The Los Angeles Police Department has released dash-cam and body-worn camera footage of a downtown traffic stop that turned into a police shooting. The raw clips show officers ordering people out of a stopped car before opening fire after, they say, a front-seat passenger lifted an object that looked like a handgun. That passenger was wounded and taken to a hospital, and the department posted the video alongside its ongoing investigation.
According to the department, the encounter began around 3:34 a.m. on December 19, 2025, near Eighth Street and Gladys Avenue in the Fashion District, when Central Patrol officers pulled over a Nissan Sentra for a vehicle-code violation. Officers later told investigators they spotted what looked like a pistol grip between the front passenger’s legs and called for backup after dispatch reported the car had been listed as stolen, as detailed by the LAPD. The Force Investigation Division is leading the probe.
What the video shows
The newly released clips cut together squad-car dashcam, body-worn camera video, and radio traffic to cover the moments just before and after shots are fired. CBS News Los Angeles notes that the department put the dash-cam and body-cam footage out in the name of transparency. In the video, officers can be heard shouting commands as a passenger appears to reach toward an object, followed almost immediately by gunfire.
Suspect, object and arrest
Police later identified the passenger as 38-year-old Angel Elijah Cruz, who was shot and taken to a hospital, where officials said his vital signs were stable, according to local reports. Investigators recovered what they later described as a replica handgun-style torch lighter, and Cruz was booked on suspicion of drawing or exhibiting an imitation firearm, MyNewsLA reported. No officers or bystanders were reported injured.
Investigation and legal context
The LAPD says its Force Investigation Division is handling the case and that the shooting will go through the usual internal and prosecutorial reviews, as outlined in the department’s news release. Under state policy, agencies commonly release critical-incident footage with redactions while inquiries play out, and any potential criminal charges would be decided by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. For now, the video has resurfaced familiar debates over police use of force and transparency as the investigation moves forward.
