By Daniel Hunt

Source The Sacramento Bee

SACRAMENTO, CA—Newly released body-camera videos show a man armed with a handgun breaking free from sheriff’s deputies during a Sacramento County traffic stop and reaching for the weapon as he ran before two deputies opened fire.

The Sheriff’s Office released the footage Friday afternoon, providing the first detailed look at the Feb. 16 shooting of 45-year-old Tywain Lamale Smith on Tiogawoods Drive near Elk Grove Florin Road in the Vineyard neighborhood.

The videos show what initially appeared to be a routine vehicle stop before a deputy on the passenger side of Smith’s car spotted a gun on his right hip. The stop stemmed from a shooting reported the previous day, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

“It’s on his right hip. It’s on his right hip,” the deputy could be heard telling another deputy.

Smith, who said the Mitsubishi Mirage hatchback he was driving belonged to his girlfriend, repeatedly denied having a gun as deputies ordered him out of the car.

“There’s nothing on my hip, sir,” Smith said.

Deputies pulled Smith from the vehicle and tried to place him in handcuffs. Smith struggled with the deputies, broke free and ran into the street, the videos provided by the Sheriff’s Office show.

Smith made it only a few steps before reaching with his right hand toward his right hip and the gun. His back was toward the deputies when they opened fire.

The Sheriff’s Office said in its video briefing that Smith “pulled his handgun out with his right hand, which resulted in the officer-involved shooting.”

One deputy fired two rounds and another fired three, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Smith did not fire his gun.

Smith was struck several times and fell in the street, dropping the handgun nearby. Deputies rendered medical aid until Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District personnel arrived and took Smith to a hospital. He survived his gunshot wounds.

Authorities said the handgun recovered at the scene was loaded and functional.

The traffic stop and violent encounter came a day after a person reported that a man had fired at him and his vehicle. The motorist was not injured, but the vehicle was struck by gunfire.

Investigators identified the license plate of the vehicle suspected in that shooting and associated it with Smith, who authorities said matched the description provided by the victim. Less than 24 hours later, deputies spotted the vehicle traveling south on Elk Grove Florin Road and pulled it over on Tiogawoods.

Smith was later booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Smith was not in custody in connection with the case as of Saturday. His next hearing in Sacramento Superior Court was scheduled for Aug. 21.

The sheriff’s Homicide Bureau and Professional Standards Division continue to investigate the shooting, and it’s not clear when a final determination on the incident will be made available on the Sheriff’s Office’s transparency webpage. The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office was also conducting an independent review, which was expected to be provided on its use-of-force webpage in the coming months.

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