Video of the deadly shooting of a kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon suspect in Moreno Valley by Riverside County sheriff’s deputies was released Thursday evening by the department.
Deputies responded about 6:35 p.m. on April 3 to the 16000 block of La Fortuna Lane looking for the suspect, identified as Juan Carlos Estrada, 40, of Corona, and used their patrol vehicle public address system to try to persuade Estrada to exit the home and surrender, according to Sheriff Chad Bianco.
Estrada remained in the home, where a woman called 911 to say Estrada had access to a knife and gave indications he was also armed with a gun, the video showed.
About an hour after deputies arrived, a man exited the house and was being given orders by deputies when Estrada ran from the home with his arms extended toward authorities, holding a dark-colored object, Bianco said.
Deputies fired and struck Estrada several times and, despite life-saving measures, he was pronounced dead at the scene, Bianco said.
The object Estrada was holding turned out to be a water bottle with a dark-colored liquid, Bianco said.
“We take the use-of-force very seriously and attempt to de-escalate the situation whenever possible,” Bianco said. “In a situation such as this, it is sometimes the irrational actions of the suspect that ultimately determines the outcome.”
The sheriff’s department had earlier received information from Corona police that Estrada was believed to be holding a mother and two other females against their will and also was wanted for a holding a gun to a boy’s head in Huntington Beach and threatening to kill him, Bianco said.
Corona police also said Estrada had a felony warrant out for his arrest in Orange County for assaulting a police officer.
The deputies involved in the shooting were placed on administrative leave. It was unclear if they have since returned to duty.
Multiple investigations into the shooting have begun, including probes by the Riverside County District Attorney’s office and the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Force Investigations Detail.