POWERED BY
Robbery Suspect Draws "Finger Pistols" And Nearly Gets Killed
Published 2 years ago
The Phoenix Police Department released a Critical Incident Briefing (CIB) video related to an officer-involved shooting which occurred on January 8th, 2022 in the area 52nd Avenue and Baseline Road.
This incident occurred just after midnight, when a witness called 911 to report a man breaking into a business that was closed at the time. The man was later identified as 26-year old Matthew Bia. Video surveillance from the business showed Bia unsuccessfully attempt to break the glass door of the business for almost 2 minutes.
After unsuccessful attempts, Bia returned two minutes later with an object and was able to break the glass and enter the store. Once inside the closed business, Bia walked around, and attempted to manipulate the registers. When the first officer arrived, he parked his vehicle at the front of the store. He saw Bia inside of the business and attempted to speak to him. The officer gave Bia commands to come out of the store, but he refused.
After a few moments, Bia, with his left hand on his head, moved his right hand to his waistline, and turned sideways so that his right side was away from the officer. He then extended his hand and arm quickly from his waist, towards the officer. That is when the officer involved shooting occurred. The officer fired one round, and Bia fell to the ground, but it was later determined he was not struck by the bullet.
After the shooting, Bia continued to extend his arm out toward the officer. After about 4 minutes he complied with officers, crawled out of the store and laid on the ground. Officers moved towards Bia and placed him under arrest. No weapon was found on or around Bia.
Bia was not injured by the shot; he did suffer minor injuries to his hands from the broken glass door. Bia was booked into jail for aggravated assault on an officer, burglary, and criminal damage.
