* (Disclaimer: This video content is intended for educational and informational purposes only) *
Costa Mesa, California — On February 19, 2021, at approximately 10:15 a.m., Costa Mesa Police Officers Joe Lopez and Eric Molina were assigned to the Crime Prevention Unit (CPU) on routine patrol of the La Quinta Inn parking lot. Officers located a parked 2006 Ford Focus occupied by two males and a female. Lopez saw Jose David Valdez in the driver seat with his head slumped forward on the steering wheel. He believed Valdez had just used drugs, was on “the nod,” meaning under the influence of drugs, or had possibly overdosed. Lopez approached the driver’s side while Molina approached the passenger side. Witness 1 was the front passenger with Witness 2 in the left rear passenger seat behind Witness 1. Lopez recognized Witness 2 from prior narcotics investigation contacts. Molina searched Witness 2, while Lopez conversed with Valdez. Valdez’s left hand was bandaged. During the investigation, Witness 1 stated she heard Valdez shot himself in the hand. Valdez had told Witness 1 the vehicle they were in was a “G-Ride”, which is slang for a stolen vehicle.
Lopez instructed Valdez to keep his hands on the steering wheel, however, Valdez repeatedly moved his right hand toward the center console, his waistband, and the area of his right leg. Lopez was concerned Valdez may have had a weapon and he had not been searched. Molina located drug paraphernalia on Witness 2 and cuffed his hands behind his back. Molina sat Witness 2 on the asphalt behind the left rear bumper of the Ford Focus. Molina had Witness 1 step out of the vehicle and move behind a vehicle parked east of the Ford Focus where he searched her. Valdez suddenly started the vehicle, placed it in reverse, and accelerated. Lopez and Molina shouted commands for Valdez to stop. Molina was unsuccessful in pulling Witness 2 from the path of the Ford Focus as it reversed. Witness 2 screamed as the left rear tire ran over his handcuffed hands. Witness 2 was then struck by the open passenger door and the front right tire. Lopez could hear Witness 2 screaming but could not see him. He described his thoughts, stating “If [Witness 2] isn’t already pinned or, or dead under there, he’s obviously screaming, he’s gonna be soon, um, imminently.” He said, “…I had to put a stop to it.”
Molina said, “The vehicle was put, or as the vehicle was reversing, I then made the determination to, uh, remove my firearm and fire at the vehicle and, because I believed that he [Valdez] was an imminent threat of death or seriously bodily injury to [Witness 2]. And as the vehicle was backing up, it was positioning itself for it to face me and the woman that was, I was searching who was still standing next to me.” Molina stated that he was “unsure of [Witness 2’s] condition whether he had sustained a major injury or not.” Molina and Lopez fired their department-issued handguns at Valdez. Lopez fired twice and Molina fired three times. The left rear bumper of the Ford Focus struck the left front bumper of their parked police vehicle. Witness 2 was eventually able to escape the vehicle’s path because the police officer on the passenger side saved him by pulling him away. Lopez saw Valdez put the Ford Focus in drive and start moving forward toward Molina and Witness 1. Molina fired four additional times through the windshield at Valdez. Lopez fired once toward Valdez from the driver’s side.
Molina evaluated Witness 2’s injuries and then went to help Lopez remove Valdez from the vehicle. CMPD officers provided Valdez with medical aid, which included Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) until Costa Mesa Fire Department (CMFD) paramedics arrived. CMFD transported Valdez by ambulance to Orange County Global Medical Center (OCGMC) where he later died from his injuries. Witness 2 was also transported to OCGMC and treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The Ford Focus had been reported “missing with the keys” to the Newport Beach Police Department on February 16, 2021. A Hellcat .380 semi-automatic handgun was located in the left pocket of Valdez’s jacket. The handgun contained a loaded magazine, but there was no round in the chamber.
âââââ
Special thanks to Shout-Out Supporters on Patreon:
– Mark Demaline
– Kaden
– Anthony Eufemio
– ‘musicaltune23’
– ‘DaBlankOne’
– ‘Mr.StrangeTiger’
– ‘Popeyez’
– ‘Donkbot’
– Gage Kissinger
– Yejezkel Lopez
– Alex F
– Eian Smith
– Patrick Kirby
– ‘HelloDarknessMyOldFriend’
– ‘coco Coco’
– Rob Winton
– ‘The Chocolate Thief’
– ‘Jacob from Wisconi’
– ‘gorey hole’
– Joe
– Luis Perez
– Chris Wesley
âââââ
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PoliceActivity
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Police_Activity
Timestamps:
0:00 – Bodycam: Officer Lopez – Initial Contact
0:25 – Bodycam: Officer Molina
4:30 – Bodycam: Officer Lopez
4:58 – Dashcam Footage
** (Disclaimer: This video content is intended for educational and informational purposes only) **
'PoliceActivity' is not Monetized. To help keep the channel going, please consider supporting on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/PoliceActivity
Some people just love having tags hanged off of their toes in the morgue, like the driver here.
