Orange County sheriff’s officials Monday released video of a conflict between a deputy and a man involved in a domestic dispute with his family that led to the suspect getting shot near a shopping center in Laguna Hills.
Sebastian Meier, 35, was shot by a deputy near a Tesla charging station near Ridge Route Drive and Moulton Park, sheriff’s deputies said.
Meier’s mother called 911 about 8 a.m. May 10 to report that her son “was attacking our house,” according to a video deputies created to explain what happened. Another caller said they saw the suspect walking in the area with two knives.
“He smashed the window,” his mother told a dispatcher. “He has two knives in his hand.”
She also reported that he vandalized her new car and “He’s coming back and he’s in a rage.”
When a dispatcher asked if Meier lived with his parents, his mother said, “He used to. We kicked him out.”
Meier “threw his BB gun” through a window of the house about 5:45 a.m. that same day, she said.
“He’s out of control,” his mother said.
Meier’s father followed his son to try to talk to him, she said.
Deputies reported Meier “jumped a fence” near a Tesla charging station.
A deputy tracked him through a woodsy area and when he got to a blue tent he called out Meier’s first name, according to body-worn video.
Meier responded, “What?”
The deputy told him to “sit down,” but Meier responded, “I don’t give a (expletive).”
As the deputy backed up, Meier approached him with knives in hand, according to the video released by deputies.
“Drop the knife, drop the knife,” the deputy said as he was continuing to back up, according to the video.
“I don’t care. You’re finished,” Meier said, according to the video.
The deputy told dispatchers he had Meier at gunpoint as he continued backing away.
“Leave me the (expletive) alone,” Meier said, prompting the deputy to shout “drop the knife” as he opened fire, according to the video.
Sgt. Gerard McCann, a spokesman for the sheriff’s department, said in the video that Meier was expected to survive.