SANTA MONICA—On August 22, the Santa Monica Police Department announced an officer-involved shooting in the 1400 block of Ocean Avenue. On September 12, the SMPD announced that it released the officer body-camera footage on the on its YouTube page.

The video includes information from the preliminary investigation to help Santa Monica residents understand the events leading up to the shooting and the response that followed.

At 12:49 p.m. on August 22, two uniformed officers arrived near Broadway and Ocean Avenue after receiving a report that a man was chasing a woman near the Broadway stairs. They began speaking with witnesses, including vendors, pedestrians, and park visitors. As they collected statements, they observed a man, later identified by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner as Michael Rodriguez, wearing a black shirt, grayish pants, light-colored sneakers, and a backpack, holding a large knife overhead.

He approached one officer and the individual’s officers were speaking with. The officer drew his weapon and instructed Rodriguez to drop the knife. When Rodriguez did not comply, the officer stepped back as Rodriguez moved faster, closing the distance while holding the knife. The officer told him several times to put it down, and the officer fired one shot, hitting Rodriguez in the chest and causing him to fall onto the sidewalk next to a parking meter.

An officer knelt and spoke with Rodriguez, telling him to “Come here, buddy, come here, buddy.” The officer contacted the station, reporting that shots were fired, that he needed help and was taking someone into custody, and provided his location. All witnesses were asked to remain, as the Santa Monica Fire Department responded to a man with a gunshot wound to the chest.

Officers put on gloves to examine Rodriguez and search him for additional weapons. One officer removed a second knife from Rodriguez’s right pants pocket, and a third knife was seen sticking out of the backpack.

Officers provided a gauze and a chest seal to the wound and started chest compressions, which a third officer continued until the paramedics arrived. One officer can be heard encouraging Rodriguez, telling him he can breathe and that he can do this, while another says he needs to move the seal quickly. Once paramedics arrived, they continued providing medical care, where Rodriguez was transported to a local hospital, where he died at 1:49 p.m.

Rodriguez was carrying a large fighting/utility knife, with a long substantial clip-pointed blade, a protective handle, and a metal grip. Part of the blade’s spine was serrated. No other injuries were reported during the incident.

Under California State Law, video and audio recordings of officer-involved shootings must be released within 45 days. The SMPD releases Critical Incident Community Debriefing Videos to be transparent with the community and to help the public understand the circumstances related to officer-involved shootings.

The SMPD asks anyone with video of the shooting or who witnessed it to contact Sergeant George Burciaga by email at George.Burciaga@santamonica.gov or by calling the watch commander at 310-458-8427. The SMPD is conducting an ongoing criminal investigation. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office will review the shooting while the SMPD’s Internal Affairs Section conducts its own investigation.

The video does not reflect any conclusions by the investigators, and additional information may be released to the public as appropriate.