Authorities in Las Vegas have released body camera recordings that capture the shooting of bat-wielding robbery suspect outside of a gas station store last weekend.
Following reports of an attempted store robbery on North Rainbow Boulevard and Alexander Road, metro police were contacted about a man attempting to rob a CVS on West Lake Mead Boulevard. The assailant had fled the scene by the time officers arrived, but a vehicle fitting the description was located half an hour later at the Terrible Herb's gas station at 1591 North Decatur Boulevard.
A standoff ensued as soon as veteran Sgt. Miguel Garcia, 39, arrived. Garcia attempted to talk the suspect, Richard Mitchell, 54, into putting down a baseball bat he had exited his car with, but Mitchell remained non-compliant.
When back-up arrived, more officers commanded Mitchell to drop the weapon, and when it became apparent that he had no intentions to do so, he was blasted with shots from a less-lethal shotgun.
Rather than force Mitchell to submit, the shots sent Mitchell into a swinging rage that saw him trying to bash his way into the locked storefront. That's when four rounds fired from Garcia's pistol finally put him down, with a bullet striking him in the thigh. He was then wrestled into cuffs on the ground inside of the store and taken into custody.
Mitchell faces two counts of attempted robbery, resisting police officer with a deadly weapon, and malicious destruction of private property.
