Gabby Petito told a Utah cop that her boyfriend Brian Laundrie assaulted her during the August 12 domestic dispute call, according to newly released bodycam footage obtained by Fox Newson Thursday. However, police still didn't make any arrests or charge Laundrie. Instead, they were considering slapping charges on Petito for assaulting Laundrie.
Prior to Petito being reported missing on September 11, she and Laundrie had an encounter with police that was reported in a witness's 911 call on August 12. Police stopped the two and spoke to them but then let them go without taking any action. Fingers are now being pointed at Uath police for the poor handling of the situation.
Bad Boyfriend
The new bodycam footage shows Petito telling a cop that she was assaulted by Laundrie. The attack allegedly took place just minutes before police stopped the couple's vehicle outside Arches National Park after receiving a "domestic incident" call.
Laundrie, who was driving Petito's white 2012 Ford Transit, on being stopped by the police first slammed the vehicle into the curb. He later told the cops that Petito tugged the steering wheel. And the police believed him although it is not known if Laundrie was telling the truth.
However, police then approached Petito and one of the cops asked her: "Did he hit you though?" according to the second bodycam footage obtained by Fox News.
"I guess. I guess, yea," a crying Petito reportedly continued. "But I hit him first." Petito looked confused and lost. The cop then asks: "Where did he hit you?" the officer replied, according to the outlet. "Don't worry, just be honest."
The footage then shows Petito crying and telling the cops, "He didn't like hit me in the face. He didn't like punch me in the face or anything." She doesn't tell how and where Laundrie hit her but maintains that she was assaulted.
When the officer further probes, "Did he slap your face, or what?" Petito opens up, although still crying, and says, "Well he like, grabbed me with his nail, and I guess that's why it looks, I definitely have a cut right here," she reportedly said, rubbing her cheek. "I can feel it, when I touch it, it burns."
"He got really frustrated with me, and he locked me out of the car and told me to go take a breather, but I didn't want to take a breather. And I wanted to get going. We're out of water."
Saving Laundrie?
The 22-year-old YouTuber then apparently tried to take the blame for the incident as she tearfully replied, "I guess... I guess, yea. But I hit him first." It is not known the reason behind the fight between the two but police then moved on to Laundrie, who tried to defend himself by telling that he was hit by Petito. The bodfycam footage of that was released earlier.
The new footage shows Laundrie claiming that he "didn't have time" to defend himself against Petito's allegations. So he had "pushed away" his fiancé, and told the officer, "She gets really worked up, and when she does she swings and she had her cell phone in her hand. So I was just trying to push her away."
The stop was made by police after a witness reported via a 911 calling claiming that he saw Laundrie "slapping" Petitio inside the car.
When asked by the cops, the witness of the altercation told police Laundrie looked like he was trying to steal Petito's phone, at which point she had scrambled into the car and crawled over him through the driver side door, with Laundrie reportedly having appeared as though he might leave without her.
When asked to clarify whether they ever saw 'the male strike the female', the witness responded, "I wouldn't say that. I think I saw maybe a push or a shove, but not a full on punch to a face or anything."
The witness did, however, say they saw Petito "slapping" Laundrie. Later in the clip, an officer told Laundrie that Petito hadn't admitted he struck her.
That said, Utah police has been slammed for the poor handling of the case and they could easily have arrested Laundrie on that day which he didn't. Laundrie, 23 has been on the lam for more than two weeks, as police continue to investigate the homicide death of Petito whose body was found in a Wyoming park on September 19.
