The late Albert Arzola, 19
We actually saw the cruisers racing to the scene last night, Saturday night around 9:40, from State College and Lincoln heading west, and hoped something too bad hadn’t happened. This morning we read that a 19-year old had been killed – “an officer-involved shooting occurred.” The news stories were VAGUER THAN USUAL. Like, the police couldn’t come up with a justification, still needed some time to work some story out.
The Register (which even got the date wrong, saying the killing happened on Friday, STILL haven’t fixed it as of Monday) wrote:
“Two officers were on patrol around 9:30 p.m. in the 800 block of South Philadelphia Street when they stopped to talk with some people in front of a home, Sgt. Matt Sutter said.
“A confrontation followed and one of the officers fired, hitting a man, Sutter said. The man, believed to be 19 years old, died at the scene, and a firearm was found nearby.”
A “confrontation followed?” No background about what a dangerous criminal this kid was, what the cops went to his house for? “A firearm found nearby?” We had to get down there and investigate.
It was pretty easy to figure where it had happened, driving down Philadelphia Street – there were still dozens of stunned young men and women milling about in and around Albert’s front yard. We got the victim’s name (or, as the press calls him, “the suspect,” even though we don’t know that he was suspected of anything, and it seems the firing officer is more properly called “the suspect.”)
And, along with some members of the group “Dare to Struggle,” we talked to some of the witnesses. What these WITNESSES say is:
- Albert came out with his hands up.
- Several canines were let loose throughout the house, creating chaos with the family and their dogs.
- The officer in question walked backward while on the porch facing Albert, and slipped and fell on the steps.
- THAT was the extent of the “confrontation” – the mortified officer shot at least twice at Albert (some neighbors think they heard three shots) and Albert died on the scene.
- The “firearm” that was found was found much later somewhere in the back yard. (May or may not have had any connection to Albert, but it sure can’t be an excuse for his killing – although the PIO and press sure make it sound that way.)
- Albert’s body was left lying out in the street for six hours, till 3am waiting for the coroner, which I guess is SOP but terrorizing to the community.
Here’s the police first getting there…
This is the clearest video we have so far, from across the street, of Albert’s killing. Kinda short, hard to see, and no sound! But you can see the cop fall at around 15 seconds, and then shoot at least twice at Albert as he walks backwards across the front yard:
It wasn’t over though – the neighborhood, and Albert’s family, reacted in outrage, like it was 2012 all over again, and the Anaheim police dealt with that the best they know how:
“In the aftermath, an unruly crowd started to form,” Sutter said. For the safety of everyone, “we had to disperse the crowd and during that time, one subject was hit with a less-lethal (projectile).”
That person was treated at the scene and taken to a hospital, Sutter said. Video from OC Hawk, a freelance news organization, showed a man loaded into an ambulance who appeared to be bleeding from the neck.
Witnesses say that Albert’s hysterical family, his father, mother, and sister, were all handcuffed in the front yard along with others – the press says about a dozen were “detained.” Many “non-lethal” beanbag rounds or rubber bullets were fired at unhappy people, until one of them was seriously hurt. We don’t know how that person is doing yet. More from across the street:
Kind of ridiculous for the PIO and press to include the boilerplate “identity being withheld pending notification of family” when they killed Albert right in front of his family and then handcuffed them in their front yard, don’t you think?
This video, which many of us originally thought was of Albert’s killing, is actually the guy who got hit in the neck by a “less than lethal” munition 15 minutes later:
We’ll let you know when we learn more, and when we get some more videos which we know are out there (and you out there, reach out to us!) Let’s see what bodycam footage they show, and if the shooting officer is one that we’re familiar with. One thing’s for sure, the new APD Chief Manuel “Manny” Cid III, who’s being officially appointed this Tuesday night, already has a big situation on his hands.
Where it happened: Makeshift shrine in Albert’s front yard.
You notice they didn’t say a call came in and the “patrol” responded to it. They just stopped and “talked” to people. Was this whole thing a case of random escalation in a barrio?
How and why would a cop walk backwards to and up a porch toward somebody on it?
No, what I understood from my interlocutors is that he was on the porch, facing the young man (gun already drawn?) and walked backwards as Albert walked forward, accidentally slipping on the steps. Looks like an easy thing to do.
OK I’ll rephrase it in the story.
“He backed away and fell down the porch steps.” Maybe he had an unintentional discharge.
Why would the cops release dogs into the house? And who brought and released the hounds? I get the feeling a lot of bad decisions were cantilevered.
Manny from Glendale?? Wow I bet he may be rethinking his decision to relocate.
Domestic calls tend to be the worst kind for officers.
The videos provided do not substantiate that the officers acted inappropriately under the circumstances.
Yeah, there are more videos coming. The only two I have right now are unclear, from across the street.
El Cid will figure it out?
New video up!
His hands were in the air. Looks like they shot him in the back. They feared for their safety.
It looks like he grabbed the officer. Or startled him. I don’t see him coming out with his hands up. I could surmise the officer didn’t even see him until he stumbled down the stairs.
Justice need to be served they shot him While he was complying in cold blood he was not a threat his back was turnt wow ! The office who killed that young man deserves LIFE !!!!! My condolences to the family prayers are up #Justice needs yo be SERVED
It looks like the victim picked something up on the floor and had it in his left hand when you hear the pop and see him drop.
4 pm added another video of the cops first getting there. But more important, the video I’d originally posted first turns out not to be of Albert, but of the protesting friend who got hit in the neck by a “non-lethal” rubber bullet or beanbag round, and had to go to the hospital.
Mike Lyster (Anaheim City PIO) actually called me to let me know. “At first I thought that was Albert too,” he said.
But the more I look at that second video from across the street, the clearer you can see the cop falling down the steps (at 16 seconds) then getting up, walking backwards across the lawn, and firing at Albert. WHY????
FYI they are reporting a firearm was found at the scene and it looks like that is what that individual retrieved right before being addressed with a non-lethal projectile.
Former federal prosecutor and Gus are silent about this.
Why would Ashleigh or Gustavo have anything to say?
Ashleigh, the Hilltop Snow Princess? Why would she? Anyway your pal Lyster is the official spokeshole for the City Council.
I don’t believe the person in the white tshirt who walks out of the house is the victim. It looks like the officer is confronted at the bottom of the stairs in the shadows and there is a brief struggle. The person is the white tshirt appears to be a female.
When someone was ripping down pride flags and there was video of it, she couldn’t help herself. I guess it wouldn’t be politically expedient under these circumstances.
Community meeting about this incident is tomorrow Wednesday 6:30, at the Native American Methodist Church, 800 South Lemon.
I used to intern at legal aid close
to there like 30 years ago.
Community meeting CHANGED to Monday 6:30 at City Hall. I think they are trying to avoid protests. They can’t do that forever.
What? Who is “they” and why is moving something to City Hall going to avoid protests?
“They” in this context is the police and city. I’m guessing they think that by waiting another five days tempers will have cooled. And I don’t think so.
Tonight’s protest on Anaheim and South Street just wound down.
I might wander over to City Hall.
Could be because they reckon City Hall is more a defensible stronghold, cops n’ all.
Will ffp and Gus attend?
The OC Rag reporting this morning that there was a struggle between Arzola and the officer before the officer discharged his weapon and the individual stuck with a non-lethal projectile was allegedly tampering with evidence.
https://www.ocregister.com/2025/12/11/anaheim-police-id-man-shot-killed-by-officer-during-gang-enforcement-confrontation/amp/
Are they still saying it all happened Friday?
No Vern. But, Gus isn’t the only journalist to report matters incorrectly. They didn’t say it happened in Fullerton did they?