Shocking moment female hit-and-run driver, 27, 'attempts to run down cop' before he opens fire striking suspect's ex-wife in the passenger seat

Police in Utah have released dashboard camera video showing the moment a driver allegedly tried to run over a uniformed officer with her pickup truck, prompting him to open fire. 

Samantha Bencomo, 27, from Orem, was arrested on Friday and charged with first-degree felony attempted murder of a police officer, failure to stop at the command of law enforcement, and failure to remain at the scene of an accident — damage only.

Bencomo's passenger, her ex-wife Julie Jones, suffered a gunshot wound to the face when the officer who narrowly escaped getting mowed down opened fire on the vehicle. 

+4

The Orem Police Department in Utah on Wednesday released dashboard camera video showing Samantha Bencomo allegedly trying to run over an officer with her green pickup

+4

The uniformed officer ordered Bencomo to stop after she had allegedly struck a Jeep in a car dealership parking lot on Friday evening and drove off 

+4

Video shows the green pickup truck backing up, then accelerating towards the cop, who jumped out of the way and fired his gun at the vehicle 

In charging documents cited by the Daily Herald, police made no mention of the shooting, but during a press conference on Wednesday Orem Police Chief Gary Giles acknowledged that Jones was shot in the chin at the hands of the officer. 

The incident began unfolding at around 6.20pm on Friday, when the owner of the Leiva Motors car dealership in Orem witnessed Bencomo's green pickup truck back up and hit a Jeep Wrangler that was for sale in the lot. 

Bencomo was charged with attempted murder of a police officer, failure to stop at the command of law enforcement, and hit-and-run

The dealership owner followed Bencomo into a nearby gas station, where he flagged down a passing police officer and reported the alleged hit-and-run crash. 

The officer approached Bencomo's truck and ordered her to stop, but she sped off, according to a probable cause statement. 

Shortly after, another Orem police officer spotted Bencomo's truck heading westbound on 800 North and breaking at an intersection.

The officer turned on the emergency lights on his patrol vehicle and pulled up in front of Bencomo's truck to block her path. 

As the dashboard video shows, the uniformed officer then got out of his cruiser and ordered Bencomo to stop. 

The footage shows Bencomo behind the wheel making hand gestures at the officer standing in the road 'in what appears to be an acknowledgment of his presence.'

Bencomo was driving with her ex-wife, Julie Jones, 24, who was in the passenger seat of her pickup truck at the time of the confrontation with the officer 

+4

Jones was shot in the face by the officer, with the bullet shattering her jaw 

The officer in the dashcam video has his gun drawn, but he puts it back in the holster thinking that Bencomo is about to drive away, according to Chief Giles' explanation offered during Wednesday's press conference.  

But she backs up her truck, stops, then accelerates at a high rate of speed toward the officer, who manages to move out of the way without getting struck. 

Chief Giles said that as Bencomo changed direction and swerved toward the officer in an alleged attempt to run him over, the cop raised his gun and fired several shots at the vehicle, reported KSL. 

The front passenger side of the suspect's pickup truck struck the officer as one of his rounds hit Jones in the face, injuring her jaw. 

Bencomo fled, but crashed her vehicle a short distance away and was apprehended. 

Her wounded ex-wife was rushed to a hospital, where she underwent surgery on Saturday and was heavily sedated. Jones is expected to recover. 

The officer who was hit by the suspect's court was not seriously hurt, according to the chief. 

Prior to the press conference, Jones' family members demanded that the police department publicly admit that the officer had shot her.

'We’re very frustrated,' Jones stepmother, Laura Jones, told Deseret News. 'Nobody is even acknowledging she was even there,” Laura Jones said. “We understand that mistakes happen. We just want them to acknowledge it was a mistake. We’re not looking to end anyone’s career. Just acknowledge what happened.'

Julie's father, Dale Jones, wrote a post on Facebook accusing the Orem Police Department of lying.  

Dale Jones, Julie's father, criticized the police department over his daughter's shooting 

Chief Giles pushed back against the claims that his agency has tried in any way to 'downplay' the officer-involved shooting. 

He told reporters that the shooting was not mentioned in the charging papers because it was not a 'critical' part of the reason why Bencomo was arrested. 

He added that initially officers did not know that Julie Jones' facial injury was from a gunshot wound and not from the crash. 

'My heart goes out to the family and to [Jones]. and I wish her a full recovery,' he said. 

The chief did not say whether Jones would face any charges in connection to the incident after being discharged from the hospital. 

Her family said they believe their daughter tried to stop Bencomo and grabbed the wheel from her, causing her to wreck the pickup truck.

'That’s why they stopped, 'cause she wanted to end the chase because she had been shot in the face,' Laura Jones told ABC4. 

According to the stepmother, Julie and Samantha's relationship has long been toxic and their marriage was marked by alleged instances of domestic violence. 

Jones had recently left Bencomo and moved back in with her family.

Bencomo reportedly has a past criminal record that includes charges of shoplifting, forgery and drug offenses. 

Meanwhile, Jones' family have launched a Facebook fundraiser to help pay for her medical expenses, which as of Thursday has drawn more than $1,200 in donations.