A routine DUI investigation turned deadly in California when a man “wielding a steel bar” charged the police shouting “Hey you f*ckin’ pigs…I hate you.”
Warning: Graphic
Investigations are underway after three officers were involved in a March 12 shooting incident that resulted in the death of 60-year-old Adam Barcenas of Oxnard, California, west of Los Angeles. Details were released to the public Friday in conjunction with the release of each officers bodycam footage showing the moment that the uninvolved man entered the scene in a “threatening manner.”
As detailed by the Oxnard Police Department (OPD), Officers Shayn Schwartz, Alexus Santos and Bryce Parker had been completing a DUI investigation just before 6 a.m. Sunday when a man later identified as Barcenas rushed toward the area shouting “Hey you f*ckin’ pigs. I hate pig. C’mon, I hate pig. I hate you.”
At that time, the citizen who had been pulled over was instructed to clear away from danger as officers shouted for the suspect what he was carrying. According to the press release, “Barcenas was not involved with the DUI investigation. Barcenas was yelling at the officers, repeatedly stating that he hated them. Barcenas was wielding a steel bar, approximately five feet in length, with both hands. Barcenas continued to yell at the officers as he advanced towards them.”
“Officers Santos and Parker drew their tasers, and Officer Schwartz drew his service firearm. The member of the public was directed to move away from the danger, and the officers commanded Barcenas to put the bar down. Barcenas ignored the officers’ commands and continued to advance towards the officers in an aggressive and threatening manner,” it continued.
It was then that Schwartz fired upon the bar-wielding man three times while Santos unsuccessfully deployed her taser as the probes failed to get past Barcenas’ clothing to reach his skin. Parker did not fire his taser.
Emergency medical aid was reportedly rendered on the wounded man until an ambulance arrived at which point EMS took over and transported the gunshot victim to Ventura County Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead around 8:30 a.m.
Addressing the incident, OPD Chief Jason Benites explained, “Whenever there is an officer-involved shooting, or the officers are otherwise involved in a fatal incident, three separate investigations are set into motion,” that included the OPD Major Crimes Investigations Unit, Professional Standards Division and Ventura County District Attorney’s Office which examine the entire incident, whether the actions were “lawful and within policy” and if lethal force was “legally justified” respectively.
During the investigation process, the officers have been placed on paid administrative leave as is the standard. Each member was assigned to the OPD patrol division and had been a law enforcement official since at least April 2020 with the most veteran among them having first served with the Burbank Police Department starting in April 2018.
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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