The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has released body camera and surveillance footage from an incident on June 20 in a Lancaster parking lot, where a deputy was stabbed and a suspect was fatally shot.
The footage shows a 911 caller reporting an armed man wielding multiple knives in public. The caller expressed concern after seeing the suspect, identified as 23-year-old Robert Castro, look toward a woman walking to a nearby bus stop.
Surveillance video shows deputies arriving with emergency lights activated as Castro walked across the parking lot while still armed. Castro suddenly changed direction before the first deputy's patrol vehicle had come to a stop and rushed toward the deputy, pulling a knife and stabbing him.
The wounded deputy then drew his service weapon and opened fire. The deputy activated his body camera after firing his weapon, but the camera's pre-event recording feature captured the 60 seconds leading up to the stabbing without audio.
A second deputy's body camera captured him arriving as the first deputy fired his weapon. The video shows Castro on the ground as the deputy checked on his wounded colleague. When Castro moved one of his hands, the deputy repeatedly yelled, "Stop reaching," before opening fire again.
Deputies rendered medical aid to Castro until Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel arrived. Castro was transported to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Authorities said Castro was armed with three knives, including the one investigators say he used to stab the deputy. The wounded deputy was hospitalized for treatment, and no other deputies or civilians were injured.
The California Department of Justice is investigating the shooting, as required under state law for officer-involved fatalities. The sheriff's department released the video before the investigation was complete "in the interest of transparency with the community we serve."
