Utah Police Release Bodycam Footage Showing Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie
The Moab Police Department in Utah released bodycam footage Thursday morning showing officers interacting with Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie after an altercation that took place before her disappearance.
A witness called 911 around 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 12 over a “possible domestic violence” situation and said he saw the couple arguing over a phone, according to Fox News.
“The driver of the van, a male, had some sort of argument with the female, Gabbie,” a responding officer wrote in the report, citing conversations he had with Petito, Laundrie, and the witness.
“The male tried to create distance by telling Gabbie to go take a walk to calm down, she didn’t want to be separated from the male, and began slapping him,” the report said. “He grabbed her face and pushed her back as she pressed upon him and the van, he tried to lock her out and succeeded except for his driver’s door, she opened that and forced her way over him and into the vehicle before it drove off.”
The responding officer initially wrote that he believed “it was reported the male had been observed to have assaulted the female,” but later explained that “no one reported that the male struck the female.”
Another responding officer said the incident can be “more accurately categorized as a mental/emotional health ‘break’ than a domestic assault,” and that “no significant injuries” were reported.
The couple told police they “are in love and engaged to be married and desperately didn’t wish to see anyone charged with a crime,” according to the report.
The report also stated that Laundrie stayed in a hotel that night and Petito stayed the van.
Petito was last seen on Aug. 25 in Grand Teton National Park and was reported missing by her family on Sept. 11. Meanwhile, Laundrie drove back home to North Port on Sept. 1.
Laundrie was named as a person of interest on Wednesday and his attorney released the statement below on Wednesday night that reads:
“Many people are wondering why Mr. Laundrie would not make a statement or speak with law enforcement in the face of Ms. Petito’s absence. In my experience, intimate partners are often the first person law enforcement focus their attention on in cases like this and the warning that “any statement made will be used against you” is true, regardless of whether my client had anything to do with Ms. Petito’s disappearance. As such, on the advice of counsel Mr. Laundrie is not speaking on the matter.
I have been informed that the North Port, Florida police have named Brian Laundrie as a “person of interest” in this matter. This formality has not really changed the circumstances of Mr. Laundrie being the focus of attention of law enforcement and Mr. Laundrie will continue to remain silent on the advice of counsel.”
The North Port Police Department held a press conference Wednesday evening. Watch below:
The FBI has set up a national hotline to receive tips: 1-800-CALLFBI (225-5324). Tips can also be submitted to tips.fbi.gov.
