Fullerton PD release video from violent pursuit crash and fatal police shooting
The Fullerton Police Department released a new video of a violent pursuit crash that ended in a fatal police shooting in February.
The intense series of events started near Harbor Boulevard and Chapman Avenue at about 1:10 a.m. when officers located a vehicle connected to an armed robbery in San Bernardino.
The department said that when officers tried to pull over the suspect, Austin Heiselman, he began to drive off leading them on a pursuit through Fullerton and La Habra. Heiselman waved a handgun out of his window, according to police.
While speeding away from police, Heiselman drove through a red light at the intersection of Beach and Imperial Boulevards, colliding with an innocent driver. The suspect's car flipped and immediately caught on fire.
Heiselman tried to run away from the officers and a K9 unit. When officers caught up with him, Heiselman appeared to point a handgun at police, prompting them to open fire. Heiselman was unarmed at the time of the shooting. However, officers found a pair of replica firearms in his car.
Just minutes before the shooting police said that Heiselman's father called 911, claiming his son wanted to die by "suicide by cop."
The innocent driver was hospitalized but was expected to survive. Since Heiselman was unarmed at the time, the shooting prompted an investigation by the California Department of Justice.
The full video released by Fullerton police can be viewed here.