The Santa Clara Police Department (SCPD) has released three videos of an officer involved shooting that took place on Jan. 31 at an apartment complex on the 1200 block of Lincoln Street in Santa Clara. While a firearm was discharged, no one was injured. The department posted the videoes on YouTube. They are age-restricted and include a warning. The officers’ faces are redacted to protect the identity of plainclothes detectives.
The first 30 seconds of the first video are dark, without sound. The department says this is buffering. When the camera turns on, the viewer can see the officer getting out of the passenger side of an F150 with his weapon drawn. The F150 is blocking a Volvo inside a carport. Police say the Volvo was reported stolen.
In the body cam footage, the officer announces himself and orders the people inside the Volvo to get out. As the officer is closing the passenger side door of the truck, there is a loud pop. It appears to be the moment that the stolen Volvo backs up and hits the officer’s truck. You hear squealing tires as the Volvo accelerates in reverse and shoves the F150 out of the way. There are several loud pops as one of the officers discharges his weapon at the reversing vehicle.
The officers take cover and the vehicle speeds off and crashes into another section of the carport approximately 50 feet away. The officers again order the people out of the car. One person sprints out of the Volvo and one of the officers can be heard telling the others to hang back instead of pursuing.
The officer clearly orders the passenger to get out of the vehicle and put her hands up. The girl takes off and a detective can be heard telling everyone to hold the perimeter. A third person runs and that’s when officers give chase.
One of the suspects was tased a few blocks away. When he went down, officers kneeled on his back to cuff him. He was clearly out of breath and told officers he could not breathe. Officers stopped kneeling on the suspect and rolled him over. Medical aid was provided.
Additional body camera footage was provided here. Later in the video, you hear the officer, 6-year veteran of the police department Stan Miceli, say he was the one who opened fire. However, you do not hear the shots because of the previously described buffering. In Miceli’s video, you can see him moving toward the stolen Volvo in the carport from a position behind the F150. As the Volvo reverses, the F150 is pushed toward the officer.
Dashcam video from a privately owned vehicle parked nearby shows the best view of the officer involved shooting. In it, you see that as the Volvo is reversing, Miceli fires three shots at the reversing vehicle as he is back peddling. When the Volvo continues to reverse toward him, Miceli fires three more shots.
The detective was placed on routine paid administrative leave during the investigation. The Santa Clara District Attorney’s Office determined that the SCPD detective acted lawfully.
SCPD says if you have additional information about the incident, contact SCPD Detective Sergeant Hagg at (408) 615-4814. Individuals may also provide information via the Anonymous Tip Line (408) 615-4TIP (4847).