ELK GROVE, Calif. — Elk Grove Police Department officials released edited body camera videos of the incident involving three officers shooting at the suspect of a Rancho Cordova homicide from Feb. 1.
The edited video released by the department begins as officers are chasing a car down Bruceville Road and Big Horn Boulevard in Elk Grove and shows the suspects car weaving through traffic before rear ending another car at a red light.
Devian Lewis' car door opened and it appeared he was about to step out of it before laying down across the driver and passenger seats as police — all wearing body cameras that were recording — shot into his car. He puts his hands up and out of the passenger side window before that video ends.
Three officers shot into the car, hitting Lewis twice. He survived and was later taken to the hospital. It is still unclear exactly how many bullets were fired by officers.
None of the videos released had a clear image of Lewis in the car before officers began firing into it.
Officials say a gun was found in Lewis' front passenger seat and was later determined to be fake.
Officials say the incident began hours after they received a report of a man stabbing a woman and running her over with a vehicle just after 1 p.m. Feb. 1.
The woman, Saraiah Acosta, died at the scene from multiple stab wounds.
Lewis' car was spotted in Elk Grove nearly 4 hours after the initial report of a homicide, leading officials to try and stop the car and initiate a chase.
legal analyst and attorney Stewart Katz has more than 20 years of experience in police misconduct cases and reviewed the released edited videos.
“If they let him get out of the car I think there is a high probability is going to confront some other uninvolved citizen," said Katz. "Who knows what that is going to turn into…whether it’s a carjacking, a hostage, or a combination.”
He says it's easy to say the officers actions are justified and mentions the Supreme Court's ruling on OK'ing law enforcements actions with suspects on the freeway.
"If you’re pursuing someone who is armed and committed a crime and there has been talks about how dangerous behavior is on the freeway," said Katz. "High speed chases are extraordinarily dangerous to everyone involved, and the court has indicated that is very significant factor in the use of force.”
Lewis was treated at the hospital, released and has been booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail with multiple charges.
