Bodycam footage released by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department shows the deadly confrontation that ended with deputies fatally shooting 40-year-old Jose Acosta, who was armed with a knife and allegedly rammed his 1970s Pontiac into a patrol vehicle in Long Beach.
The incident started on March 19 around 9:18 p.m., when deputies responded to a reported restraining order violation in Paramount. A woman at the home said Acosta had arrived demanding entry in violation of a protective order.
Deputies later spotted him driving the Pontiac and followed him to East Artesia Boulevard and Downey Avenue. Bodycam video shows Acosta suddenly reversing his car and crashing into a patrol vehicle, deploying the airbag inside.
Moments later, Acosta exited the car holding a knife. Deputies repeatedly ordered him to drop it, but he allegedly charged at them, prompting them to open fire. Acosta was pronounced dead at the scene, and the knife was recovered as evidence.
The deputy who was hit in the crash was hospitalized for injuries, but no one else was hurt. The Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau is investigating, and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office will conduct an independent review of the shooting.
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