San Diego police this week released body camera footage from a January officer-involved shooting that ended in Spring Valley after a 10-minute vehicle pursuit through the eastern reaches of the city.

Officer Henry Ingram Jr. fired two rounds at Edwaun Walter Thames, 39, after Thames crashed a stolen 2005 Lexus near Sweetwater Lane County Park and then appeared to reach toward a shiny silver object on the ground. The object turned out to be a novelty cigarette lighter designed to resemble a handgun.

The pursuit began around 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 22, when an officer spotted the car near Euclid and Imperial avenues. Thames briefly stopped before fleeing, running a spike strip at 69th Street that deflated his front tires. He continued east, running stop signs and red lights before losing control at Gillespie Drive and Jamacha Road. A light pole struck by the crash fell onto a pursuing SDPD cruiser, injuring one officer with cuts from broken glass.

When Thames exited the vehicle, he dropped the gun-shaped lighter onto the pavement. Video shows him kneeling on the ground before leaning toward the object with his right hand — at which point Ingram opened fire. A fellow officer can be heard on camera asking, "Is that a real gun?"

Thames was treated for non-fatal gunshot wounds and subsequently booked into county jail on suspicion of auto theft, possession of a stolen vehicle, and felony evasion. SDPD noted the department released the preliminary footage unusually quickly — within hours of the incident — with a more comprehensive video following this week in compliance with California's 45-day critical incident video requirement.