn camera video just released from an incident in May shows a Virginia officer struggling with a man in a parking lot before officers opened fire, WAVY reports.
Earlier in May, the suspect, Brandon Lamagne, was identified as the driver of a U-Haul that had been reported stolen. An officer spotted the U-Haul and pulled into a parking lot to investigate. When he pulled up, he saw Lamagne outside of the U-Haul.
Deputies said when the officer confronted Lamagne, he shoved the officer into the officer’s SUV and continued attacking him. During the attack, deputies said the cruiser went into reverse and traveled into a McDonald’s parking lot, hitting a parked car and running over a few bushes.
Throughout the attack, the police officer called over his radio several times saying that he was being attacked and that the suspect was trying to get a hold of his gun.
“In my opinion, his intent, rather, was to kill that police officer,” Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis told WAVY. “He was assaulted. He was taken hostage. He was abducted. The actions of the two responding officers, I believe, were more than appropriate, given what we know, then and now.”
Two more officers arrived at the scene shortly after. One officer pulled Lamagne off of the officer who was being attacked. Both officers then opened fire, fatally wounding the suspect.
“I received and started reviewing the body-worn camera footage the night of the incident. At this stage, consistent with standard operating procedure, my team is undertaking an independent and thorough review. I can assure the community that I will come to an independent decision in this matter,” Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano said in a statement.