New bodycam video shows the moment police officers got into a fatal shootout with a kidnapping suspect outside a Mexican restaurant.
The incident occurred last month in Scottsdale, Arizona, and resulted in the death of 45-year-old Rene Calderon.
The fight began when Calderon and another armed robbery suspect – 43-year-old Wyatt Edge – drove into the parking lot of Moreno's Mexican Grill on the northwest corner of Horne and Broadway Road with an unnamed kidnapping victim in tow.
At some point, Edge, now in custody, got out and went into the restaurant – spurring detectives lying in wait to launch a rescue operation to save the man who had been arrested.
That's when Calderon – wearing full body armor – fired an AK-47 at four officers, according to police, sparking a firefight in which he died and the kidnapped person and his accomplice escaped.
A new video shows the moment police officers engaged in a deadly shootout with a kidnapping suspect outside a Mexican restaurant in Arizona last month, culminating in the man's death
Calderon – wearing full body armor – fired an AK-47 at detectives, sparking a firefight in which he died and the kidnapped person escaped. A suspected accomplice (not pictured) was also arrested but did not participate in the Nov. 13 shooting
Edge – a former Marine with two children who was reportedly planning to marry – was subsequently tracked down and tied up. His lawyer insists he came from Texas to help a friend and didn't know the plan involved a kidnapping.
New bodycam footage released by police on Monday shows the undercover detectives driving three unmarked SUVs into the parking lot before entering Calderon.
The first shots begin to be fired from the suspect towards a police vehicle – prompting one investigator to shout as another's body camera records: “Be careful!” Attention! Come back!'
Bodycam clips from a second detective then show an armor-clad Calderon – who relatives said was from El Paso – firing a series of shots as he got out of his SUV.
The unnamed detective then finds the suspect in his line of sight, the video shows, and returns fire with his semi-automatic assault pistol.
After firing several shots, he switches to his sidearm and fires again. He can be heard ordering his colleagues: “Get the victim!” On the passenger side!'
The first detective then runs into frame and reloads his rifle as the bullets continue to shred.
As they huddle together for cover, one asks about the still-unseen victim and where he is, while Calderon continues shooting – now from the back seat of his vehicle.
New bodycam footage released Monday shows the undercover detectives driving three unmarked SUVs into the parking lot before boxing in Calderon.
Then the first shots begin to ring out – spurring one detective to scream as another's body camera records: “Be careful!” Attention! Come back!'
“Where is the victim!?” Check out our 360°!' says one of the detectives, all of whom work for the Scottsdale Police Department.
“Someone said they had him,” another responds, as the chaos – and near-constant stream of fire – continues. The video then switches to the second detective jumping onto the hood of the first detective's official vehicle
The officer then points his gun at the suspect's shot out SUV rear window and sees Calderon still pointing the gun at him and the other officers
At this point, it looks as if Calderon had already been shot – while still alive.
“Where is the victim!?” Check out our 360°!' says one of the detectives, all of whom work for the Scottsdale Police Department.
“Where is the victim?” ask another, in footage that seems like something from a war zone. At this point, officers did not notice that the victim had fled the car.
“Someone said they had him,” another responds, as the chaos – and near-constant stream of fire – continues.
The video then switches to the second detective jumping onto the hood of the first detective's official vehicle.
He then points his gun at the shot out rear window of the suspect's SUV and sees Calderon still pointing the gun at him and the other officers.
At this point, it looks as if Calderon had already been shot – while still alive.
“If he fucking moves, he'll get it again. 'Don't move!' The second detective screams as he and others surround the shot-up SUV.
'He has a [ballistic] Vest on. Do not move!'
An officer spotted the victim fleeing Calderon's car (pictured) in the middle of the firefight and quickly tracked him down hiding behind another parked car. “Thank you very much, thank you very much,” the man can be heard telling officers shortly after the final shots were fired. “Oh my God, thanks, man.”
“I have become a victim!” he says three times as the nameless man – whose likeness is censored – lies on the sidewalk in the parking lot. “I have the victim!”
It is unclear why the victim was the target of a kidnapping
Another officer reportedly suffered injuries during the incident, and both investigators have been placed on leave following a critical incident while internal and criminal investigations continue
Another officer further confirmed that Calderon was still seen moving, prompting the first detective to fire his weapon at the vehicle several more times.
In the third clip of the detective, he is also seen being shot by Calderon before returning fire. He suffered injuries to his ear from scattered shrapnel and was the only officer injured in the late morning confrontation.
“Hey, my ear is bleeding.” “I don't know if I fired a round or not,” he is heard saying after the shooting before being taken to a local hospital, where he would be released later that day.
Footage from the fourth detective showed what became of his hostage. Taking a different approach than the other investigators, the fourth officer spotted the victim escaping from Calderon's car in the middle of the firefight and quickly tracked him down in a hiding place behind another parked car.
“I have become a victim!” he says three times as the nameless man – whose likeness is censored – lies on the sidewalk in the parking lot. “I have the victim!”
“Thank you very much, thank you very much,” the man can be heard saying to the officer shortly after the last shots were fired. “Oh my God, thanks, man.”
Police found Calderon, who was wearing an armor vest, slumped in the back of the car he had been using as a battle station.
Edge – a former Marine with two children who was not involved in the shooting – was subsequently tracked down and handcuffed. His lawyer insists he came from Texas to help a friend and didn't know the plan involved a kidnapping
Edge then turned himself in to Mesa police and was filmed being placed into a patrol car at the scene.
The second detective is then heard remarking that Calderon was still alive – a realization he realized after gaining access to the suspect's bullet-riddled SUV.
“The man is still breathing,” he says in the nearly nine-minute clip, which was stitched together by the department to capture investigators’ full perspective on the incident. “Let's get some medics and… get me a trauma kit real quick.”
Minutes later, however, Calderon was pronounced dead at the scene.
At that point, the other investigators ran to the restaurant and arrested Edge – an act not seen in the newly released media package. Edge was filmed being put into a patrol car at the scene.
Now charged with kidnapping, he told police he was a former Marine who was deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in the early 2000s, and his lawyer claimed he came from Texas to help a friend but knew not that the plan involved kidnapping.
It is unclear why the victim was the target of a kidnapping.
Another officer reportedly suffered injuries during the incident, and both investigators have been placed on leave following a critical incident while internal and criminal investigations continue. Meanwhile, the kidnapping victim has yet to be named.
has reached out to the DA's office for an update on the Edge case. He remains in custody as of Tuesday.