This past Monday, April 29, 2019, around 10 p.m., Sgt. Travis Baker encountered Freddy Espinoza Jr. (AGE 30) as he was speeding down W. Wheeler Avenue. Sgt. Baker went to pull Freddy Espinoza's vehicle over for the traffic violation.
As they traveled north on FM 1069 from W. Wheeler, Freddy Espinoza decided he was going to try and run for it. He quickly changed his mind and pulled over.
Unaware of Freddy Espinoza's condition, Sgt. Baker exercised caution and instructed him to remain inside his vehicle while keeping his hands visible until assistance arrived. Freddy Espinoza was very agitated, highly intoxicated, and acting verbally aggressive toward Sgt. Baker.
Based on continued de-escalation training and tactics, Sgt. Baker worked to minimize the potential for a violent confrontation between Freddy Espinoza and himself. A one-on-one confrontation under circumstances like this would surely have lead to serious injuries to Freddy Espinoza and even possibly Sgt. Baker. Further, it's events like this across the nation where less experienced/trained officers, unlike Sgt. Baker, have a greater tendency to overreact too swiftly or without proper de-escalation techniques which can lead up to the shooting death of the offender, or even the officer. "I am proud to say, however, my department and staff receive extensive training each year. It's not uncommon for an officer or police department employee to received in excess of a hundred hours of quality training each year."
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