STREAM EXCLUSIVE ORIGINALS

Father of Six Shot by California Police After They Use Water Hose to Get Him Out of His Car

Michael Anthony Perez was allegedly holding a lit cigarette near gasoline.

A routine traffic stop for a burned-out tail light resulted in the terrifying shooting and death of a 33-year-old resident of Orange, California. According to police, Michael Anthony Perez barricaded himself in his minivan and set a can of gasoline next to him with a lit cigarette.

When officers from the Orange Police Department used a fire hose to force him out of the vehicle, Perez jumped from the window with a knife in his hand, reported KTLA 5.

Around 11:15 p.m. on Sunday, police signaled for Perez to pull over. After failing to initially pull over, Perez eventually made his way into a parking lot, where he was met by officers.  

A quick run of the license plates informed police of a warrant associated with the vehicle. Soon after, police noticed gasoline on the seat next to him and a lit cigarette in the car. As a precautionary measure, police used a hose to try to evacuate Perez.

“A plan was put in place to utilize a fire hose to prevent the suspect from setting himself on fire and the vehicle on fire,” Sgt. Rob Thorsen said.

  • Video captured the moment Perez fled his vehicle while allegedly holding a knife

  • During the altercation, an officer can be heard yelling, “Knife! Knife! Knife! ... Drop the knife! Drop the knife! Don’t you do it!”

    Then one officer fired a single shot at Perez, hitting him in the torso. After he tried to stand, he was quickly restrained by officers.  

    Perez later died at UCI Medical Center.

  • Perez's stepfather-in-law detailed his troubled history

    “He loved them but he didn’t know how to control his anger,” his stepfather-in-law Mike Medina said of Perez and his children. 

    After Perez's wife filed a restraining order against him in February, he was unable to see four of his six children. The order forbade him from seeing his two sons, ages 13 and 8, and two daughters, ages 9 and 4. This made Perez become extremely volatile, according to Medina.

    “He was pretty disturbed,” Medina told the OC Register. “I tried to help him be a better person.”

    Perez also had an “extensive criminal history, which included weapons violations and narcotics,” Sgt. Jennifer Amat said.

    The Orange County District Attorney’s Office is investigating the shooting.

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