No charges for Surprise officer in chase that led to suspect killed by car

SURPRISE, AZ (AZFamily) — Newly released body camera footage shows moments leading up to a suspect being hit and killed by a car while being chased by a Surprise officer, who will not face charges.

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The incident happened around 10:30 p.m. on Feb. 5 near Reems Road and Acoma Drive.

Bodycam video released Friday in a critical incident briefing from Surprise Police shows what led to the suspect’s death.

In the briefing, Surprise Police Sgt. Rick Hernandez said officers responded to a domestic violence call in the area. Rudy Gaitan, 30, left the home on foot when police arrived.

An officer in a marked police vehicle found Gaitan and commanded him to stop, Sgt. Hernandez said. Gaitan did not comply and ran onto Reems Road.

The officer chased him on foot and deployed his Taser. Just moments later, the officer and Gaitan were both struck by a passing vehicle. The moments leading up to the crash can be seen on the bodycam video of that officer.

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Gaitan was hospitalized and later died from his injuries. The officer was taken to a hospital and later released.

Peoria Police led an investigation in collaboration with the West Valley Incident Response Team. The investigation was sent to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, who decided no criminal charges would be pursued against the officer.

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