The Santa Ana Police Department has released video footage on Tuesday of one of their police officers as he was fatally shooting 18-year-old Victor Lopez at a parking structure on Jan. 28.
The incident took place just after 10:29 p.m., when police attempted to pull Lopez over for speeding near the intersection of Santa Ana Boulevard and French Street.
Unwisely Lopez refused to pull over. He fled and ran several red lights before leading officers into an underground parking garage on the 450 block of East 4th Street, where he allegedly lived.
Once in the structure, Lopez exited the car and dropped a gun on the ground, according to the police. In the video you can see Lopez walk toward officers with his hands raised before turning around and bending down to the ground. At that time, Lopez was reaching for the gun, according to the Santa Ana Police Department.
In the video, an officer cearly warns Lopez not to pick up the gun before shooting him in the torso. Paramedics later declared that Lopez was dead at the scene.
Police allegedly recovered a loaded Walther 9mm handgun near the car with 12 bullets in the magazine. Lopez was also found in possession of a substance suspected to be fentanyl. The 18-year-old also had an existing criminal record, including an arrest for multiple gun charges.
Lopez’s 19-year-old girlfriend and their 1-year-old child were inside the car at the time of the shooting. Police did not provide any additional details on the condition of the passengers following the shooting.
The shooting remains under investigation. Unfortunately the usual anti-police agitators have already made up their minds that the police were at fault.
If you have a criminal record that includes gun charges the very last thing you should do is drive around with a loaded gun and illegal narcotics and then refuse to pull over when an officer directs you to. To behave like that with your child in the car is the height of stupidity and irresponsibility.
Charges Victor Lopez would have faced if he had not been killed
Based on the details released by the Santa Ana Police Department and California criminal law, Victor Lopez would likely have faced several serious felony charges had he been taken into custody.
Given his existing criminal record and the presence of a child during the pursuit, the following charges would have been probable:
Vehicle & Evading Charges
- Felony Reckless Evading (Vehicle Code 2800.2): Fleeing from a marked police vehicle while committing multiple traffic violations (such as running red lights) is a “wobbler” that is typically charged as a felony when it involves high-speed or dangerous driving.
- Resisting Arrest (Penal Code 148(a)(1)): Willfully delaying or obstructing an officer in the performance of their duties, often charged alongside evading.
Firearm & Narcotics Charges
- Carrying a Loaded Firearm in Public (Penal Code 25850): Possession of a loaded 9mm handgun in a public structure or vehicle. Since Lopez had a prior gun record, this would automatically be a felony.
- Carrying a Concealed Weapon (Penal Code 25400): If the gun was hidden in the car or on his person before he exited, he would face this additional felony charge.
- Possession of a Controlled Substance with a Firearm (Health & Safety Code 11370.1): Possessing suspected fentanyl while also having a loaded, operable firearm is a severe felony in California.
Endangerment & Sentence Enhancements
- Felony Child Endangerment (Penal Code 273a(a)): Leading police on a high-speed pursuit through red lights with a 1-year-old child in the vehicle constitutes willful placement of a child in a situation likely to produce great bodily harm or death.
- Committing a Felony While on Bail or O.R. (Penal Code 12022.1): If his existing gun charges were pending at the time, he would face a mandatory 2-year sentence enhancement for each new felony committed while out of custody.