The footage, at least as edited, shows a largely civil encounter between Abdulazeez and two police officers after 2 a.m. on April 20.
Advertisement
Abdulazeez tried to explain his erratic driving away due to a lack of sleep. Family also noted Abdulazeez recently had struggles with sleeping pills after having trouble adjusting to a new job where he worked a 12-hour overnight shift.
An officer asks about powder on or near Abdulazeez’s nose, which he says is from snorting caffeine pills.
As cops began to interrogate him, Abdulazeez denied drinking, saying he’d earlier been with friends who had.
Chattanooga Police issued Abdulazeez a citation after his auto collided with a fence. Once the officer flashed his lights and ordered Abdulazeez over a loudspeaker to pull over to the right, the driver stopped – on the left.
After conducting a few field sobriety tests, officers arrested Abdulazeez. “Caffeine pills up your nose, man, c’mon!”
“Aw, awful!” the officer said as he handcuffed and arrested the DUI suspect.
The 24-year-old fatally shot four Marines and a Navy sailor in the July 16 attack on a military reserve center, before he was shot and killed during a firefight with police. He refused to consent to the state blood test, police said. Later reports indicate that Abdulazeez had a history of depression, drug use, and potential extremist leanings before he launched his attack. “I mean was my driving that…” During the stop, an officer says he noticed that Abdulazeez’s vehicle smelled like alcohol and marijuana odor, and that his eyes were bloodshot and he was unsteady with slurred speech, according to the arrest report.
Advertisement
“It was”, the officer said.
