Witnesses speak out on video of Fontana police officer beating armed suspect after shooting

FONTANA, Calif. (KABC) — Witnesses report an incident in which a man armed with a metal pipe was shot and then beaten by police officers in Fontana while he was left writhing on the ground.

The video, which shows an officer striking the suspect who was already on the ground after being shot, raises questions about the incident and the officers' actions. However, Fontana police say the video does not tell the whole picture.

The altercation began around 2:17 p.m. near Cherry Avenue and Baseline Road. Police said officers were dispatched to the area after receiving reports of a man armed with a metal pipe.

“We received a call from a violent offender who was threatening people with a metal pipe,” said Steve Reed of Fontana police. “He had also broken into a local business and damaged cash registers and computers.”

When officers arrived, police said he smashed the patrol car with a pipe and attacked an officer.

“The officer attempted to de-escalate the situation and gave several verbal commands, but the suspect refused to obey,” Fontana police said in a news release. “During the encounter, the suspect charged the officer with the pipe, which caused the officer to respond with deadly force.”

A still image released from the officer's body-worn camera shows the man raising the pipe to strike before the officer fires his weapon.

After the shooting, the suspect was lying on the ground but did not comply with officers' orders, allowing them to arrest him and provide him with medical attention.

The video shows the officer hitting the suspect several times while he appears to be writhing on the ground.

“After officers attempted to arrest the offender,” Reed said, “he continued to resist arrest. They had to do whatever was necessary to apprehend him and then get him medical attention.”

He was eventually arrested and taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Police said the officer suffered minor injuries and was treated at a nearby hospital.

The man was later identified as Jesus Adrian Garcia, 44, of Fontana.

Witnesses to the incident described what they saw to Eyewitness News:

“I only heard four or five shots,” said a man who recorded the encounter on video. “I immediately got out of my car. I saw the man lying on the ground and another police officer came through.”

This witness, who did not want to be named, questioned the necessity of the officers beating the suspect.

“He had already been shot. He had no gun or other weapon on him, so there was no need to hit him.”

Another witness gave her side of the story: “The guy couldn't cooperate with (the officer), so he jumped on him, put gloves on and hit him a couple of times until he was unconscious,” said Amanda, a Fontana resident.

Fontana police asked the public not to judge officers' actions based on the brief video clip showing the beating.

“The Fontana Police Department is aware of a video circulating on social media that shows a portion of the incident. It is important to note that this video only shows a small portion of the event and not the entire event,” the agency said in a statement. “The Fontana Police Department is conducting an internal administrative investigation into the entire incident.”

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department is also investigating the deadly force incident.