BWC: Driver of stolen Jeep strikes Nev. officer before OIS

By Akiya Dillon
Las Vegas Review-Journal

HENDERSON, Nev. — The tense moments in which a man driving a Jeep struck a Henderson police sergeant, who then shot the man in the shoulder, were shown in body camera footage released Thursday.

The Henderson Police Department posted the 37-second recording to its YouTube channel on Thursday.

Police have since said that the sergeant, Scott Alward, needed 11 staples in his head to treat his injuries after being hit by a black Jeep Liberty driven by 43-year-old Johnathan Gaston on Monday afternoon. Police said a license plate reader in the area of East Lake Mead Parkway and Boulder Highway had detected a stolen license plate affixed to the Jeep.

During the incident, Alward fired his weapon at Gaston, who was struck in the shoulder.

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Both Gaston and Alward were treated at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, according to Gaston’s arrest report. Gaston was arrested on charges of attempted murder, resisting a public officer and buying or possessing stolen property, among others.

After the Jeep hit Alward, the video showed the sergeant falling to the ground. Then, the recording became distorted, making it difficult to tell at what point in the video the shooting happened. However, a public information officer with the Henderson Police Department said that the video footage released Thursday does include the officer-involved shooting.

By the end of the video, Alward got back up and could be seen walking slowly.

In a news release Thursday, police said the department “conducts an internal investigation of all Use of Force incidents.”

The department typically releases video briefings about shootings involving officers on its YouTube channel. Police said in Thursday’s news release that a briefing with more information about the incident will be released in a few weeks.

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