In the land of the free, police can and will detain and extort you for improper bicycle lighting. If you try to escape this extortion, you can be mowed down by a police cruiser, mauled by a police K9, or, as the following incident illustrates, you may even die. On the night Anthony Bernal Cano, he had harmed no one yet he became the target of a Chandler Police Department cop. Moments later, Cano would have two bullet holes in his back.
High school student Lorenzo Soria, says his buddy Anthony was likely on his way to his house that fateful night last month when he was targeted by police for improper bicycle lighting. Anthony would never make it to Lorenzo’s house however, because the officer with the Chandler police department decided he needed to deprive Anthony of his right to freely travel—because Anthony didn’t have a light on his bicycle.
“I take care of Anthony, he’s always with me and stuff, he’s like a little brother to me,” Soria told The Arizona Republic, adding that they’d both grown up in the neighborhood where the shooting occurred.
On the night of January 2, Anthony was riding his bicycle down the road when the officer decided he needed to stop the teen because he did not have the proper lighting.
When the officer turned on his lights to pull Anthony over, Anthony made the decision to flee. This would cost him his life. Anthony likely fled the scene because he was carrying a gun and didn’t want to get into trouble over it.
As the graphic body cam shows, Anthony attempted to flee on the bicycle before dropping it and taking off on foot.
“He’s fleeing on foot,” said the officer in the footage.
Body camera footage shows the officer in pursuit of the boy just before Anthony drops his gun. For some reason, Anthony didn’t simply leave the gun and stop running. Instead, he attempted to pick it up.
“As Cano stopped to retrieve his gun, the officer drew his duty weapon,” said Commander Chris Perez with the Chandler Police Department.
At no time in the video does Anthony ever appear to turn toward the officer or point the gun in the officer’s direction. It appears from the video that he was merely attempting to grab it to keep running, thinking he would get away. He would not.
“Drop it! Get on the ground!” the officer shouts.
Seconds later, the cop shoots Anthony in the back causing the boy to drop to the ground. At this point, the child is clearly incapacitated—not even moving—and the threat is neutralized. However, for good measure, as the teen lies dying on the ground, the cop puts another round in his back in a seeming attempt to finish him off.
Amazingly enough, the two bullets in the boy’s back did not immediately kill him. He would fight for his life for weeks, undergoing several surgeries before succumbing to his injuries earlier this month.
After the shooting, the officer—who is reportedly a 5-year veteran of the department—was placed on administrative leave, where he currently remains.
Anthony’s friend, Lorenzo Soria said he’s never known him to be in trouble with police in the past and said the idea of Cano having a gun seemed “a little off.”
