Fontana police say video of officer punching suspect on ground doesn't tell whole story

FONTANA, Calif. (KABC) -- Witnesses are speaking out about an incident in which a man armed with a metal pipe was shot by Fontana officers - and was then punched as he writhed on the ground afterward.

The video of an officer punching the suspect on the ground after he had already been shot has raised questions about the incident and officers' actions, but Fontana police say it doesn't convey the whole picture.

The encounter started around 2:17 p.m. near Cherry Avenue and Baseline Road. Police said officers responded to the area after receiving reports about a man armed with a metal pipe.

"We got a call of a violent subject threatening people with a metal pipe," said Officer Steve Reed with Fontana police. "He had also gone into a local business and damaged their registers or computers."

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

"The officer attempted to de-escalate the situation and gave multiple verbal commands, but the suspect refused to comply," Fontana police said in a press release. "During the encounter, the suspect attacked the officer with the pipe, resulting in a lethal force response from the officer."

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

After the shooting, the suspect was down on the ground but not complying with officers' commands so that they could take him into custody and then provide medical assistance.

The video shows the officer punching the suspect several times while he appeared to be writhing on the ground at that point.

"After the shooting officers attempted to take the subject into custody," Reed said. "He continued to resist. They had to do what was necessary to take him into custody and then give him medical aid."

He was eventually taken into custody and then brought 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 just heard four to five shots," said one man who recorded video of the encounter. "I got out of my car right away. I saw the guy on the floor and another police officer came through."

That witness, who asked not to be identified by name, questioned the need for the officers to punch the suspect.

"He was shot already. He didn't have no gun or weapon with him so it was not necessary to punch him."

Another witness offered her take: "The guy couldn't cooperate with (the officer) so he jumped on him, put gloves on and just socked the guy out a few times until he knocked out," said Amanda, a Fontana resident.

Fontana police asked the public not to judge the officers' actions by the short video segment depicting the punches.

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

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department is also investigating the lethal force encounter.