NewportBeachPD
Former ‘Real Housewives’ star Lydia McLaughlin‘s brother appears to grab a police officer’s Taser before he was shot and killed by the cop … and, body cam footage captured the whole scene.
Southern California’s Newport Beach Police Department released footage of the last moments of Geoffrey Stirling‘s life … beginning when a police officer pulled Geoffrey over.
The officer asks Stirling if he’s alright — and, Stirling repeatedly tells him he hasn’t been drinking — and, he’s had a stressful day, claiming multiple drivers have nearly hit him on his motorcycle.
Stirling then tries to get back on his bike despite the officer telling him to sit down on the curb, but the cops stop him … and the two go back and forth for a while — Stirling refusing to comply while the officer insists he needs to sit down, radioing to dispatch Stirling is being uncooperative.
At some point, the officer looks away … and, the video shows Stirling taking a couple steps toward him — it’s unclear if he was actually rushing at the officer or if he was making a move to get back on the motorcycle.
The move initiates a scuffle, with lots of grabbing and shoving — during which the officer’s body-worn camera falls off, leaving the dashboard camera on his vehicle as the only angle of the incident.
It’s far away … but, near the end, it appears Stirling’s pointing something at the officer, which cops swear is a Taser — and, that’s when the cop shoots him multiple times.
As we told you … Stirling was killed in the shooting last month on Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach — 50 miles south of L.A. He died in the hospital.
Cops have long maintained he grabbed the officer’s Taser before the shooting … and, the added text and circled highlights on this clip indicate that they’re sticking by this.
In response to the body cam, Stirling’s family — including Lydia — released a statement … saying the video raises questions about the officer’s actions. They say Geoff was backing away from the cop when he was shot, and they argue aid wasn’t initially offered at the scene … a pretty major complaint since he died of blood loss.
