Allen Matthew Baker III booking photo
SANTA CLARA COUNTY — An officer with the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety has been cleared in the fatal shooting of an armed suspect who’d pointed a gun at him after a brief foot chase.
On August 15th of last year, 9-1-1 dispatchers received a tip that prostitutes were working out of a Motel 6 located at 806 West Ahwanee Avenue in Sunnyvale. Responding officers approached a vehicle with tinted windows, which had been described by the motel manager as having two women inside — one suspected of being a minor.
A male suspect who was also in the vehicle, 23-year-old Allen Matthew Baker III, remained seated while two other suspects fled, one of whom was 19-year-old Shawn Lamont Brown. As it turned out, Brown was wanted for murder in East central Fresno. Baker eventually fled himself.
Officer Smart, an 18-year veteran, gave chase and attempted to subdue Baker with a taser but failed. During the chase, a loaded magazine fell out of Baker’s backpack. Eventually the two reached a fenced off area. With Baker cornered, he turned and produced a loaded handgun, which he then aimed at his own chest and threatened to kill himself. Officer Smart instructed Baker to drop the weapon, at which point Baker aimed it at the officer.
Officer Smart fired 5-7 shots, killing Baker at the scene.
Santa Clara County Prosecutor Attorney Christopher Lamiero concluded in his 24-page public report: “The situation Baker created carried such an imminent threat of death or bodily injury to Officer (Bryan) Smart and his fellow officers that the only reasonable action available to Officer Smart was to fire [his own weapon.]”
Baker was facing a robbery conviction for which he would have served 16 years.
The driver of the vehicle was arrested at the scene. Shawn Lamont Brown was later apprehended in Las Vegas and extradited back to Fresno.
