Body-worn camera footage shows Sam Perone getting verbally and then physically aggressive with a police officer who pulled him over. After a tussle, the officer shot Perone in the leg.The Phoenix Police Department shoots a lot of people, especially compared to other similarly sized departments. But one surefire way to catch a bullet, in Phoenix or anywhere else, is to pick a fight with a cop.
That’s what 46-year-old Sam Perone did, according to body-worn camera footage released by the department on Friday. After being pulled over in a traffic stop in north Phoenix on May 25, Perone yelled aggressively at a Phoenix police officer before squaring up and attacking him. After a tussle, Perone wound up with a bullet in one of his legs and was arrested and criminally charged.
Friday, the Phoenix Police Department released a “critical incident briefing” about the shooting. The department’s briefings are narrated by officers and made public after any police shooting or in-custody death. They typically include a limited selection of dispatch audio and body-worn camera footage.
The video shows Perone immediately getting confrontational with the cop who pulled him over, identified by the department as Michael Uglade-Flores. The veins in Perone’s neck and biceps pop as he screams at Uglade-Flores for four minutes, calling Uglade-Flores a “motherfucker,” a “punk ass bitch” and saying “fuck you” or “fuck your mother” at least 26 times.
After radioing for backup, Uglade-Flores ultimately pushed Perone back and asked him to keep his distance, only for Perone to respond with a sidearm slap before dropping into full fighting form Á la Mortal Kombat. Though Uglade-Flores lost his body-worn camera in the ensuing scrap, cell phone footage taken by a witness during the fight shows the officer brawling with Perone before shooting him.
Phoenix police Sgt. Brian Bower said Uglade-Flores fired at Perone once, hitting him in the leg. Perone was taken to a hospital and treated before being booked into jail. Perone was the fourth person this year to be shot by Phoenix police. The other three died. Phoenix police shot and killed 14 people last year and 12 in 2023, both up from 10 in 2022.
According to the footage released by police, Uglade-Flores pulled Perone over near Cactus Road and 25th Place for allegedly traveling 30 mph in a 40 mph zone and possibly making too many stops. In Arizona, driving too slowly is grounds for a traffic stop and citation.
Perone was immediately hot about the stop. Body-cam footage shows that when Uglade-Flores approached Perone’s vehicle, Perone was already standing outside it. Pretty quickly, his anger went from zero to 100.
“Why are you following me, motherfucker?” Perone asked.
“I’m not following you,” Uglade-Flores responded.
“Yeah you fucking are!” Perone screamed.
For several minutes, Perone went on a verbal rampage, asking Uglade-Flores again why he pulled him over, demanding that he call his supervisor to the scene and refusing to provide his driver’s license. Uglade-Flores replied repeatedly why he’d made the stop, that he had radioed for a superior and that he required Perone’s identification.
“Sir, there is no need to yell – I need your driver’s license,” Uglade-Flores said.
“Fuck you, fucking fuck – I’mma fucking knock… owwwgh!” Perone screamed incoherently before collecting himself. “You’re fucking illegal as fuck right now, kid, and you know you are.” He also accused Uglade-Flores of “stalking” him before saying, “Your dick’s all tiny and shit and everybody knows it.”
In a serious understatement, Uglade-Flores said softly into his radio that Perone was “unhappy.” Perone then finally provided his name but refused to provide his birthday.
“What’s your birthday?” Perone demanded of the cop.
“You don’t need my birthday,” Uglade-Flores said.
“Fuck you, you don’t need to know my shit,” Perone fired back.
Argument gets physical
The verbal joust continued for another 90 seconds as Perone became increasingly aggressive, pacing back and forth and getting in Uglade-Flores’ face and telling him to “back the fuck up.” Uglade-Flores responded by putting his arm out to get Perone back several times, who started swiping the cop’s arm away.
“Dude, please stop walking up on me,” Uglade-Flores said.
“I’m in my goddamn car,” Perone responded, who was standing outside of it.
After a final request from Uglade-Flores to back up, Perone swung at the officer with a slap and dropped into a fighting stance, screaming “Nice, bitch! C’mon!”
After about 20 seconds of tussling, Uglade-Flores’ body-worn camera fell off and landed face down. Nothing else can be seen and little can be heard. But someone was filming the scene from afar and provided the cell phone footage to police.
The video shows Perone flailing with punches at Uglade-Flores. A bystander walked over to attempt to break it up, but was unsuccessful and then backed away. About seven seconds later, the cop pulled away from Perone’s clutches and pointed a gun at Perone, who fell to the ground. According to police, Uglade-Flores said the officer said Perone was reaching for his gun.
Police said Perone was in the hospital for a day with non-life-threatening injuries. After he was discharged, he was booked into jail for aggravated assault on a first responder and attempting to control an officer’s firearm, both class 3 felonies. Uglade-Flores sustained a few injuries but was quickly released from the hospital, police said. He has worked for the department for four years.
According to court documents, Perone posted bond on Friday and was released pending trial.
Traffic stop brawl: Video captures driver fighting with Phoenix police officer
Newly-released body camera footage captures a confrontational traffic stop that ended in a physical fight between the driver and a Phoenix police officer.
On May 25, a police officer stopped a motorist near 25th Street and Cactus Road and the two quickly started arguing over the reason for the traffic stop.
“Why are you following me, (expletive)?” the man says to the officer. “(Expletive), this is illegal.”
The tense exchange continues with more shouting and profanities as the man demands to see the officer’s superior.
“You’re tracking me down, stalking me you little (expletive) turd,” the man yells while standing outside the vehicle.
The interaction continued to escalate until a physical fight broke out, resulting in the officer’s body camera becoming obscured.
A bystander recorded cell phone video of the altercation, which shows someone running over and attempting to pull the man off the Phoenix cop.
The officer fired one shot, striking the man. Phoenix police said the officer and driver were both treated at a local hospital for injuries.
The man was released and booked into the Maricopa County jail. He is facing a charge of aggravated assault.
Phoenix police said the investigation will eventually be reviewed by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
The police video can be seen here.
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Warning: The language and video are explicit.
“Get up off me. I’m in my God d*** car. Back up.” followed by a slap. “Alright, alright, come on b****, we’re fighting. Come on. Come on with it.”
The officer’s body camera falls to the ground amidst sounds of kicking and punching, and an expletive.
What we know:
The officer pulled over 46-year-old Sam Perone near 25th Street and Cactus Road for a traffic violation.
“The officer got out of his marked patrol car and began speaking with the driver, who was already standing outside of his vehicle and being verbally confrontational. The officer explained the reason for the stop and asked for the man’s driver’s license,” stated Phoenix Police officials.
Police say the video shows Perone immediately getting combative, swearing at the officer, and disobeying commands.
“The man’s aggressive demeanor and physical posturing towards the officer continued for several minutes until the man struck at the officer’s head, and a fight broke out,” stated officials.
Timeline:
According to the police, Perone “..grabbed at the officer’s holstered weapon,” resulting in the officer-involved shooting.
More video from a witness across the street shows the fight after the body camera falls off, and a bystander trying to help the officer.
Police say Perone tried to grab the officer’s gun several times, but the officer managed to fire one shot, hitting Perone in the leg.
Perone was transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. He was treated and released the following day, then booked into the Maricopa County Jail.
The backstory:
Police haven’t identified the officer, but said he sustained multiple injuries. He was treated and released from an area hospital. He has about four years of service with Phoenix PD.
