Video released shows April shootout with police began as random vehicle chase

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An April shootout between a man and Austin police officers started as a random chase in Northeast Austin and ended with the man raising a gun and firing at officers, according to edited police video of the incident released on Friday.

The police department released an edited and scripted video that includes footage from police vehicle dashboard and body-worn cameras. The curated video also includes recordings of 911 calls from a driver describing being shot at by another motorist.

Some information has been redacted from the footage and recordings, including the man's license plate number and the 911 caller's face is blurred out.

Just after midnight on April 9, police received a 911 call from a driver who said a someone in a pickup truck was following them and shooting at them in Northeast Austin.

"I just got shot at by some dude on the road for no reason whatsoever," the caller told the 911 dispatcher.

Officers Jon Riordan and Kingly Kong, sharing a patrol vehicle, responded to the 6300 block of U.S. 290, off Interstate 35 near Cameron Road, where the caller pointed out the man in the pickup truck. The officers followed the pickup truck before it came to a stop, according to police vehicle dash-cam footage.

The driver in the pickup truck, identified by police as 22-year-old Gregorio Ochoa Sarmiento, is seen in the video getting out of his vehicle and immediately shooting at the officers. The officers shot back at Sarmiento and he was hit multiple times. He is seen in the video doubling over and falling to the ground.

"Shots fired, I think they got me in the foot," Riordan says in the footage.

Kong was not injured in the shootout. Police said additional officers arrived at the scene and rendered aid to Sarmiento and Riordan. Both were taken to a hospital.

Kong, who has been with the department for two years, has returned to full duty after having been put on paid administrative leave after the shooting. Riordan, who has been with the department for two and a half years, is on limited duty because of his injuries.

The process of releasing footage to the community involves meetings between Austin police and city officials, the Office of Police Oversight, the Travis County district attorney's office and ATXN, which produces videos of events such as news conferences or City Council meetings for the city. A script is written and reviewed by all involved and, in the most recent police video releases, graphics and narration are added.

Police also offer families of victims the opportunity to view video footage before it is released to the public.

Interim Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon said at the time of the shootout: "I'll just tell you that after having watched all of that video, it's chilling, and we are lucky that right now that we do not have more people that are injured, particularly our officers who, in the face of this danger, displayed bravery."

The incident is the fourth police shooting in 2021.

Sarmiento was arrested and booked into the Travis County Correctional Complex on April 9 at 5:54 p.m.

He is charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and two counts of attempted capital murder, according to online county records.

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