On the morning of April 26, 62-year-old United States Marine Corps combat veteran Norman Valdez and Lisa Valdez, Norman’s 59-year-old wife of 19 years, hopped into their car at their McArthur area ranch in rural eastern Shasta County. They headed to Redding to attend the Kool April Nights Classic Car Show taking place that day at the Civic Center.
The Valdezes had driven their 1968 Camaro in the annual Kool April Nights Cruise in Redding the night before, and they were excited to check out cars on display at the car show.
“It was a beautiful sunny spring day with white fluffy clouds and a cool breeze,” recalled Lisa Valdez during a conversation with A News Café about the couple’s 75-minute drive down Highway 299 into Redding that morning.
“I was looking forward to going to the car show, and had purchased our cruise pass and wristbands months before,” said Lisa.
The McArthur couple spent $154 for their Kool April Nites package that included show registration for their 1968 Chevy, three tickets for the win-the-engine drawing, two Kool April Nites T-shirts, and Poker Walk cards.
Norman, who was driving their vehicle as Lisa enjoyed the springtime scenery, said he was also “looking forward to a fun day in Redding looking at all of the rides.”
Norman and Lisa Valdez, 2002.
Unexpected change of plans
Contrary to their carefree plans, by around noon that day Norman found himself sitting in the Shasta County Jail after a physical run-in with off-duty Redding Police Department officer Jacob Ruiz outside a Kool April Nights car show parking lot.
Ruiz, like Valdez, is also a USMC combat veteran.
Valdez while serving in Iraq (left) and Ruiz (right) while serving somewhere overseas. Source: Facebook
Lisa, on the other hand, spent all day waiting to find out what crimes her husband was charged with, and when he would be released from jail.
She spent time waiting in her car in the jail’s parking lot. She visited Barnes & Noble and browsed through books to pass the time. She also spent time studying for the final exams she’s planning to complete to become a paramedic after working as a registered nurse for 34 years.
Needless to say, the Valdezes did not make it to the car show that day.
Norman Valdez and his 4-month-old Spanish Mastiff dog Leo in 2022
Norman sits in jail, Lisa gives up and heads home
At around 8:30 p.m. on the evening of April 26, after waiting all day to see if her husband would be released from jail, Lisa gave up and headed home to McArthur. She needed to return to the couple’s 80-acre McArthur ranch to tend to their livestock. The Valdez ranch has Highland cows, dairy goats, and poultry.
Valdez with a highland cow named “Baby” and the cow’s newborn calf, “Sir Loin.”
Valdez spent the night in jail. He was not released until late in the afternoon on April 27, more than 24 hours after his arrest. His wife posted $500 bail – 10 percent of $5,000 – for her husband’s release.
Lisa Valdez’s medical background was instrumental in her motivation to spend an additional $150 to have her husband undergo testing for drugs and/or alcohol. She challenged RPD’s allegations, and wanted the tests to confirm what she already knew to be true; that no drugs or alcohol would be found in Norman’s system.
At his wife’s insistence, Norman underwent an ETG test, which goes back further to previous days to detect drugs or alcohol. The report results for every test came back negative, with no signs of any drugs or alcohol.
Despite RPD’s accusations that Valdez was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, RPD did not test Valdez to determine if he had drugs or alcohol in his system. According to Lisa Valdez, the RPD allegedly also refused to have Valdez checked out by medical staff after his arrest, despite the fact that Valdez informed RPD officers that he had a history of traumatic brain injuries, and had standing orders from his physician to always be evaluated after any strike to the head.
A video of the incident that later emerged clearly showed that in the course of Valdez’s arrest, three law enforcement personnel wrestled Valdez to the ground face first, after which Ruiz kneeled with his full weight upon Valdez’s head as Valdez yelled, “You’re hurting me! I can’t breathe.”
Lisa Valdez is outraged.
