VIDEO: Man bangs on motel doors, holds guest at knifepoint before deadly Arlington police shooting
Video released of Arlington officer-involved shooting
Police released video of a man banging on doors at an Arlington motel and holding a guest at knifepoint before officers used deadly force.
ARLINGTON, Texas - Police released video of a man banging on doors at an Arlington motel and holding a guest at knifepoint before officers used deadly force.
What We Know
Police fatally shoot man inside Arlington motel | FULL NEWS CONFERENCE
Arlington Police Chief Al Jones gives an update on the deadly officer-involved shooting at a motel near AT&T Stadium on Nov. 27. Police released video from the motel's security cameras and officers' body cameras showing the suspect banging on doors and holding a guest at knifepoint.
It happened in the early morning hours of Nov. 27 at the Motel 6 off North Collins Street near AT&T Stadium.
Chief Al Jones said officers had already responded to a nearby shopping center where callers reported seeing a man kicking trash cans and throwing items.
The officers didn’t find anyone until they got a second call about the same man banging on the nearby motel’s doors.
Arlington police fatally shoot man holding motel guest at knifepoint
Police were called to the area about a man with a knife banging on motel doors and acting erratically. When police arrived and heard cries for help, they found a man holding a bleeding motel guest at knifepoint.
The video clips released on Monday are from motel security cameras as well as police body cameras.
They show 34-year-old Edgar Garcia hiding behind vehicles in the motel parking lot as officers drive by to investigate the first call.
Garcia then walks to one of the motel’s side doors and tries to break the glass with a brick-like object. When that doesn’t work, he moves to another door and continues kicking a banging until a guest lets him in.
"We have spoken to this guest. He did not know Mr. Garcia. He told officers he was heading that way to go out to his car in the parking lot. He heard the banging, saw the man, and opened the door," Chief Jones said.
Once inside the motel, Garcia made his way up to the third floor, kicking doors along the way.
All the banging and kicking woke up a guest, who opened his door to see what was going on.
Chief Jones said that’s when Garcia forced his way inside the room and displayed a knife. The video shows the two men struggling.
Officers arrived at the hotel as this was occurring. They made their way up to the third floor and heard the victim yelling for help.
The video shows them trying to kick open the victim’s door.
"Once the motel guest opened the door and the officers could see Mr. Garcia holding the knife, they gave multiple commands to drop it, and he didn’t comply," Jones said.
In the video, Garcia can also be heard telling officers, "I have a hostage." He tells officers he wants them to shoot.
Both officers fired their service weapons multiple times, striking Garcia. He died at the hospital.
The two officers were placed on routine administrative leave after the shooting. Both have since returned to normal duty.
The motel guest had several cuts on his arms because of the struggle. He was treated at the hospital and released.
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What We Don't Know
Garcia's motives are still unclear.
Police said he didn't know the victim.
"The attack by Mr. Garcia appears to be random. We don’t know why or what his intent was when he entered the room. We have not ruled out the possibility that he was under some type of influence of drugs at the time," Chief Jones said.
Police hope a toxicology report will lead to more answers.
The criminal investigation is ongoing.