Police video shows Carlsbad homicide suspect firing at officers before being fatally shot

by Sydney Barragan

Police in Newport Beach released body-worn and dash camera footage Tuesday that shows a 31-year-old suspect in a Carlsbad homicide firing at police while running toward an In-N-Out Burger before being shot and killed by officers in September.

The situation began the night of Sept. 19, when Carlsbad police were called to an apartment complex on Rising Glen Way off Carlsbad Village Drive after reports of gunfire. Officers arrived around 9:53 p.m. and found a woman who had been shot. She died at the scene. Detectives said her vehicle had been stolen during the attack.

The victim was identified as April Moore, 50, of Carlsbad.

Just after midnight, a license plate reader in Laguna Beach detected the stolen vehicle. Shortly before 1 a.m. on Sept. 20, Newport Beach officers located it near Newport Coast and Pacific Coast Highway and tried to pull the driver over, authorities said. When the driver sped off, officers from Newport Beach and Irvine joined in pursuit.

The chase continued into Laguna Hills, ending near Avenida De La Carlota. Video released by police shows the suspect, identified as Andre Anthony Matijasevic, making a sharp turn and stopping in the roadway before getting out of the car and firing repeatedly at officers. Several patrol vehicles were struck by gunfire.

Police said the suspect was still in possession of the handgun when officers approached him in the parking lot. (Courtesy of the Newport Beach Police Department)

The footage then shows Matijasevic running toward a nearby In-N-Out Burger while continuing to shoot. Officers returned fire, and he is seen falling to the ground in the restaurant’s parking lot. In the video, Newport Beach police Sgt. Steve Oberon says the suspect continued firing from the ground. Matijasevic is seen aiming his gun toward officers, but because of the sound of police gunfire, it is unclear when the suspect fires again.

Officers approached and, after separating the suspect from his handgun, began life-saving measures until paramedics arrived. Matijasevic, who lived in Rancho Santa Margarita, was taken to Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, where he was pronounced dead. No officers were injured.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the attempted murder of the officers, and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office is reviewing the officer-involved shooting.

Union-Tribune staff writer Kristina Davis contributed to this report.