Man fatally shot by Anaheim police after vehicle pursuit and long standoff
A man wanted for armed robberies was fatally shot by Anaheim police after a perilous vehicle pursuit and a four-hour long standoff.
Anaheim officers located the suspect, 34-year-old Brandon Lopez, driving a stolen vehicle in the City of Santa Ana at about 5 p.m. on Tuesday, September 28th. They attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle, but Lopez continued driving, refusing to comply.
Santa Ana police joined the pursuit, which was also being monitored by an Anaheim police helicopter. “Due to the suspect’s dangerous driving, the vehicle pursuit was terminated as the police helicopter continued to monitor the suspect’s driving activity,” according to the release.
The pursuit ended when the vehicle became disabled in a construction area on Santa Ana Boulevard, east of Bristol Street. Santa Ana police spent the next three hours attempting to convince Lopez to surrender peacefully. The suspect, however, refused to surrender and stayed barricaded inside the vehicle.
Anaheim SWAT team members and Tactical Negotiators came to relieve Santa Ana police and spent another hour attempting to persuade Lopez to come out of the car. Lopez, however, could not be convinced.
At about 10 p.m., police deployed chemical agents to draw Lopez out of the vehicle. A video of the incident shows flash grenades striking and exploding on the vehicle. Lopez got out of the backseat of the vehicle, and at least one Anaheim officer opened fire. The sound of several gunshots can be heard on the video.
Lopez was declared deceased at the scene. No officers were injured as a result of the shooting.
It is not yet clear why officers opened fire. Santa Ana City Councilman Johnathan Ryan Hernandez, Lopez’s cousin, was present at the standoff along with other family members. He informed police that Lopez was having a mental health crisis and needed to be de-escalated. Following the incident, Hernandez accused Anaheim police of murder.
An investigation into officer-involved shooting is being initiated by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
