In an incident caught on video last fall, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office has announced that a grand jury will investigate the shooting of a motorist by Bloomfield, New Jersey, police. The probe comes after several investigations cast doubt on what took place last November when officers stopped Jeffrey Sutton on a felony traffic stop.
News 12 reports that the 37-year-old was reportedly wanted for armed robbery when cops approached his vehicle as it was stopped in traffic on the afternoon of Nov. 9. Cops say when they made contact Sutton refused their commands to get out of his car and, after several minutes in which they banged on the car windows in the process, hit several officers with his vehicle, injuring them.
However, cellphone video of the incident captured by a witness in a tow truck caught in traffic behind Sutton’s silver Mercedes shows Bloomfield plainclothes officers running toward Sutton’s car with guns drawn as he does a reverse U-turn from one lane into the opposite lane in front of the tow truck. The officers, who cannot be heard in the video, apparently bark commands to open the door and get out. Sutton refuses to comply, and after some minutes, he reverses out of the camera frame around the tow truck, hitting it in the process.
Some seconds later, as a police SUV is by now blocking the opposite lane, it shakes as it is hit by the still off-camera Mercedes. When the police urge the tow truck driver to move forward, he appears to move ahead a couple of car lengths, which is followed by multiple shots heard in the background. Sutton then drives back into view and takes off down the street, making good his escape. He does not make contact with the officers in the video.
The Mercedes was found later in Orange, New Jersey. Sutton, who reportedly sustained a gunshot wound to the arm, was taken into custody the following day. He told news outlets, “I know for a fact I didn’t try to run them cops over.”
Additionally, the officers involved altered their stories, News 12 reports. According to police logs obtained by the outlet, following the incident, six Bloomfield officers reported being injured despite authorities only charging Sutton for assaulting four of them and only striking two.
At the time, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office said it is conducting a use-of-force investigation but provided no further information on the incident.
In an email to “Kane In Your Corner,” Bloomfield Public Safety Director Samuel DeMaio later admitted that none of the officers were hit and that “there were no injuries received from being struck by the vehicle.” However, he noted, “They went to the hospital and were treated for stress-related issues.”
This update came as a cause for concern to C.J. Griffin of the New Jersey Foundation for Open Government, who told reporters, “We need accountability, we need answers, we need clarity, we need as much transparency as possible.”
Still, the Bloomfield police department maintains that the shooting was justified claiming that Capt. Gary Peters and Officer Raymond Diaz fired their weapons only after Sutton accelerated toward Peters.
Michael Poreda, a civil rights attorney representing Sutton, cited the video, saying, “As he’s driving off, that’s when the shots go off.” He added, “Nobody’s life was in danger at that point.”
It’s unclear whether Sutton was released from Essex County Jail. He faces multiple charges, including four counts of aggravated assault on law enforcement officers with a deadly weapon.
