Hello, I'm Chief Dave Miner. What you are about to view is a critical incident community briefing. This presentation is intended to provide you with information regarding an officer involved shooting that occurred in the city of Newport Beach on April 17th, 2025 and is intended to help you better understand the circumstances surrounding the incident. In the wake of a critical incident, our goal is to share as much information as possible with the public as early as we can while still respecting the integrity of the ongoing investigation. Officer involved shootings are subject to intense scrutiny and we understand that there is significant public concern related to these incidents. As part of our commitment to transparency, we will be sharing relevant video recordings related to this incident. This briefing is based on information currently available to us. It includes details from a variety of sources such as dispatch and video recordings. Please keep in mind that this investigation is still in the early stages and may take up to a year to complete as more evidence is gathered, reviewed, and analyzed. Our understanding of the incident may evolve. Hi, I'm Sergeant Steve Oberon, press information officer for the Newport Beach Police Department. I will now provide you with a brief overview of the officer involved shooting that took place on Thursday, April 17th, 2025. At approximately 9:15 p.m., a Newport Beach police officer dressed in full uniform and operating a marked police vehicle was traveling eastbound on West Coast Highway. The officer stopped at a red light in the number one lane at the intersection of Superior Avenue and West Coast Highway when he noticed a motorcycle was also stopped at the red light in the number three lane. The motorcycle then continued through the intersection, disregarding the red light. The officer initiated a traffic stop and the motorcycle pulled over on West Coast Highway east of Superior Avenue. The motorcycle rider pictured here was later identified as Jeffrey Cheyam Sterling. After the stop, the officer exited his vehicle and approached Mr. Sterling on foot. As he neared, Mr. Sterling got off his motorcycle. The officer issued multiple commands, instructing Mr. Sterling to sit down, but he failed to comply. The officer then radioed for backup, and at that moment, Mr. Mr. Sterling advanced toward the officer and a physical altercation occurred. During the altercation, Mr. Sterling struck the officer several times in the head and then removed the officer's taser from his duty belt. At one point, Mr. Sterling placed the taser against the back of the officer's head. The officer was able to break free and as Mr. Sterling pointed the taser at him, an officer involved shooting occurred. You're about to see relevant bodywn camera footage of the interaction between the Newport Beach Police Department officer and Mr. Sterling. Bodywn cameras are worn at chest level by officers in the patrol division and provide a general perspective from that viewpoint. Due to the camera's positioning, viewers may not see everything the officer sees and experiences. Factors such as lighting, movement, and distance can impact clarity and quality of the footage. In addition, each patrol vehicle is equipped with a secondary camera mounted on the front windshield, which is synced with the officer's bodywn camera. The following is dash camera and bodywn camera footage that is directly related to the incident previously described. Some of the content you're about to see may be disturbing and is not suitable for children and sensitive viewers. When an officer uses force, whether during an arrest or in defense against an attack, the footage can be graphic, including strong language, and be emotionally difficult to watch. [Music] The plate is 26 box trot 7064. You okay? drinking off police over. I'm just trying to stay safe. People have been almost hitting me all day. Sir, what's that? People have been almost hitting me all day and I'm trying You want to come over here and just take a seat right here? No, I don't want to take Okay, just I'm telling you, take a seat right here. Come here. I don't care if you're telling me what you're telling me to do. I'll take a kill one. Sit down, dude. Stop. Stop. Come here. Get off the bike. Sit down. Sit down, dude. Come here. I don't want to sit down or come here. No. T6, he's uncooperative. Come here, dude. Sit down. Don't get back on your bike. Don't get back on your bike. Sit down. Sorry, guys. Dude, you ran a red light. Just sit down and we'll figure it out. Okay, what's your name? What's your name? Here. I'll show you my ID. I'm here. Don't shoot me. I'm not going to shoot you. Don't reach for [ __ ] [ __ ] How about that? Sit down, dude. We'll figure it out. I don't want to sit down. Okay. Well, you're going to sit down. No, I don't want to sit down. You're being detained right now. You're not free to leave. You're not free to get back on bike. You're going to sit down for me. I have a I have an ID. Can I get my ID? No, just sit down over here. I don't want to sit down over there. I don't have an ID and I want Sit down, dude. No. You ran the red light. You're pissing yourself. No, I don't want to sit down over there. Just having to step it up. [ __ ] that [ __ ] Can you hear me? Stop it. seconds after the officer involved shooting, additional officers arrived on scene and formulated a plan to take Mr. Sterling into custody and begin administering medical aid. A few minutes after the shooting, the Newport Beach Fire Department arrived on scene and took over medical treatment. Mr. Sterling was transported to a nearby hospital where he passed away. The officer was later treated and released from a local hospital for injuries sustained during the incident. It is important to note that there was a civilian police employee on a ride along at the time of this incident who remained in the vehicle and uninvolved. As with all officer involved shootings, an independent agency, in this case the California Department of Justice, will conduct their own independent investigation of the officer involved shooting. Thank you for taking the time to view this critical incident community briefing.