WARNING: The video below contains explicit language and graphic images that viewers may find disturbing.
Video courtesy of El Cajon Police Department.
EL CAJON, Calif. – New body-worn camera video released Tuesday shows the moment when a 26-year-old man swung a baseball bat at an El Cajon police officer last week outside of a Walmart store.
At about 3:40 p.m. March 4, police say they received a call from the store’s loss prevention staff about a man attempting to steal sporting goods and threatening workers with an aluminum baseball bat. A uniformed officer arrived within minutes to search for the suspect, identified as Julian Sebastien Kurko. The officer spotted Kurko walking out the front of the store at 605 Fletcher Parkway.
Edited bodycam video released by the department comes as a reminder “of the danger and risk our police officers face daily,” police Lt. Randy Soulard wrote in a news release.
It captures the officer, who hasn’t been publicly identified, approaching Kurko in front of the store.
“Hi there, man. Can we just sit down for a second and talk about what’s going on?” the officer asks, pausing momentarily before instructing him to, “Drop the bat.”
The officer repeats his request to drop it three times before Kurko is seen surging forward, pulling the bat back behind his right shoulder and swinging it at the officer. A scuffle breaks out, with the officer attempting to restrain Kurko until other officers arrived for backup, according to Soulard.
Once restrained, Kurko is heard telling the officer, “I’ll f—— kill you, m—– f—–.”
The officer radios in what just occurred: “261 cover now,” he said. “One for 245 on a police officer with a bat.”
Kurko continues to struggle and utters another similar remark to the officer.
“I want to kill you, bro,” he said. “I really f—— do.”
Kurko was booked into San Diego Central Jail later that day on felony counts of attempted murder of a police officer and robbery, jail records show. He is not eligible for bail. The department also released a list of Kurko’s criminal history dating back to 2014, which includes multiple arrests for assault with a deadly weapon, brandishing a deadly weapon, making threats and drug charges.
The officer depicted in the video of the attack has returned to full duty, police said.
Those with information about the incident were asked to call El Cajon police at 619-579-3311.