Police have closed their investigation into the officers that shot and killed an unarmed man after a chase on Highway 178 in southeast Bakersfield on Nov. 13.
Sgt. Joe Grubbs says there was no wrongdoing when Frank McIntyre, Edgar Aguilera and Valeria Robles opened fire on 22-year-old Ramiro Villegas after he crashed on Mount Vernon Avenue.
“The Critical Incident Review Board has determined that the shots fire were within department policy and within state and federal guidelines, and all of the officers have returned to full duty,” he said.
Grubbs wouldn’t clarify what exactly the department’s policy was on the use of weapons.
“The Bakersfield Police Department has a policy that dictates the use of firearms and the use of weapons,” he said. “The officers, when they fired their firearms, were within that policy.”
Police say Villegas stepped out of his SUV and reached for his waistband. Eyewitnesses at the scene that night said he was cooperative, and his hands were up.
– Anthony Pollreisz