“I have been an RN since 1991, an EMT, and just finished the classroom portion of paramedic school, so I tend to think of the need to show that he wasn’t impaired,” Lisa Valdez said. “I am appalled that they did not obtain care or testing.”
On Apr. 26, following Valdez’s arrest, the RPD released a “news release” on Facebook. Valdez’s arrest, however, despite being reported by local news outlets, received little attention – at least initially.
Video of incident surfaces
Everything changed, however, nearly one month after the traumatic day when Norman Valdez was forced to the ground by two police officers and a deputy, arrested and booked in the Shasta County Jail. On May 17, a video of the latter portion of the physical altercation between Valdez and off-duty RPD officer Ruiz was shared on Reddit. An unknown videographer, who goes by ShastaAudit, both recorded and shared the video.
A News Café emailed questions to ShastaAudit, but did not receive a response.
ShastaAudit’s video quickly went viral shortly after it was posted on Reddit. At the time of this story’s publication, tens of thousands of people have viewed the video, and thousands more have shared it on Reddit and other social media platforms.
Across multiple social media platforms, people continue to weigh with observations and opinions about what they saw in the video.
A News Café spoke with Norman Valdez and Lisa Valdez, as well as RPD authorities. However, Norman Valdez declined to say too much about the incident because of the criminal charges he currently faces.
The Valdezes travel to Redding for Kool April Nites
When the Valdezes arrived in Redding for the Kool April Nites event, they stopped at the Starbucks on Lake Boulevard and purchased two drinks at 10:59 a.m. According to receipts they shared with A News Café, Norman purchased a venti café mocha. Lisa ordered a venti chai latte with whipped cream, cinnamon powder, and five pumps of cinnamon dolce syrup.
After departing from Starbucks, the Valdezes headed to Gas 4 Less in downtown Redding and purchased gas for their vehicle at 11:25 a.m.
Following their stop to get gas, the Valdezes headed to the Civic Auditorium area with Norman still at the wheel. When they entered the Civic Center grounds, they were denied entry to the main parking lot by a traffic flagger who said the lot was filled to capacity.
The traffic flagger advised Norman to park in the public parking lot on Butte Street located on the other side of Highway 44 from the Civic Center.
Valdez attempts to park again
However, when Valdez finally got to the front of the line to pull into the Butte Street parking lot, a uniformed female RPD Community Service Officer traffic flagger told Valdez that that lot was also full, and said Valdez had to find other parking.
As the CSO was telling Valdez he could not park in the lot, Valdez noticed several cars exiting that very lot. This led Valdez to ask if spots in the lot were opening up, as he watched multiple cars leave the lot.
The CSO informed Valdez that the drivers of those cars were using the lot to turn around, and that they, too, had to park elsewhere because the lot was full.
It was during this exchange between Valdez and a CSO when the situation took an immediate, unexpected turn for the worst.
Enter off-duty RPD officer Jacob Ruiz
As the CSO and Valdez discussed the parking situation, off-duty RPD officer Jacob Ruiz, dressed in a baseball cap, blue jeans and a dark purple and grey long sleeve flannel shirt, abruptly walked up to the CSO speaking with Norman and asked, “What’s his problem?” According to the RPD report, Ruiz was in the process of leaving the Kool April Nights event with his family.
According to Lisa Valdez, out of the blue, Ruiz — who is approximately half Valdez’s age — “started screaming at us to move the car.”
The Valdezes said that Ruiz threatened to have Norman arrested if he did not immediately move the car. The Valdezes said they heard Ruiz shout something into their car window, but they couldn’t quite make out what he’d said. In retrospect, Valdez guessed that Ruiz was trying to identity himself as an off-duty RPD officer.
“He was not mad,” Lisa Valdez recalled regarding her husband’s demeanor as he spoke with the CSO.
“It was after Ruiz started screaming and threatening us that he became upset,” Lisa Valdez said. “He did not yell, and I convinced him to just drive.”