Lesson learned. As long as the driver is still behind the wheel, consider the car a deadly weapon. Don't set people behind, beside or in front of it. Once cuffed, that person is under your protection. This reminds me of the video where the woman was cuffed and put into the officer's vehicle that was parked on the train track and the train came and hit her.
This dude was acting fishy, and you know he was gonna run. They always do. And when they run, they don't care about anyone's life or safety.
This is why you're better off living with God and not under the law of satan that these pigs enforce. They will get you ran over, hit by a train, strip search your 4 year old daughters, listen to kids die for hours and arrest parents for wanting to save their kids. Karma from God is here and your time is almost out
Note To Self: Don't sit suspects behind car with driver still inside.
Yeah, the first guy wasn't going to run, but he underestimated the one WHO CAN AND WOULD RUN BEHIND THE WHEEL!! Well, good thing the driver had that first aid kit out at the beginning, because he's gonna need it now.
When are these agencies going to STOP keying up the mic with "shots fired" in the MIDDLE of an engagement ??? It's just maddening to see. FUUUK. Do better.
This was great job by police but one had to be stupid. To me if I was the second officer talkin to the driver could of warned his partner that the driver was getting fidgety so maybe the other guy could of got out of the way or pulled out of the way. Hope the guy that got ran partially over wakes up and finds it’s not worth doing the hard shit. If anything find a group of stoners instead meth and crack heads. Yea the cop could of sat him somewhere else but the guy wanted to sit there. Also people in comments trying to make the cop out as being a bad cop for this, it’s easy for us to say stupid shit cause we weren’t there and watching it. To anyone thinking they’re better or could do a better job then this because I think this video showed some damn good police work, you should go be a cop and see if you can really handle what police put up with cause I think the people that criticize our cops have a lot of bark put no bite like a little yorkie and couldn’t last a day as a officer or any first responders.
Well that was straight out of a horror movie.
Just curious on why there is such a thing as a "Crime Prevention Unit" when ALL of the police should be a Crime Prevention Unit.
First time she saw brains everywhere I take it.
I knew it as soon as I saw the guy get sat down behind the car. crazy shit
No hablar common sense.
He took those rounds right to the face. Moron. Threw his life away.
Thats a pretty stupid way to die
Another druggie off the planet.
Good work, officers.
God bless police officers all over America, for dealing with this type of shit, day after, damn day!
Dude on the ground literally disappeared lol
Im sure the kid will sue the cop that placed him behind the car with psycho looking driver at wheel.
There are way better ways to die than behind the wheel of a Ford Focus. Died like a punk and thats how everyone that cares will remember him
1. Check the driver first
2. If it appears that they are drugged or drunk, never put anyone in front of or behind a car
That was one the chillest interactions by cops and suspects, until dipshit behind the wheel ruined everything.
That what he get 😂😂
I see a lot of comments about how "professional" the cops are. Have you considered that perhaps the 2 witnesses weren't screaming and carrying on, unlike those cop videos in which you think the cops weren't as professional? Perhaps most cops are professional, and this is just a side effect of their training to "ask them, then tell them, then MAKE them" and if the perps don't themselves cause the escalation to "make", then it doesn't happen? There is a difference between being professional and being photogenic.
Bye bye
Definitely not a wise choice to place him behind the vehicle prior to removing the driver. Otherwise, nice police work.
Wow the male that was detained got really lucky. Because of how the driver had turned his wheel and began do drive forward it moved his body out of the way. That's crazy.
Not as dumb as putting perp in police vehicle while vehicle parked on train tracks but still a poor choice by an otherwise smart officer.
His hand will never heal now
Them cops bout to get sued tf outta them lol
clearly hanging out with the right people
What state is this? Theres alot of things in the intial first minute that makes me curios. Investigating someone with their head down? Never heard of that sounds like California
Cops at fault for putting someone down behind that car like that.
That guy that got ran over was so chill, sad to see that happen to him
Man… these officers were respectful as fuck. Sorry you guys had to kill him.
The officer make big mistake when made the guy sit behind the car
Step out of the car and sit right here on these railroad tracks next to these explosives:)
You never know who your true friends are until moments like this arise. Would have driven over his own buddy and killed him just to dodge a charge. Guy died like an animal, no respect just selfish greed.
100% officer’s fault
That’s a stupid place to put someone in handcuffs …
Reminds me of that cop who left his car on the train tracks. Another bone head move.
Wow he made alot of noise for someone who just got shot in the head like 6 times
Well, that escalated quickly. Can you imagine being handcuffed with your hands behind your back while a car is running you over? Hopefully this guy learned to pick better friends.
Those are two good cops. Friendly and alert to stop danger.
Unloaded a few rounds in bursts. But I also thought the guy was going to still drive off after getting hit.
It still ceases to amaze me that as a matter of safety why aren’t drivers asked to turn the car off and remove the keys!
These clowns these days care nothing for others! This didn’t need to happen! The dimwit female can’t even focus she’s so messed up!