Dash cam footage shows encounter with man believed to have a gun (VIDEO)

A video released by the Grand Prairie Police Department in Texas shows the dramatic 33-second encounter between officers and a man who they believed to be armed with a gun.

The incident occurred on January 20, but the police department shared the video to their Twitter page Monday to show the split-second decisions that must sometimes be made by law enforcement officers.

The man could be seen standing beside the open door of a pickup truck as officers approached. Officer Jeff Payne gave insight into what was unfolding as the video was recording.

“[The suspect] got out, put his hands out like he had a gun and started yelling, ‘I’m gonna shoot you, I’m gonna shoot you,’” Payne recalled, adding, “My first thought was, ‘Crap, I’m about to get shot.’”

Payne said the seconds in the video felt “like forever,” but in that half a minute, he was able to quickly assess the situation and see the man was not armed with a gun like he claimed and his stance suggested. Instead, the man held a pocket knife and a flashlight.

No shots were fired during the encounter, but the man was taken down with the help of a Jurek, Payne’s four-legged partner.

[ The Washington Post ]

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