Norman followed the CSO’s recommendation and parked in a nearby parking lot around the corner on Sequoia Street.
The Valdezes then proceeded to walk to the Civic Center to attend the car show. The direct route to the Civic Center passed by parking areas where they had been previously denied entry.
Different stories emerge
The Valdezes and RPD have different accounts as to what happened when the Valdezes walked past the parking lot where Norman Valdez had been recently turned away. RPD claims it’s heard from several witnesses who allegedly support RPD’s side of the story.
The Valdezes say that Norman stopped after passing the gate to the parking lot to wait for his wife to catch up, and during that time he engaged in a brief conversation with one of CSOs, who informed Valdez that he couldn’t stand where he was standing on the public sidewalk. A tall chain link fence separated Norman Valdez and the CSO.
Citing pending legal matters, Norman declined to share with A News Cafe what he said to the CSO. But Lisa remembers being a little ways behind Norman on the sidewalk when she heard him say, “Shut the fuck up.” Lisa said Norman was irritated at the CSO for asking him to move from where he was standing on the public sidewalk while he waited for her to catch up.
According to an April 26 RPD news release published on Facebook, Valdez was the main and lone aggressor in the situation. The RPD’s news release claimed Valdez became “increasingly aggressive” as the situation evolved, yelling profanities and gender-specific slurs and displaying obscene gestures at two female CSOs, and at police cadet teens between the ages of 14 and 18.
Several social media commenters called out discrepancies between what they saw on the video and RPD’s explanation that put full blame on Valdez.
The RPD reported that Ruiz, who was still in the parking lot, likely near his personal vehicle he’d brought to the event, ran out to the street when he heard a commotion. There, Ruiz confronted Valdez for a second time.
The Valdezes insist that Ruiz ran up behind Norman and hit his hands, which caused Norman to drop his Starbucks coffee cup, which spilled over the ground. They told A News Café that Norman had his back turned to Ruiz when Ruiz approached Norman, and that Norman was caught off guard when Ruiz ran up to Norman from behind, all of which the Valdezes said occurred prior to when the unknown man started to record the incident.
RPD’s version of the story goes on to say that Valdez shoved his coffee into Ruiz’s face, pushed Ruiz, and screamed in his face – in addition to yelling at the CSO – in the moments before the video began that captured the conclusion of the incident between Valdez and Ruiz.
Norman Valdez told A News Café that Ruiz flashed his wallet to show Valdez his RPD badge, or some kind credentials to identity himself as a police officer, but but at the time, Norman couldn’t see what Ruiz flashed in his face because he has farsighted vision.
Norman said that it was around that time when Ruiz pulled up his flannel shirt to reveal the officer’s concealed firearm secured near his waist.
The viral video
The viral video of the encounter between Valdez and Ruiz starts midway through the incident after Ruiz allegedly showed Valdez proof he was an RPD officer and flashed his concealed firearm.
The video of Valdez and Ruiz shows Ruiz repeatedly pushing Valdez backward while trying to grab Valdez’s arms and neck as Ruiz shouts at Valdez to get away from the women and children.
Ruiz was also captured in the video yelling, “Get on the ground mother fucker!”
The Valdezes said that contrary to the RPD report, the couple did not see any children present at the gates to the parking lot where the incident occurred.
Screenshots from the viral video of the encounter between Norman Valdez and Jacob Ruiz. Source: ShastaAudit
Screenshots from the viral video of the encounter between Norman Valdez and Jacob Ruiz. Source: ShastaAudit
Off-duty officer Ruiz attempts to arrest Valdez, or does he?
Valdez and the unknown man recording the video are seen and heard in the video asking Ruiz what crime Valdez was guilty of committing. Ruiz shouted out that Valdez was “guilty of obstructing a public officer” and that he was a “415 subject.” 415 is the penal code for disturbing the peace.
Many people who have viewed the viral video question what, exactly, Ruiz was trying to accomplish as he repeatedly pushed and grabbed at Valdez, because Valdez was not fighting back.
