ARLINGTON, Texas — The Arlington Police Department held a news conference Monday and released both dashcam and bodycam footage from a shooting that took place at a car dealership last month.
The suspect in the shooting was identified as 25-year-old Abbas Al-Mutairy, a former employee of the Vandergriff Honda dealership located along Interstate 20, between Cooper Street and Matlock Road.
At about 6:24 p.m. on Sept. 28, Al-Mutairy was caught on surveillance camera in the parking lot of the business armed with a rifle. In the press conference, Arlington Police Chief Al said after firing multiple shots at the lobby of the dealership, which was full of both employees and customers, Al-Mutairy briefly entered the dealership in the service bay area. Then, he returned back to the parking lot toward his vehicle, Jones said.
Surveillance cameras captured those moments:
One witness WFAA spoke with said she was in the process of wrapping up a test-drive in the parking lot of the dealership when she heard multiple gunshots ring out. She said she and her husband then ran down the street to hide. As she and her husband hid, the witness said multiple Honda employees began to show up nearby to her location, also seeking cover.
The witness said her husband then watched a gunman point a gun at someone, but that he couldn't see what happened next. According to the witness, she and her husband then heard around 20 more gunshots.
Arlington police officers were dispatched to the scene at about 6:31 p.m., arriving at 6:36 p.m., Jones said. Officers immediately located the suspect in the parking lot, and in both the dashcam and bodycam videos, you can hear them radio that the suspect was still holding the rife in the "low ready position," meaning Al-Mutairy could've began quickly firing at any time.
That's when officers took strategic cover.
In one of the bodycam videos, you can see an officer taking cover behind his vehicle and arming his service weapon. You can then hear an officer say, "He's pointing the rifle at us, guys we need to take a shot..."
And you can hear another officer radio, "If you need to take the shot, take it."
Three officers fired their service weapons, striking the suspect.
By 6:38 p.m., just two minutes after the officers arrived, the suspect was down. And in one of the dashcam videos, you can see the officers descend toward Al-Mutairy.
Jones said it's "miraculous" that customers, employees and officers were all uninjured in the incident.
“I truly believe this incident could have ended much differently and more tragically than it did,” Jones said. “I’m extremely relieved it did not. I’m also incredibly grateful that no officers or innocent bystanders were injured.”
Al-Mutairy was transported to a local hospital for his injuries, including a gunshot wound to the chest. He remains in critical condition, unable to answer investigators' questions, Jones said.
The officers who fired their weapons have returned to normal duties after a weeklong stint on administrative leave.
Al-Mutairy is charged with three counts of aggravated assault on a public servant, one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of deadly conduct.
Arlington police are working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to determine whether Al-Mutairy legally obtained the rifle he fired at the dealership.
Police are also exploring the shooter's relatives' claim that another family member worked at the dealership, Jones confirmed.
There are two investigations taking place: the criminal investigation of the entire incident and the administrative investigation to determine all department policies were followed. Both investigations are ongoing, Chief Jones said.
“Based on everything that I’ve seen, this incident could have been much different and have a more horrific outcome,” Jones said. “I’m really grateful and relieved that it didn’t.”
According to Arlington Police Sergeant Courtney White, the suspect, Al Mutairy, had been recently fired from Vandergriff Honda. Police said they are still combing through his background and if he had a criminal record to discover Al-Mutairy’s motives.
This is a developing story. Check back for more details as they come.