Domestic violence suspect shot after taking ‘shooting stance’ and pointing object at police

A standoff with a domestic violence suspect ended Monday afternoon with the suspect being shot by officers and transported to the hospital in critical condition.

The hourlong standoff happened in Montclair following a pursuit that began in Chino.

Chino police officers responded to a home on the 14000 block of Monte Vista Avenue for a report of a domestic violence incident. The victim told police that her boyfriend, Jose Martinez, a 47-year-old resident of Rialto, had slammed her head into a pole and forced her into his vehicle.

She was able to escape from the vehicle and tell police her story before being transported to a local hospital with serious injuries, officials said.

Martinez’s vehicle was eventually tracked down in Fontana around 11:30 a.m., police said, at which point Martinez used it to plow into two police cruisers and then lead officers on a brief pursuit.

By noon, the pursuit came to an end on the 10800 block of Kadota Avenue in Montclair where the suspect, identified as Martinez, refused to surrender and remained in a white Jeep SUV.

The standoff continued for more than an hour, with crisis negotiators urging Martinez to surrender peacefully, police said.

For reasons that are under investigation, Martinez got out of the car and took a “two-handed shooting stance” and pointed a black object at officers. Police then opened fire and hit him an undisclosed amount of time.

He was then transported to a local hospital and was most recently listed as being in critical condition.

It was later determined that the object he was holding was a portable battery pack, which photos shared by the Police Department appeared to show him holding in his hands as if it were a gun.

“In order to provide transparency to the community we are releasing two photos showing Martinez pointing the object towards officers while in a shooting stance just prior to the officer involved shooting,” the Police Department wrote in an evening news release.

Two photos, one from an aerial police drone and ther other from an officer-worn body camera, showed the moments leading up to the shooting.

Blood was visible from the scene, and a large police presence surrounded the vehicle and blocked off the street to the public for several hours as the investigation continued.

The incident is subject to several different types of investigations, police said.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department and the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office will investigate the police shooting; the Fontana Police Department is investigating an assault with a deadly weapon for Martinez allegedly ramming police with his car; and the Chino Police Department will investigate the initial domestic violence and attempted kidnapping, as well as if the police shooting in line with department policy.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Chino Police Detective Gregory at 909-334-3136.