Ernesto Aguilar: Walmart shoplifter, 30, shot by Orange county cop point-blank in the head
SANTA ANA, ORANGE COUNTY: A 30-year-old man from Santa Ana, California was brutally held down and shot in the head at point-blank range by a police officer inside a Walmart outlet. Ernesto Paul Aguilar was confronted by three cops on suspicion of shoplifting on January 19, 2021. Aguilar miraculously survived the shot and is currently recovering in jail. The bodycam footage of the incident was released recently, which shows the three Orange County Sheriff's deputies pinning him down and shooting him in the head.
The incident took place at a Lake Forest Walmart on January 19 when a security guard at the store called 911 to report about Aguilar. He suspected that Aguilar and his wife were planning to steal electronic items using a fake receipt. However, the couple claimed that they had visited the store to buy toys and diapers for their kids. In fact, Aguilar was standing in the checkout queue with cash in his hand when the police arrived.
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The police reportedly did not check Aguilar's receipt and immediately went on to confront the pair. They asked the duo to leave "peacefully", while one of the deputies asked Aguilar, "Why are you doing this? You're like 40 years old and you're still stealing, dude? Get a job, let's go."
The couple kept insisting that they were making a legal purchase but the cops said that they would not be allowed to return on trespassing charges. While the duo was getting out of the door, one of the deputies found a knife in Aguilar's possession and informed his colleagues.
The first deputy shouted at Aguilar to "Get your f**king hand off the knife" and "get the f**k out of the store" when he calmly reached for his weapon. However, the police decided to arrest Aguilar as they proceeded to handcuff him. The 30-year-old man resisted and struggled while yelling out to the woman with him.
The cops pinned him to the ground, saying, "You're going to put you in handcuffs because I don't know if you have other weapons. If you fight, we're going to get on the ground. I'm promising you right now that you're not going to win this fight." Later, the cops also found another gun on Aguilar and decided to shoot for restraining him.
"He's got a gun! He's got a gun! Shoot him, shoot him!" the first deputy frantically screamed while a civilian joined him, yelling, "Shoot him" several times. Immediately afterward, one of the deputies shot directly at Aguilar's head who went limp in an instant. He was heard saying, "I'm dying" after being shot. He was later transferred to the hospital and underwent surgery.
While Aguilar has been charged with assault on a police officer and possession of a gun without a serial number, the deputies involved in his shooting are yet to face any consequences.
Presently, Ernesto Aguilar is recovering in custody and his bail has been set at $2.3 million.