Video: CA Officers Fire 76 Rounds in Controversial Vehicle Pursuit
Orange County Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer’s office on Wednesday released videos of the incident and a letter analyzing the deadly shooting. Prosecutors, while finding that the officers ultimately acted legally because of the threat of what they believed to be a real gun in the hands of a man high on narcotics, took the unusual step of questioning the officers’ behavior.

Orange County, CA, prosecutors Wednesday released dramatic video showing two Anaheim police officers firing 76 shots at a suspect during a high-speed pursuit. No charges were filed against the officers, however, one has been fired and the other faces departmental discipline.
The driver of the pursued vehicle Eliuth Penaloza Nava, 50, was killed. The deadly incident happened on July 21, 2018. It unfolded after Nava’s brother called police about 9:30 a.m. and reported that the man had ingested an unknown drug and was “hallucinating” and armed with a knife and gun inside his Chevy truck, according to prosecutors. The handgun turned out to be a replica airsoft pistol, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Orange County Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer’s office on Wednesday released videos of the incident and a letter analyzing the deadly shooting. Prosecutors, while finding that the officers ultimately acted legally because of the threat of what they believed to be a real gun in the hands of a man high on narcotics, took the unusual step of questioning the officers’ behavior.
“The fact that the two involved officers discharged their weapons 76 times, from a moving patrol car at Nava’s moving car, at approximately 9:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning, in a residential neighborhood where residents, including children, were home and on the streets, was alarming and irresponsible based on the totality of all the circumstances in this specific case,” the report stated.
Prosecutors said that in order to file charges, they would have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that there was no legal justification for the officers' conduct — a conclusion they could not make "based on the totality of the circumstances, " KTLA reports
Officer Kevin Pedersen, the driver of the police cruiser during the pursuit, was terminated as a probationary officer, and Officer Sean Staymates, a 10-year veteran, faces potential discipline and remains on administrative leave, Anaheim Police Chief Jorge Cisneros said.
In the video released by prosecutors, Pederson fires several magazines of ammunition at the pursued truck through the windshield of his patrol vehicle. Officer Staymates fires at the vehicle with a rifle, aiming out of the passenger side window.
More Patrol

Team Wendy Introduces the EXFIL Endurance Ballistic Helmet, Engineered to Reduce the Burden of Extended Wear
Team Wendy has launched its EXFIL Endurance, a new lightweight ballistic helmet engineered to deliver protection, comfort, and fit during demanding, extended operations.
Read More →
The First Responders Children’s Foundation National First Responders Day Roll Call of Heroes Ceremony Returns to Times Square, NYC
First Responders Children’s Foundation (FRCF), in collaboration with T-Mobile, will host the Roll Call of Heroes ceremony in Times Square to commemorate National First Responders Day on Wednesday, Oct. 28. During the event, FRCF will present 18 Hero Awards.
Read More →
Streamlight to Showcase Newest Lighting Products for Law Enforcement Professionals at IACP 2026
Streamlight will showcase its newest lights for law enforcement at the International Association of Chiefs of Police Annual Conference & Expo. Featured lights will include the TLR-3 X, the PolyTac 1X, and more.
Read More →
Streamlight Portable Scene Light III Wins 2026 OH&S New Product of the Year Award
Streamlight’s Portable Scene Light III has won the 2026 Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) New Product of the Year Award in the Lighting category.
Read More →
Adept Armor Introduces Two New Rifle Plates
Adept Armor has launched two new Level IV ballistic plates, the Emperor and the Archon Mark 2, which brings Adept Armor’s new Quatroid ceramic to the high-threat, performance-value center of the range at 5.2 pounds.
Read More →
POLICE Product Test: Benchmade Bailout
The Benchmade Bailout is a slim, lightweight carry knife with a deep-ride pocket clip and comes in a variety of blade steels and scales. Here is a detailed review of the Taiga Green Bailout, released earlier this year.
Read More →
NLEOMF Announces July 2026 Officer of the Month
NLEOMF honored a Michigan deputy sheriff as the July 2026 Officer of the Month for rescuing a trapped driver from a burning vehicle following a Fourth of July crash.
Read More →
Streamlight to Showcase Newest Lighting Products at National Safety Council’s Safety Congress & Expo 2026
Streamlight will showcase its latest lights, including the Portable Scene Light III and the LiteBox 1Million, at the 2026 National Safety Council (NSC) Safety Congress & Expo.
Read More →
The 2027 World Police & Fire Games Set for Perth, Australia
The 2027 World Police & Fire Games (WPFG) will take place in Perth, Western Australia, from Friday, March 12 through Sunday, March 21, 2027.
Read More →
5.11 Partners with National Fallen Firefighters Foundation to Support #ForThe343
5.11 has joined the nationwide movement honoring the 343 New York City Fire Department firefighters lost on Sept. 11, 2001.
Read More →