It is unclear whether Ruiz was trying to take Valdez into custody and arrest him, or if he was, as Ruiz had claimed, ostensibly protecting people from Valdez.
However, the video also shows that Valdez and Ruiz were about 40 to 50 feet away from the gate to the parking lot and the CSOs, as the CSOs stood behind the tall chain-link gate while watching the heated encounter between the two men.
Valdez’s primary facial expressions in the 2:48 minute video was one of shock as Ruiz continuously came after and confronted Valdez. Ruiz, on the other hand, appeared angry and determined to keep pushing Valdez backward down the bumpy pothole-filled grassy knoll adjacent to the sidewalk.
As seen in the video, Ruiz, accompanied by an unknown off-duty SCSO deputy who suddenly appeared on the scene, roughly forced Norman to the ground, chest down. Ruiz kneeled on Valdez’s head and neck as the on-duty RPD officer placed handcuffs on Valdez.
Valdez is seen and heard in the video shouting, “Would you like me to get on the ground?”
The video concludes right after Valdez was arrested at about 11:45 a.m. He was then taken to the Shasta County Jail.
Valdez is facing three misdemeanor charges of battery on a peace officer, disorderly conduct while under the influence of drugs, and obstructing or resisting a public peace officer. However, these allegations were made by RPD without ever testing Valdez for drugs or alcohol while he was in RPD custody.
RPD Update
After the video was posted on Reddit and went viral on May 17, the RPD posted a Facebook response on May 19 in the form of an “update” about the arrest. The RPD update said the RPD stands by the arrest of Valdez and the actions of Ruiz.
The RPD Facebook update about the incident also asked for members of the public to please step forward if they can help the RPD figure out what happened in the moments leading up to the point where the viral amateur video of the incident began: “We ask that any members of the community who may have captured video or photos of the whole encounter please get in touch with our Administration Division at 530-225-4200 to assist in the investigation.”
Valdez’s military service record
Valdez served for both the United States Marine Crops and the California National Guard over the course of 27 years of distinguished military service.
Valdez joined the USMC right out of high school in 1980. He signed up five days before he turned 18. He eventually rose to the rank of an E6 Platoon Sergeant – meaning that Valdez was a Staff Sergeant and a platoon squad leader of around 10 men.
In 1994, Valdez transferred to the California National Guard.
After the September 11 Attacks, while still a serving with the CNG, Valdez worked as a security guard for Homeland Security where he guarded the Golden Gate Bridge, among other high-risk, sensitive locations.
In 2004, Valdez shipped off for Iraq with the 579th Engineer Battalion while serving as a member of the California National Guard. The Engineer Battalion is known for supporting military operations and engineering operations in the U.S. and abroad.
Norman Valdez, left, with a fellow Marine in Iraq, 2004.
Valdez hands out gifts to Iraqi citizens in Balad, Iraq, in 2004
Survived two IED explosion in Iraq
Valdez survived two different Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosions in 2004 during his few months of service in Iraq. In both instances roadside IEDs blew up and destroyed Humvees he was driving. In both instances, the Humvees Valdez was driving were protected by what is commonly referred to as “hillbilly armor,” scrap metal salvaged from landfills and other types of repurposed junk items.
The aftermath of the first Humvee explosion experienced by Valdez and others in Iraq in 2004. The second Humvee explosion experienced by Valdez led to the death of one passenger, an Iraqi solider.
Valdez was seriously injured in November of 2024 during the second IED explosion. It occurred during a violent period of fighting in Iraq that has been referred to by some as “Bloody November.”
One of the passengers in the Humvee, an Iraqi solider, was killed during the second IED blast. Other passengers were seriously injured and suffered gruesome injures.
One military mission Valdez participated in during his service in Iraq was featured in a May 2004 Los Angeles Times story.
