Hello, I am Commander Oscar Lazardi of the Sana Police Department. What you're about to view is a critical incident community briefing. In the event of a critical incident, we strive to disseminate as much information as possible at the earliest opportunity contingent upon the progress of the investigation. These briefings intend to provide the public with open and transparent communication regarding officer involved critical incidents. These briefings are based on the facts we know at the time of the video briefing. They contain information obtained from numerous sources, including but not limited to dispatch audio, video evidence, and witness or victim statements. The Saint Police Department takes the use of force by its officers very seriously and conducts thorough investigations into these incidents, often in conjunction with other investigative agencies. These investigations typically require interviews with numerous witnesses, the review of video and audio evidence, and analyzing extensive amounts of forensic evidence. As a result, these investigations can take up to a year to complete. At this point in the investigation, no conclusions have been drawn concerning whether our officers acted consistently with our policies and the law. Please be advised, critical incidents are often high stress and emotional for those involved. As a result of this stress and emotion, audio and video recordings may contain strong language and digital images may be graphic. Warning, some viewers may find these video disturbing and unsuitable for children. Hello, I am Officer Natalie Garcia, the public information officer for the Sana Police Department. I will now provide you with a brief overview of an officer involved shooting that occurred on February 1st, 2025. At 6:10 a.m., Sana Police Dispatch received a formal request for assistance from MEI Police Department. Detectives from Metife PD were actively tracking the cell phone of a homicide suspect who they believed was in Saint Ana. The suspect was reported to be in the vicinity of the 1400 block of North Freeman Street in the city of Saint Any PD provided the suspect's name, personal identifying information, and a description of his vehicle. You will now hear portions of the call received by Sana Police Dispatch. The identity and the personal identifying information of the reporting party has been redacted for privacy purposes. Send the police. How can I help you? Hey with Menipy Police in Riverside County. Hi ma'am. Hello. Can I give you guys some bolo information on a 187 suspect that's uh pinging in Santa Ana? Um yeah, go ahead. So, it's pinging at Freeman in Santa Ana. Uhhuh. And it's within 300 meters. Is it a cell phone ping? Yes, it's a cell phone ping. Okay. This is a 197 that occurred in your area, I'm assuming. Oh, 7 that occurred in our area. I'll give you the incident number when you're ready. Okay. Go for it. It's MN like Mary Nora. Uhhuh. [Music] -25-032-00008. Okay. All right. And then the suspect vehicle or the suspect that the vehicle that he left in is a silver Honda CRV. Okay. The plate is 5Z George Lincoln 234. Okay. All right. And then the suspect is a Let me bring this back up over here. Hang on. Okay. So, he shot a female over here. We believe it may be his girlfriend. And so, she's dead. And uh so it should be a some type of handgun. Hi ma'am. This is police dispatch. Yes. 187. Yeah. The ping is hitting um at his it looks like it's his ex-wife's house. It's actually within 300 m and it's just they're on opposite sides of the street. So, the ping is coming back on Freeman Street just south of 15th Street. [Music] North Freeman. I don't know what the address is there. Let me just drop something there and identify it. Uh, that's the way your partner. It's around Yeah, it's around there. So, his wife, his ex-wife it looks like, lives at one Freeman, just north of 15th Street. And the I Mhm. Yeah. Freeman Street. Um, and the ping is within 300 m. So, officer safety, um, he does know someone there. And I can give you her DL so you guys can pull it up. Perfect. At 6:36 a.m., two Sana officers responded to the location where the suspect was believed to be and observed his vehicle with a person inside. As officers approached, the subject immediately fled the area, prompting a pursuit. Shortly after the pursuit commenced, Sana officers were informed the firearm used in the homicide in Meny remained outstanding and was believed to be in the suspect's possession. The pursuit continued through several cities in Orange County, including the freeway, at various speeds. The suspect drove over a curb, maneuvered around multiple safety barriers, and entered the Newport Beach Pier, a location where vehicles are not permitted. The suspect ultimately stopped his vehicle at the end of the pier, and an officer involved shooting occurred. Officers notified dispatch, prompting the arrival of assisting officers and resources, including the Newport Beach Fire Department. Officers from the Saint Ana Police Department are issued bodywn cameras to be worn at chest level to provide a general perspective of the officer. When the bodywn camera is activated, it goes back 30 seconds and starts recording. During this pre-record buffer, audio is not captured. This feature is designed to capture police activity that occurs suddenly. It is important to understand that an officer's actions can sometimes obscure the bodywn camera. During this incident, the officers were equipped with bodywn cameras that were actively recording their encounters with the suspect. You will now see bodywn camera footage from the cameras of the officers involved in the shooting. The footage is from the officers who were in the primary pursuing patrol vehicle, as well as footage from the officers in the secondary pursuing patrol vehicle. You will also see footage from the Orange County Sheriff's Police helicopter known as Duke, which was overhead monitoring the incident. Hey, stay in your car. [Applause] 98 here. What the [ __ ] 21. It's going to be one 301 Beach Boulevard. And uh looks like he just jumped the curb and he's going to be driving up on the pier southbound. Driving on the pier southbound. Jump the curb. Yep. He's uh driving southbound on the pier at slow speeds. Um you got a few pedestrians. Uh, Zach, if you can't that this is a this is a still driving on this supposed to be pedestrians up there. Here you go. All right. You stopped at the end of the pier facing south. Guns are facing southbound. Uh 96 x-ray guns are facing southbound. 998 998 at the end of the pier. We're going to need to start fire. 96 x-ray southbound. Guns. Shots fired. Suspect's down. Shots fired. Suspect's down. Uh looks like he has a 417 in his right hand. 47 in his right hand. Suspect's down. Shots fired. Once assisting officers arrived, a strategic plan was developed to safely approach the suspect since it appeared he was still breathing and gripping a handgun in his right hand. Given the ongoing threat posed by the suspect, who did not respond to officer's verbal commands, a 40 millimeter less lethal launcher was deployed. Following the deployment, a police canine was used to facilitate officers in handcuffing and arresting the suspect. Personnel from the Newport Beach Fire Department arrived to provide medical treatment to the suspect. The suspect sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced deceased at the scene at approximately 7:24 a.m. You will now see an image of the suspect's firearm recovered from the scene. It is a Glock Model 17 9mm handgun and is believed to be the weapon used in the initial homicide in Meny. The suspect has been identified as Jose Alfonso Velasquez, a 45-year-old resident of Meny whose criminal history includes arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, driving on a suspended license, and exhibiting a firearm in a threatening manner. The Sana Police Department is committed to transparency and aims to keep the public informed about critical incidents. Over the impending months, three concurrent independent investigations will be undertaken. The Orange County District Attorney's Office, responsible for investigating officer involved shootings, will continue its investigation into any potential criminal conduct by the officers involved. Simultaneously, the Saint Police Department's internal affairs division will conduct an administrative investigation to assess whether the officers adhere to departmental policies and procedures. Additionally, the Newport Beach Crimes Against Persons Homicide Unit will investigate any alleged criminal conduct by the suspect. These investigative units will interview any witnesses and conduct any necessary forensic testing. Upon the completion of the district attorney's investigation, their office will issue a determination as to whether charges should be filed against the involved officers. Thank you for taking the time to view this critical incident community briefing.