The Lodi Police Department this week released body-worn camera and restaurant surveillance footage from an Aug. 24 officer-involved shooting inside a McDonald's in Lodi that left a 29-year-old man dead.
The incident began about 9:30 a.m. when dispatchers received a report of an armed suspect inside the McDonald's at 200 W. Lodi Ave. The caller said the suspect was in the restaurant's rear storage area.
When officers arrived, they reported hearing gunfire from inside the restaurant and learned an employee had been shot. As officers moved toward the gunfire, they encountered the armed suspect, identified as Jonathan Anguiano, and an officer-involved shooting occurred.
Lodi police identified Sgt. Elias Ambriz, an 18-year veteran of the department,
as the officer involved in the shooting. He was placed on paid administrative leave afterward and has since returned to duty, according to police.
"We recognize that incidents involving the use of force and deadly force are serious and can deeply impact our community," Lodi Police Chief Ricardo Garcia stated.
Garcia added that the video was not intended to reach a conclusion regarding criminal or civil liability or determine whether the officer's actions were consistent with department policy.
Surveillance video from inside McDonald's
Public Information Officer Lt. Matt Latino narrated the events shown in the video.
According to Latino, Anguiano entered the employee break room and instructed workers to contact law enforcement. Police said he provided no further explanation.
The footage begins in the restaurant's rear storage area and contains no audio.
One employee is seen working with boxes when another employee, wearing a hat and face covering, enters the room. The suspect reaches into a backpack hanging on a bar, removes a handgun and racks the slide.
A third employee enters the area and stands near the armed employee.
Moments later, the suspect fires a shot into the ceiling.
The employee later identified by co-workers as a manager backs away after the gunshot.
The three employees then appear to speak with one another. Latino said the conversation lasted about two minutes.
During the interaction, the suspect is seen handling the firearm and, at one point, taking out a cellphone. Police said it was unclear what he was doing with the phone.
911 call
Following the surveillance footage, the department played the 911 call from the day of the shooting.
A woman is heard providing her location and requesting police assistance.
"We have a guy in here, an employee, he has a gun," the caller said. "We are not sure if he wants to harm himself, but he just shot it off."
The caller told dispatchers the gunman was an employee who was working at the time. She said she did not know whether he intended to harm anyone and that everyone remained inside the restaurant.
"We have one of our managers talking to him right now," the caller said. "I think he's trying to commit suicide."
The caller described Anguiano as Hispanic, in his 20s and having long hair.
Body-worn camera footage from a responding officer shows him arriving with a rifle and directing one person to take cover behind a patrol vehicle. He then enters the restaurant with two other officers as employees and customers are told to evacuate.
Officer-involved shooting
As the 911 call plays, the surveillance footage continues to show the manager and gunman speaking.
Anguiano eventually lowers his face covering and racks the gun again. The manager backs away while continuing to speak with him. Anguiano then places the gun back into the backpack and removes his hat.
About eight minutes into the video, a voice is heard saying, "Everybody out." Latino said officers were working to evacuate people from the restaurant at that point.
Just before side-by-side surveillance and body-camera footage appears on screen, Anguiano is seen removing the gun from the backpack once more.
Three officers, including one carrying a ballistic shield, are shown aiming their weapons into the restaurant. At the same time, Anguiano shoots the manager who had been speaking with him.
Officers can be heard shouting, "Where is he at?" and "Hands." As they move toward Anguiano, the wounded employee is heard repeatedly yelling, "Ow."
Anguiano's body and face are blurred as an officer fires at him.
As the injured manager is pulled from the restaurant, Anguiano lies motionless on the floor. An officer can be heard saying, "I need the shield."
An officer repeatedly tells Anguiano, "Show me your hands, boss."
When Anguiano does not respond, one officer reports seeing no movement, while another says the suspect's hands appear to be moving slightly and that he is breathing.
"I can't see the gun," an officer says.
Latino says in a voiceover that officers did not immediately approach Anguiano because they could not determine the firearm's location.
As Anguiano appeared unresponsive, officers coordinated a plan to safely approach and secure him, Latino said.
Body-camera footage shows multiple officers advancing behind shields before one officer removes the firearm from Anguiano's hand.
Record reporter Victoria Franco covers public safety in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at vfranco@gannett.com. Support local journalism by subscribing to The Stockton Record at Subscribe to The Stockton Record.
This article originally appeared on The Record: Lodi police release video of fatal McDonald's shooting
