Dramatic body camera video captured the moment a police sniper took down an armed suspect who was holding a baby he was accused of kidnapping. The incident happened on February 17 in the town of Beaver Dam, which is near the Utah and Arizona border.
It started earlier in the day when Washington City police officers tried to locate Oscar Alcantara, 30, in connection with an incident in which a firearm was brandished. As they arrived at a house in St. George, Utah, officers saw Alcantara leaving the premise in an SUV.
They followed the vehicle and pulled it over. The woman who was driving jumped out of the car and said that Alcantara had a gun and that her baby was still in the vehicle.
Alcantara then slid over to the driver's seat and sped away, leading officers on a chase that crossed into Arizona. Eventually, Alcantara came to a stop in Beaver Dam and got out of the car holding the baby. Then, he fled into the nearby brush, pointing a gun at the child as officers pleaded with him to surrender.
"The suspect continued to threaten to kill the child and was observed pointing the gun at the child," police said. Despite officers' efforts to peacefully resolve this incident, at least one officer fired a weapon, striking the suspect."
Body camera footage obtained by KUTV showed the moment that the hostage situation came to an end as a sniper fired a single round, fatally striking Alcantara. After the shot was fired, officers rushed to check on the child, unsure if they were injured.
"I got child, I got child, come here, baby," a St. George police officer is heard saying.
The baby was unharmed and taken to a nearby fire station for an evaluation before being reunited with his mother.