January 9, 2024
SIOUX CITY, Iowa - At approximately 4 a.m. on Monday, January 8, 2024, a Sioux City patrol officer was parked inside the parking garage located at the Hard Rock Casino. While the officer was parked, he observed a white truck driving towards him. The truck rammed his patrol vehicle head-on.
The lone subject in the truck continued to exit the parking garage and was met with other responding officers. He drove directly at a second Sioux City patrol vehicle, ramming it head-on. The driver, later identified as 55-year-old Salvador Perez-Garcia of Sioux City, exited the truck swinging a length of chain with an affixed metal object in an aggressive, threatening manner. Officers attempted to de-escalate the situation and physically attempted to disarm him but were unsuccessful.
Perez-Garcia refused to comply with the officers’ commands and continued to approach them swinging the object. Officers fired their duty weapons, striking him. The officers then performed lifesaving measures, but Perez-Garcia died at the scene.
The involved Sioux City police officers’ names and additional facts of the incident are not being released at this time and the officers have been placed on critical incident leave.
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is investigating the shooting. Upon completion of the investigation, the report will be submitted to the Woodbury County Attorney’s Office and the Iowa Attorney General’s Office for review.
ABOUT THE IOWA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
The Iowa Department of Public Safety (DPS) is the largest law enforcement agency in the state. It includes six divisions and several bureaus, all working together with local, state and federal government agencies and the private sector, to keep Iowa a safe place by following our core values: leadership, integrity, professionalism, courtesy, service and protection. Divisions within the Iowa DPS: Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Iowa State Patrol, Iowa State Fire Marshal Division, Iowa Division of Intelligence and Fusion Center, and Administrative Services Division. The Department of Public Safety is led by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Governor.
Iowa Department of Public Safety
215 E 7th St
Des Moines IA 50319
https://dps.iowa.gov