EL CAJON, Calif., Sept. 30 (UPI) -- Police near San Diego on Friday agreed to release video footage that depicts the shooting of an unarmed man, after violent protests brought chaos to the incident.
The cellphone and surveillance footage captures the confrontation that resulted in the death of Alfred Olango, who was shot Tuesday after El Cajon police say he behaved in an aggressive manner.
The videos were set to be released Friday afternoon.
Olango, 38, a Ugandan refugee, was later found to be unarmed but officers at the scene say he took a "shooting stance" that led them to believe he was preparing to fire a gun at them.
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The item he was holding turned out to be an electronic cigarette, officials said.
Protests of the shooting turned violent on Thursday and police used pepper balls to disperse a crowd.
Police said protesters occupied an intersection and stopped vehicles, where they broke car windows and knocked a man off his motorcycle.
A photographer for the San Diego Union-Tribune was also attacked and robbed while sitting in his truck.
Two men, a 19- and 28-year-old, were arrested on suspicion of unlawful assembly.
Hundreds protested without incident on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
The events leading to the shooting unfolded after police received a 911 call of a man acting "erratically" and walking into traffic. The caller said she was Olango's sister, and that the man was mentally unstable and unarmed.
The man's mother has also said her son was on the verge of a mental breakdown, due to the recent loss of a friend, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.
Police said Olango paced with his hands in his pockets and didn't obey police commands. Police Chief Jeff Davis said Olango "rapidly drew what turned out to be the cigarette," with both hands "like you would be holding a firearm."
El Cajon is located about 30 miles east of downtown San Diego.
