Phoenix police shot and then ran over a 38-year-old man they thought was banging on an apartment door with a knife. They later clarified that David Epaloose wasn't the man they were after.

Epaloose suffered serious injuries in the January 12 incident after leading officers on a foot chase and allegedly brandishing a pellet gun several times, according to police. Officers arrested him, and he now faces eight charges, including four counts of aggravated assault, two counts of attempting to commit aggravated assault, and two drug charges.

Phoenix police released video footage of the incident on January 26. The footage is part of the agency's “critical incident briefing,” which is made public after any police shooting or in-custody death. The briefings are narrated by officers and include edited compilations of body camera footage, dispatch audio, and other information regarding an incident.

A 911 caller reported that a man was banging on an apartment door with a knife near 14th Street and McDowell Road. In the briefing — and a January 13 press release about the incident — police said the man was kicking the door while holding a knife. The caller mentioned that the man had recently been involved in a domestic violence incident with someone inside.

When officers arrived in the area, they spotted a man they suspected was the person from the apartment incident, Sgt. Brian Bowers, a department spokesperson, said in the briefing video.

"Put your hands up in the air, and you won’t get hurt," an officer said in body camera footage.

Epaloose responded, “I ain’t do nothing.” An officer repeated commands for Epaloose to put his hands in the air. Epaloose turned and started walking away.

Police fired pepper balls and foam projectiles at Epaloose during their pursuit, according to the briefing. Video surveillance footage from a store showed that Epaloose pointed a gun at officers. The weapon turned out to be a pellet gun that police said was “made to look like a semiautomatic handgun.”

During the pursuit, another officer arrived, ran toward Epaloose with a shotgun, and shot him one time. The shot is audible in body camera footage from two other officers as they arrive in another patrol vehicle. One of the officers said, "We're running him over. Hold on."

A few seconds later, the driver of the police cruiser — a Chevrolet Tahoe — accelerated and struck Epaloose before crashing into a fence.

In a January 13 statement about the officer-involved shooting, the agency claimed Epaloose was shot and struck at the same time.

"Simultaneously, an officer and his passenger officer drove a marked patrol Tahoe at the man, striking him and ending the threat," police said in the press release.

Video in the briefing released two weeks later contradicted that claim.

Bowers said Epaloose was taken to the hospital and treated for serious injuries.

“During the investigation, detectives learned that the man involved in this critical incident was not the same person in the original 911 emergency call,” Bowers said in the video.

Police later charged Epaloose with eight offenses. On January 31, Epaloose was indicted by a grand jury for those eight charges.

Bowers declined to directly respond to questions from Phoenix New Times about why officers suspected Epaloose was the man involved in the apartment incident.

“Prior to lethal force being used, the man pointed a handgun at officers, and several less-lethal engagements took place to stop the man's behavior leading to the officer-involved shooting,” Bowers said.

Police later arrested Juan Soto-Boon, 25, and charged him with attempted burglary in the January 12 incident at the apartment. However, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office refused to prosecute the case since there wasn't a reasonable likelihood of a conviction, according to Jeanine L'Ecuyer, a spokesperson for the county attorney's office. A misdemeanor charge of criminal damage against Soto-Boon was referred to city prosecutors, L'Ecuyer said.

The county attorney’s office has opened a criminal investigation into the shooting, and police are conducting an internal investigation to determine if officers followed department policy.

The U.S. Department of Justice has been investigating Phoenix police for 30 months regarding patterns in the use of force by officers, discriminatory policing, and the treatment of unsheltered and disabled people. Chief Michael Sullivan was brought in to lead the department in September 2022 as it dealt with the probe.

This incident adds to the scrutiny faced by the Phoenix Police Department as it navigates ongoing investigations and attempts to address issues related to its practices and policies.