Police release body cam the arrest video of Evendale Plaza shooting suspect

Police have released body camera video showing the arrest of the suspect charged with shooting into an Asian storefront in Evendale.

Daniel Beckjord, 33, was indicted Tuesday on counts of weapons possession under disability, inducing panic and vandalism.

A Hamilton County grand jury ignored charges of felonious assault, marijuana possession and illegal cultivation of marijuana, court records show.

He faces nearly two decades behind bars for the incident, according to Evendale Police Chief Tim Holloway.

Beckjord also faces criminal charges in other communities, the chief announced.

“In addition to the crimes he has been charged with, we also found information of numerous instances throughout the Greater Cincinnati area where Beckjord has intentionally tried to provoke police officers into confrontations,” Holloway said Tuesday.

“Additionally, his cell phones found photos of police departments, including departmental vehicles and personal vehicles of police department employees.

“Mr. Beckjord’s recent behavior,” the chief continued, “suggests he is dangerous and erratic with a bold willingness to use firearms in crimes. We will remain committed to seeing that he is held to full account for his crimes and that any sentences he receives be reflective of the seriousness of the charges against him and of the danger he poses to others.”

Last year, Cincinnati police charged him with inducing panic and obstructing official business, court records show. Officers wrote in an affidavit they responded to the 4200 block of Spring Grove Avenue in Northside on July 1, 2022, after receiving a report of a man walking in and out of traffic with a loaded handgun.

Police arrested Beckjord after asking him several times to stop. He “ignored officer commands” and continued to walk away,” they wrote in the sworn statement, adding that he was “observed pointing his finger as if he was shooting a gun.”

That case remains outstanding, with a Feb. 9 pre-trial hearing scheduled before Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge Ted Berry.

Beckjord faces other charges out of Belmont County, Ohio, where he is accused of being involved in a high-speed pursuit, according to the chief, and an outstanding burglary warrant from Gallatin County, Kentucky, where Beckjord is accused of shooting out the lock of a residence.

Evendale police wrote in an affidavit that Beckjord is the suspect witnesses reported seeing pulling his vehicle to the front of Uncle Yip’s Asian restaurant in the Evendale Plaza off Reading Road on Jan. 22 and firing several shots into the glass to the left of the restaurant’s entrance.

Shots were also fired into Tokyo Food's Market.

Witnesses told police the suspect walked around the lot and fired more shots into the business.

There were nine people inside the restaurant at the time, in addition to the witnesses in the parking lot, court records show.

Several people inside the restaurant took shelter in a locked bathroom during the shooting.

Shots were also fired into Tokyo Food's Market, according to police.

Officers responded at about 6:30 p.m. and found Beckjord in the parking lot holding a pistol in his hand, court records show.

As he was being taken into custody, the police chief says Beckjord admitted to the offense, but did not provide a motive.

Beckjord was read his right to remain silent, and then “made many comments that did not seem to make sense, but did refer to the reason that he was at this business was because he was the ‘President of Tokyo’ and that the “Tokyo Foods” was not in compliance,” police wrote in the affidavit.

Police also say a search warrant of Beckjord’s apartment turned up bulletproof vests and a cache of ammunition and rifles, as well as a “sophisticated” marijuana grow operation with more than 150 plans and more than 40,000 grams of marijuana.

The drug charges are pending lab examinations and will be presented to the grand jury at a later date, according to police.

Local community groups pressed for an investigation into whether the incident was a hate crime under Ohio or federal law.

Holloway said police searched two of his residences, two of his vehicles and two of his cell phones and found “no evidence that pointed towards an ethnic/cultural motivation or targeting in the Evendale incident.”