** (Disclaimer: Video posted strictly for educational and information purposes only) **
“Drop the gun! Drop the gun! Drop the gun now!” a Cottonwood Heights police sergeant can be heard in body camera video yelling at the teen suspect. Just moments later, the officer fires a single shot, hitting the 17-year-old boy in the abdomen. “Sir, why did you reach in your pants?” the officer asks the boy in the video as he handcuffs him. The videos from an early morning officer-involved shooting on Sept. 3 were released Monday by the Cottonwood Heights Police Department. The incident began as a routine traffic stop at 3 a.m. But when the two occupants of a vehicle sped away, it resulted in a chase that ended when the teenage driver crashed his car on I-15 near 1300 South. In his body camera video, the sergeant, whose name has not been released, is heard telling dispatchers that a male and a female juvenile are out of the car and running down the off-ramp at 1300 South. As the sergeant follows, he finds the teens under the freeway overpass at 1300 South. The girl has stopped running. But the 17-year-old boy is still walking. The officer, believing he saw a gun, gets out of his patrol car yelling at the boy to “drop it.”
Although a gun was recovered, investigators have not said whether the teen was actually holding a gun in his hand. “Drop it now. Get on the ground. Get on the ground now or I’ll shoot you,†the officer orders at gunpoint. As the teen sits on the ground and raises his hands above his head, the officer orders him to roll over onto his stomach. It’s at that point that the boy seems to be moving his hands near his waistband. “Do not move. Don’t move,” the sergeant yells. “I’m not moving sir,” the teen replies. “Don’t. Don’t. Don’t,” the sergeant continues to yell in quick succession before firing one shot. After firing the shot, the officer orders the teen to “stay down.” He then radios to police dispatch, “Suspect reached for his waist, shots fired.” “What were you reaching for?” the officer asks the boy. The boy is still conscious and alert after being shot and is able to communicate in the video with the sergeant and backup officers who arrive on scene. After putting the boy in handcuffs, the officers immediately start giving the boy medical attention.
The teen claimed he was not carrying a gun. “I’m just trying to call my parents. Trying to get my phone to call my parents,” he is heard saying, and later reiterates to police, “I need you to call my parents right now, let them know what’s going on.” But Cottonwood Heights Police Lt. Dan Bartlett said investigators at the scene did find a small .22-caliber handgun in the boy’s pants. The teen was taken to a local hospital where he underwent surgery. He was released about a week later, Bartlett said. The boy, whose name has not been released, has since been charged in juvenile court with fleeing and illegal possession of a firearm. The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office is investigating the case to determine whether the shooting was legally justified. Cottonwood Heights police administrators feel confident the shooting was justified. So much so that the sergeant has already been allowed to return to regular duty and the department released the body camera video to the public on Monday, something that doesn’t typically happen until the district attorney’s office has completed its investigation.
Bartlett said his department wanted to release the videos to the public “in the interest of transparency,” and to show not only what the officer was faced with, but also highlight the life-saving efforts the officers at the scene did for the boy. “We want to be able to get this out as quickly as we could. The D.A. has the stance that he has on the release of the videos. But the chief really wanted to get this out. We thought it was a great video to share with the public to show how these things happen and the events that transpired, and it kind of gives the officer’s view of what’s going on,†he said. “We’re not out here trying to kill people despite what you see and hear all the time. That’s not what they were trying to do. The video clearly shows they were trying to save this young man’s life and provide him care, even though they had just been through this event.” Bartlett said the sergeant who fired the shot “absolutely, he thought his life was in danger.” “I’m grateful that no one lost their life. I’m grateful that our officer showed compassion when dealing with this young man with their life-saving efforts,” he said.
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** (Disclaimer: This video content is intended for educational and informational purposes only) **
I'm not liking the new, "diverse" Utah
How abysmally stupid do felons have to be to start reaching into their clothing when ordered to show their hands. It terrifies me to know these morons breed.
Why does the thumbnail for this video look like a fucking Yu-gi-oh match?
