UPDATE ON OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTING – 4808 SUNRISE DR, MARTINEZ
The Martinez Police Department is releasing audio and video, including body-worn camera footage, from the officer-involved shooting that occurred on August 18, 2023, at 4808 Sunrise Drive in Martinez.
The material being released may be disturbing and graphic. Viewer discretion is advised. The audio and video contain redactions pursuant to the law. The full length of the body-worn camera footage is not being released currently due to the active criminal and administrative investigations regarding the incident.
At about 3:27 am, the Martinez Police Department received a report of a video alarm at Velvet, a cannabis dispensary, located at 4808 Sunrise Drive. The caller was monitoring a live video feed from the business and said several individuals were attempting to break-in.
Telephone Calls to Dispatch & Police Radio Traffic:
Alarm company call to Martinez PD Dispatch
Velvet employee call to Martinez PD Dispatch
Radio Traffic
Velvet Security Camera Footage:
Velvet Exterior Entrance Camera
Velvet Parking Lot 1
Velvet Parking Lot 2
Velvet Exterior Sales Floor Exit
Body Worn Camera:
Officer Bennett BWC
Officer Mendez BWC
Officer Kahue BWC
The first 30 seconds of each body worn camera video is a pre-event buffer and does not have audio. The pre-event buffer captures 30 seconds of video (without audio) before the camera is activated. Officer Tirona’s BWC was not activated until approximately 5 minutes after the shooting and is not included in this release.
The blue Infiniti involved in this incident had been reported stolen from the City of Livermore on August 12, 2023. A loaded Glock 10mm handgun was located in the front passenger’s area of the vehicle. That gun was purchased in the State of Arizona on January 20, 2023, and is linked to a shooting that occurred on April 27, 2023, in Oakland, Ca.
The white Toyota C-HR was also a reported stolen vehicle and recovered in Oakland after fleeing from Velvet. The vehicle was originally taken after a victim was reportedly robbed at knife point and the keys to the car taken. A third vehicle involved, that had also been reported stolen, was abandoned on Sunrise Drive.
The Department of Justice, pursuant to Assembly Bill 1506, is conducting an independent investigation into the use of force by each officer in this incident. At the conclusion of their investigation, DOJ will provide a public report containing their determinations regarding the lawfulness of the use of force as well as their findings and recommendations regarding the policies and practices of the Martinez Police Department.
The Martinez Police Department initiated a separate administrative investigation into this incident. The purpose of this investigation is to determine whether the officers’ actions complied with department policies and procedures. An outside firm is conducting this investigation.
Pursuant to the Department of Justice protocols, the local agency is responsible for the investigation of collateral crimes, including those that may have been committed by persons that resulted in the call for service of the attempted burglary at Velvet. The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office, Bureau of Investigations, has supported the Martinez Police Department in this investigation. When this investigation is complete, it will be referred to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office for charging consideration.
These investigations will take time, but it is critical they are able to accomplish their respective tasks carefully, comprehensively, and independently, based on facts and the evidence.
Here is a link to a video statement from Mayor Brianne Zorn regarding the release of body-worn camera footage.
We have no further information to release at this time.
Here are links to prior Press Release and Statements:
Post-Incident Press Release and Statements
Update to Incident on August 25
ANDREW WHITE
Chief of Police
I was (and am) curious about the origin of the statement that the victim was unarmed. It wasn’t the police. Who started that reporting?
We’ll say that most thinking people are aware of attempts to “spin” stories in this age of nearly real-time news delivery.
This was, of course, done in the age of the 12-hour news cycle but is perhaps more aggressive today with folks on both side of an issue trying to cant the facts their way in the immediate aftermath of an incident.
We’ll also say that we noted the statement you mention and said amongst ourselves: “Is that true?” as we a.) tend to question just about everything and b.) did not get a look inside the car(s) used that night despite being on the scene in minutes.
The information you mention is, of course, pertinent and should be noted as it becomes a major component of the way things played out that night. Without a firsthand inspection of the car and recovery of that evidence there was no way anyone was in a position to say – but that is not much of a barrier in this day and age as people adopt untenable positions and stick with them – as we have seen.
NEWS24/680
I have NO issue with your reporting, and frankly don’t know or care if you repeated the “unarmed” claim. Keep up the good work, it’s very much appreciated.
Thanks. For the record, we did not, as we weren’t able to confirm that with a search of the car. We keep asking them to let us do that but they tend to object.
Thanks for reading.
NEWS24/680
They showed up without a plan! It took them eight minutes to try to position a car to ram the building, to maneuver it around the poles dividing the parking lot from the dispensary. It looks like they had never “cased” the business and just didn’t have a clue??? Hard for me to grasp the bravery exhibited by the cops, confronting the wanna be thieves, standing exposed in the parking lot.
We’ll also point out that other recent burglaries of area dispensaries (reported here) also involved multiple cars, multiple suspects, and firearms.
We were not surprised by the vigorous nature of the police response to the report of a burglary out there that night.
NEWS24/680
Agreed. I’m thinking they turned up and ran into something they weren’t expecting (new posts?) – and giving the cops time to respond in force. Hate to see ANYONE hurt or killed but this has been going on for some time. It will be interesting to see if it stops similar burglaries.
A big thank you to the officers. I have chronic health issues and appreciate having Velvet in the community. They provide a needed service.