Cunningham said he shoved Cruz-Soto out of the back door and Cruz-Soto fell to the ground and dropped the knife. Cunningham saw the knife on the ground and then kicked Cruz-Soto in order to create separation and prevent him from grabbing the knife, DiChiara s report states.
But Cruz-Soto immediately grabbed the knife again, the report states, and Cunningham drew his firearm to attempt to de-escalate the situation, backed up and repeatedly gave verbal commands to drop the knife.
Cruz-Soto was about 4 feet away from Cunningham and continued to come towards him in an aggressive manner, placing the officer in fear of being seriously injured or killed, the report states.