Police have released the bodycam footage of a woman an officer shot after she attempted to attack him with a 10-pound wrench.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) released the footage on March 10 following an investigation of the November shooting of 25-year-old Bridget Blaney.
“As a deputy was responding to the location, Blaney was walking near the northwest corner of North Vincent Avenue and Cypress Street holding a large metal wrench and shattered the passenger window of a vehicle traveling south on North Vincent Avenue,” the LASD report stated.
The officer exited his vehicle to detain Blaney, who then smashed the rear window with the wrench.
“Blaney charged toward the deputy while attempting to strike him with the wrench and a deputy-involved shooting occurred. Blaney sustained gunshot wounds to her torso. Deputies rendered first aid until the arrival of the Los Angeles County Fire Department paramedics,” the report added.
The woman was taken to a local hospital for treatment of her injuries until she was medically cleared for booking related to her alleged crimes. Blaney was charged with assault with a deadly weapon, assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer and felony vandalism, according to the report.
The incident occurred at North Vincent Avenue and East Edna Place after a call of vandalism in progress to the LASD. The caller reported white female damaging vehicles in the area. Officers were dispatched to the scene.
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The shooting remains under investigation by the Sheriff’s Office and by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
The use of force by police officers remains a controversial practice across the nation. The video’s graphic content shows the full nature of the incident which shows the officer who believed to be under threat of life discharging his firearm in an attempt to disarm the threat while offering first aid.
In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 230 into law in 2019, which requires each law enforcement agency to maintain a policy with guidelines concerning use of force. The Los Angeles Police Department’s policies focus on de-escalation techniques to emphasize the protection of human life.
“Officers shall attempt to control an incident by using time, distance, communication, and available resources in an effort to de-escalate the situation, whenever it is safe, feasible and reasonable to do so,” the policy states. “As stated below, when warranted, Department personnel may use objectively reasonable force to carry out their duties.”
