The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Department has released dashcam footage of the heart-pounding moment a suspect allegedly fired his gun at deputies on October 10.
“He could be trouble for himself,” a concerned citizen tells the dispatcher during the 911 phone call regarding a drunk person in Redwood Valley, California.
“I didn’t see any weapons but I could tell his backpack was full of beer,” he concludes.
Once a deputy locates the man’s vehicle in the 7000 block of Uva Drive, dashcam footage shows the officer as he approaches to speak with the 26-year-old suspect, Joseph Anthony Corral, through the open passenger side window.
Two more deputies arrive at the scene and proceed to question him as to why his car is protruding onto the roadway. Corral then tells the officers that his car died and someone helped him push it off the road.
“How much did you have to drink today?” a deputy asks him. “Okay, just do what the fuck you’ve got to do,” Corral replies in the video.
Moments later, the suspect can be seen making a sudden movement and the officers order him not to reach as they pull out their weapons.
“Shots fired! Shots fired!” one of the deputies says as bullets begin to fly. The minivan’s windows are blown out as Corral crawls through the vehicle into the back seat. He eventually makes his way out of the car with his hands raised.
The officers then order the suspect onto the ground and handcuff him.
Police said Corral fired at least one round of bullets from his Desert Eagle .50 caliber handgun at the deputies. Although no one was reported wounded during the altercation, the suspect was airlifted to a county hospital for non-life threatening injuries.
“The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office takes any use of force very seriously, and every incident is reviewed carefully,” said Mendocino County Sheriff, Tom Allman.
“This was a traumatic experience for everyone involved. Our attempt is to present this material without coming to any conclusion as the investigation is still underway,” he concluded.