Sacramento sheriff's office releases video of Business 80 chase, deadly shooting
SACRAMENTO — New video was released Tuesday of a police chase and shooting that shut down a major Sacramento freeway in early November.
That shooting happened on Interstate 80 during the afternoon of November 5. It closed a stretch of the freeway near Greenback Lane for more than 10 hours.
A CBS13 crew at the scene that day saw the suspect's 6-inch knife, car, and motorcycle he hit in pieces. The newly released video gives context to how that evidence ended up spread out across a portion of the freeway.
The pursuit started near the Madison Avenue exit when authorities attempted to pull the driver over for a traffic violation that happened at the Norwood Avenue exit. The driver took off but the chase ended when he slammed into a motorcyclist near Greenback Lane with California Highway Patrol officers and Sacramento County sheriff's deputies right behind.
The suspect's car rolled off onto the shoulder, spreading debris across the lanes. Deputies got out, guns drawn, and ordered the suspect to the ground.
The video shows the suspect skipping around with a large knife in his hand. That's when one officer shot him twice, knocking him to the ground. The suspect then got back up and lunged for the motorcyclist who was lying injured on the ground.
Officers fired four more shots, knocking him down again. The suspect, identified as 36-year-old Zachary Wolffscott, was taken to the hospital but did not survive.
That motorcyclist suffered serious injuries but survived. The deputy involved was put on paid leave.
The video is the first time we see that the suspect didn't just hit the motorcyclist with the car but also tried to attack with that knife.