Police shoot and kill man armed with a pipe in Fontana; new video shows officer hitting suspect on the ground

Authorities have launched an investigation into the shooting of an allegedly armed man by Fontana police on Tuesday afternoon. 

The incident happened at around 2:15 p.m. in the parking lot of the shopping center located at the intersection of Cherry Avenue and Baseline Avenue, according to the Fontana Police Department. 

Police claim that the man was armed with a large metal pipe and that they were called to the area after learning that he was damaging property inside of an AutoZone in the area. With SkyCal over the scene, an object resembling the alleged weapon could be seen on the floor of the parking lot, near a Fontana patrol car. 

"The suspect was reportedly swinging the pole, damaging property, and committed an assault with a deadly weapon on a citizen," said a statement from police. 

An arriving officer came in contact with the man and attempted to deescalate the situation, but the suspect refused to comply with his demands, the FPD statement said. 

"During the encounter, the suspect attacked the officer with the pipe, resulting in a lethal force response from the officer," police said.

Both the suspect and an officer were hospitalized following the incident. The suspect, since identified as 44-year-old Jesus Adrian Garcia, died shortly after arrival. 

The officer was also hospitalized with minor injuries sustained in the incident.

"There is no danger to the public at this time, but we ask that you please avoid the area if possible to allow officers to conduct their investigation," said a post on X from FPD. 

Police say that the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department will be leading the investigation.

The statement also calls touches upon a video that has reportedly been circulating on social media, showing a violent portion of the encounter in which one of the officers can be seen punching the suspect in the head while he's already on the ground. It's unknown if this happened prior to or after the shooting. 

"The Fontana Police Department is aware of a video circulating on social media that depicts a portion of the incident," the police statement said. "It is important to note that this video only shows a small portion of the event in its entirety. The Fontana Police Department is conducting an internal administrative investigation into the entirety of the incident."

An investigation has been launched to determine if the officer's actions were necessary and the officer has been placed on administrative leave, which is common practice for the department after someone is involved in a shooting.