Police body cam captures machete-wielding man beating his chest shortly before he was shot
By Meredith Jorgensen
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LANCASTER, Pennsylvania (WGAL) — Lancaster County District Attorney Heather Adams said the Jan. 24 shooting death Luis Fuentes, 39, by a Lancaster City police officer was justified.
Adams said Fuentes, armed with a machete and carrying a duffle bag, entered the Fulton Bank on South Duke Street around 10:10 a.m. There were four employees and one customer inside. Fuentes took one employee hostage and was inside for about five minutes, according to Adams.
One employee managed to call 911 and left the line open.
“Fuentes could be heard repeatedly threatening to kill multiple people inside the bank,” the DA’s office said in a statement. “Fuentes exited the bank at 10:15 a.m. with a sum of money.”
Fuentes jumped in an SUV and fled north on Duke Street. An officer spotted him as he drove away and a chased ensued. The 12-block chase ended in the 400 block of South Plum Street, where heavy equipment was blocking the street. The area was very close to Fuentes’ home.
Fuentes got out of the vehicle. He waved the 28-inch-long machete at police. At one point, he appeared to beat himself on the chest.
Video shows Fuentes ignoring officers’ commands to “drop the knife,” before he runs away. Adams said the moment Fuentes turned toward some utility workers who were nearby, an officer fired one shot, hitting Fuentes in the back.
“The officer had a reasonable belief that a bystander was in danger of death or serious bodily injury when he observed the suspect running toward the bystander with a raised machete,” Adams said. “The suspect had also just committed an armed robbery, led officers on a 12-block vehicle pursuit and was refusing to drop the machete while trying to escape and avoid arrest. For all of these reasons, the officer’s use of force was justified.”
Adams shared body cam video with the media.
In addition to the machete, police said they also found a knife in Fuentes’ waistband, a hatchet in his jacket pocket, as well as a metal baton and hammer inside the duffle bag.
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