Santa Ana police have released bodycam footage showing the final moments before officers fatally shot a 15-year-old boy who they say lunged at them with a knife. The video captures the June 14 incident responding to a 911 call in the 3400 block of South Main Street.
Upon arrival, officers encountered a 53-year-old man with a stab wound outside an apartment. The man, who identified the teenager as Jayden Michaca and stated he had a history of drug and alcohol use, warned officers that Jayden's mother was inside with him. Shouting from the apartment, including the mother yelling in Spanish, “Deja el cuchillo,” meaning “Put down the knife,” preceded officers forcing entry.
As officers kicked open the door and announced their presence, Jayden emerged holding a knife. Police bodycam footage shows officers backing away while repeatedly ordering him to drop the weapon. The notes indicate this was the second knife recovered at the scene.
Despite repeated commands, Jayden is heard saying, “I want to get shot,” and “I’m going to get f—ing shot by them right now,” as his mother continued to yell in the background. An officer is heard pleading, “Hey, brother, we’re here to help. Just drop the knife.”
According to police, Jayden then “rapidly lunged and advanced toward the officers while armed with a knife,” at which point both officers discharged their firearms. Jayden was pronounced dead at the scene.
Jayden's mother sustained injuries and was treated at the scene, while the man who was stabbed was hospitalized. Police stated that officers had previously responded to the apartment for reports of assault and criminal threats.
The Orange County District Attorney's Office is reviewing the shooting for any potential criminal conduct, while the Santa Ana Police Department's Internal Affairs unit is conducting its own investigation. Jayden's family is suing the city of Santa Ana, alleging unjustified deadly force and claiming they had sought officers from the city’s Psychiatric Emergency Response Team.
"What I’m asking for today is justice for my son. He did not deserve to die the way he did," Jayden's mother, Maribel Michaca, said in June. "He was a loving child and had plans for the future to become a mechanic. But on this occasion, those police officers didn’t care. They didn’t do anything — they just went and shot him in front of my eyes."
Bodycam release notes indicate the 911 call was made by the man who was stabbed and that he “did not request or reference the need for mental health intervention.”