Reaching in my waist at gunpoint was step four in my twelve-step, repeat offender program. CHECK
"SHOW ME YOUR HANDS AND DON'T REACH."
Teen: "Now it is time to show him why they call me…Lord of the Dance."
do what the officer says. it's not that hard
The officer tells the dude, don't move. The teenager say's, I'm not moving. As he reaches for his waistband. That's a good way to get shot.
done reached grabbed everything and never did the cops ever even go for there gun while running and its cause im white and he black the see me as not a threat and a black kid such big threat cause he black he has to have gun cause the cop said so but when u search him no gun then he panics shut it down so they can try to find a gun
Even tho I agree that the officer took the appropriate action.
My dude needs to stop screaming after that mofo's been cuffed lol
Hurt my ears!
Why would you reach dumb ass
Teen or not he's a dangerous crime who had a gun! The cop was a little spastic!
Did you just shoot an unarmed kid? He tossed the gun did you think he had a second gun? He might have I didn’t see the shot because you turned your body while you shot
I’m about as pro-police as it gets but this guy doesn’t need to be a cop. He clearly can’t control his composure.
"Im not moving" as he reached with his left hand to his waist. If you got a gun pointed at you and the cop says "don't move or I'll shoot you" the next step isn't go reaching around.
Even after getting shot he still can not follow commands ffs
Since I grew up on Dirty Harry, I don't feel lucky when a cop points a gun at me. For some strange reason, it never happened. I wonder why?
"investigators at the scene did find a small .22-caliber handgun in the boy's pants" how about you "Call your Parents" FROM PRISON and tell them you're an IDIOT, and DAMNED LUCKLY that Cop didn't shoot you TEN times instead of once.
yea homeboi was wrong for reachin. this was a good arrest
Cop clearly needs a mental evaluation
this cop sounds like jeremy dewitt
CNN: Black man shot by Police because he scratched his butt.
Im being held at gun point by a highly agitated cop. I think I'll reach for my waistline.
lol, if a lone cop has you at GP in the dead of night you do as you're told immediatley, going for something in your waistband deserves a round or two 😆
lesson learned..never reach for a pants when cops point guns at you
In my country that pig would be eating shit in jail lucky for him I guess.
“GET ON THE DAMN GROUND, DONT MOVEâ€
“ hold on officer lemme just reach for my waist I think my phone went off…â€
I wonder what the plan of the suspect was? Draw a gun while an officer is already aiming at you, kill him, kill all the other cops that are just 100 meters away and escape?
Are all BLMs this stupid?
cop needs an inhaler and sedatives lol hes fuckin amped xD
Utah cop shooting
Me reading: Ultra cop shooting
Smartest thing this kid did was tell the cop "just put me in cuffs at 1:25!
cops these days just want to shoot their guns
Why can't people follow simple instructions ?
This wouldn't of happened
No double tap. Boring…
Dumbasses don't know how to listen do they..
Ah the cop took his sweet fucking time to even attempt to cuff him
0:24 I mean, that's one way to get on the ground but tf lmfaoooooooooooooo
can you yell a little louder officer?
I never been in a situation like that, but if I see the officer pointing his gun at me , damm I will fallows all his instructions 100%. Hot led I think it’s no fun.
Cop sounded freaked out
999,990 views damn
GET ON YOUR STOMACH
Proceeds to do a side bridge leg extension exercise while waving hands up like a wacky inflatable arm flailing tube-man
some people are hard headed… just follow orders
if black lives really matter then there would be good leaders within the black community helping to coach others on how to properly behave/act during a police interaction, but that's not happening, why? do black people really care about other black people? it doesnt seem that way, but only about getting protesting for preferential treatment.
Never let your guard down with animals, cop could have been shot when he holstered his gun
🤣🤣🤣😂😂🤣🤣😂ðŸ‘ðŸ»ðŸ‘ðŸ»ðŸ‘ðŸ»ðŸ‘ðŸ»ðŸ‘ðŸ»ðŸ‘ðŸ»
Ugly red pants