Police release footage of Wal-Mart officer assault — VIDEO
Video footage of the large Wal-Mart brawl that left one suspect dead and an officer injured was released by police.
Officers from the Cottonwood Police Department responded to a call shortly before midnight on Saturday, March 21, where a female Wal-Mart employee had been assaulted inside the store by multiple suspects, authorities said.
When they arrived, “the suspects were in the parking lot and immediately attacked the responding officers,” the Arizona Department of Public Safety said in a statement.
The newly released video shows the fight unravel.
“We need to separate these folks and talk to them,” one officer said, walking up to the group that has gathered, including suspects and fellow officers.
One of the suspects can be heard saying “no, you’re not gonna separate me from my family.”
As the officer tries to approach them, one of the suspects forces himself in between and a fight erupts immediately. Several different face-offs begin, pitting the officers and suspects against each other in a large-scale fist fight.
The fight goes on for minutes before the officers use stun guns and batons to take control of the situation.
Officers are heard repeatedly yelling for the suspects to “get down.” As the the fight settles, the video ends with an officer walking away from the scene with the help of men on both sides.
Eight officers and another Wal-Mart employee were assaulted in the parking lot during the fight, the statement said, and seven of those officers sustained minor injuries.
Information for this report was provided by Reuters.
Contact Ron Paul Gavino at rgavino@reviewjournal.com. Find him on Twitter: @rp_gavino.