According to the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office, a man wielding a machete took hostages at a Pennsylvania bank where he threatened to kill people.
However, when police caught up with him, the suspect refused an order to drop his weapon and was directed at a group of utility workers nearby, officials said.
Fuentes left the vehicle and seemed to beat himself with his chest, swinging a 28-inch machete at police, the station said.
Lancaster County District Attorney Heather Adams He told Wgal-TV This week, the fatal shooting of 39-year-old Lancaster police officer Louis Fuentes was justified on January 24th.
You can watch the district attorney's video here. This includes several police body cam clips as well as other images and videos showing the suspect.
Adams said Fuentes (armed with a machete and carrying a duffel bag) entered Fulton Bank on South Duke Street around 10:10am, with four employees and one customer inside. He said.
Fuentes took one employee hostage and was within about five minutes, Adams told Wgal, adding that the employee called 911 and kept the line open.
“We could hear Fuentes repeatedly threatening to kill multiple people in the bank,” the DA's office said in a statement. “Fuentes left the bank at 10:15am for the amount.”
Fuentes then jumped into the SUV and fled north on Duke Street before finding him when officers drove him and chased him, Wgal said.
The 12-block chase ended in the 400 block of South Plum Street, after which Fuentes left the vehicle and appeared to beat herself with her chest, shaking a 28-inch machete at police. .
Image source: Lancaster County (Pennsylvania) District Attorney's Office
The video shows Fuentes ignore the officer's order “drop the knife” order, Wgal said Adams said the moment Fuentes heads to a nearby utility worker, the officers get a shot He fired and said he hit Fuentes in the rear.
Fuentes was taken to hospital for treatment but later died, the station said.
“The officer had a reasonable belief that the bystander was at risk of death or serious injury when he observed the suspect running towards the bystander with a raised machete.” Adams told WGal. “The suspect also had just committed an armed robbery and had led officers in a 12-block vehicle pursuit and refused to drop the machete while trying to escape. For all of these reasons, the police force was in force. Exercise was justified.
In addition to the machete, police told the station that they hatched Fuentes' waistband and knife in the jacket pocket, and found a metal baton and hammer in their duffel bag.
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