VIDEO: Oxnard police releases surveillance footage to show officer had sufficient reason to shoot suspect
Official surveillance footage released by the Oxnard Police Department shows a suspect attempting to take hold of a police officer's gun from him, resulting in a shootout.
Oxnard Police Officer Daniel Oncea spotted a man, now identified as Joel Tapia Jr., while on patrol and tried to take him into custody for outstanding warrants, according to the police news release.
“Officer Oncea knew Tapia had outstanding warrants and contacted him to take him into custody,” the statement read. “What ensued was Tapia resisting arrest, and then actively assaulting the officer,” it also mentioned.
The struggle between the cop and the offender appeared to have lasted for approximately two and a half minutes in the surveillance footage released by law enforcement.
“During the course of the struggle, Officer Oncea discharged his firearm, striking Tapia,” the statement said.
Law enforcement authorities reported the following actions by Tapia Jr. while laying out the seriousness of the situation after the footage was released to the public, according to Fox 13. The following timeline was released for public knowledge by the Oxnard Police Department on their official Facebook page.
● Tapia resists the officer’s initial effort to make the arrest, causing a struggle in the confined area between the vehicles.
● Tapia makes an active effort to break free of the officer’s grasp, moving the struggle to the area behind the police vehicle.
● The officer repeatedly tells Tapia to stop resisting.
● Tapia grabs at the officer’s neck and lapel mic area.
● Tapia makes efforts to grab/trap the officer’s head and neck.
● Tapia punches the officer several times during the struggle.
● Tapia reaches towards the officer’s right hip area, where the officer’s Taser and duty weapon are located.
● After the officer’s weapon was loose and on the ground, Tapia made efforts to obtain it.
● Tapia was on top of the officer, punching him multiple times, at the instant of the shooting.”
Assistant Police Chief Jason Benites stated, “Overall, the video clearly illustrates the dangers of police work. There are those that who will not only resist our officers from taking them into custody, but there are some who will actively assault an officer to the point where they escalate a situation to a shooting.”
Tapia Jr. was subsequently taken to the Ventura County Medical Center for treating the gunshot wound. He was booked into Ventura County Jail as soon as he was released from the hospital on Thursday.
He pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from the incident during his Friday court appearance. He has been accused of several other allegations, including that he committed that latest alleged felony after being released on his own recognizance in another case among his prior felonies.
He was also presented before the court Friday on the warrants Oncea was trying to arrest him on. According to court records, the warrants were filed in a January shoplifting case and a September incident involving a felony resisting arrest charge and other DUI and drug-related offenses, reported the Ventura County Star.