According to recent polls, as many as 75 percent of Americans view the Iraq War unfavorably. Many viewed the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq, which lasted from 2003 to 2011, as not only a bad idea, but a highly unethical and immoral war.
The Shasta County Administrative Office in Redding is home to a Veterans Memorial Display that honors Shasta County residents who died in service since World War II, including the Iraq War. Norman Valdez nearly made it onto that list during his service in Iraq.
‘When Death Missed Its Mark’
Valdez shared with A News Cafe an 8-page essay he wrote in 2016 about his experiences while serving in Iraq. The essay, titled, “When Death Missed Its Mark,” is filled with graphic details regarding the death, violence, and carnage he witnessed first-hand during his service in Iraq.
Valdez’s essay is a powerful and compelling look into the mind of someone who has survived multiple violent battlefields and close encounters with death. It’s also a look into someone’s mind who suffers from PTSD and still experiences unrelenting, excruciating nightmares.
“When I reflect on what happened in June, or November when I was injured, a good night’s sleep is just a dream. For the last 12 years, in June, August, and again in November, I suffer multiple nights of soaking night sweats that eventually wake me up.”
Valdez received a severe concussion during the second IED explosion, which destroyed the Humvee he was driving. He also experienced ulnar nerve and tendon damage in his left arm along with residual functional damage – meaning he suffered weakness, numbness, and fatigue long after the injury.
Valdez retained shrapnel in his left arm that caused pain for several years until it was finally treated. His left calf was also wounded by shrapnel.
Valdez holds up his injured left arm after the second IED explosion.
The second IED explosion ended Valdez’s service in Iraq. When Valdez first returned to the U.S. in late 2004, he wore a brace on his left hand and wrist. His fingers on his left hand were not functional.
It took nine months of occupational therapy before Valdez could do something as simple as shuffle playing cards.
“To this day, I still retain some very small shrapnel in my left arm, and I have nerve damage in my left hand; far worse is the Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD),” wrote Valdez in his essay.
Valdez was diagnosed with PTSD shortly after returning to the U.S. from Iraq in 2004.
In the final line of the essay, after the last paragraph, Valdez wrote, “As I write this, it is 1:20 a.m. on the 28th of August. I cannot sleep.”
Valdez was interviewed for a 2005 SF Gate news story about an action war drama TV series based in Iraq called “Over There” that ran on FX for one season.
“To tell the truth, I never watch the news or any media that has to do with Iraq,” said Valdez to the reporter.
When the couple was asked what Valdez meant by his statements, Lisa chimed in.
“That was really soon after he got back, and he was still recovering, so everything was too fresh. It was too stressful at the time,” Lisa said. “He can watch movies now, but still, unexpected things will cause an emotional reaction, like scenes of an officer having to list IDs and names of deceased soldiers in his command, as he had to do with some of his soldiers.”
Purple Heart, other awards and recognition
Following his service in Iraq, Valdez was awarded a Purple Heart Medal, a Bronze Star, and a DeFleury Medal. He continued to serve with the California National Guard until retiring in 2007 as an E7 Sgt. First Class.
Valdez, right, shortly after he was awarded the Purple Heart Medal. It is pinned to his shirt.
Valdez’s name is one of many former members of the California National Guard at the National Guard Armory in Petaluma. There, a monument honors California National Guard soldiers who were killed or injured in the line of duty during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A memorial at the National Guard Armory in Petaluma that includes Valdez’s name.
The plaque on the memorial at the National Guard Armory in Petaluma that includes Norman Valdez’s name.
Coincidentally, the incident between off-duty RPD officer Jacob Ruiz and Norman Valdez on April 26 was an encounter between two North State USMC combat veterans.
According to online records, Ruiz served as a scout sniper/infantryman and a scout sniper instructor with the USMC during a military career that lasted more than 9 years. He joined the Redding Police Department following his graduation from the police academy in December of 2018.
Memorable North State veteran suffered fatal ending at hands of law enforcement
The last time A News Café reported about a USMC veteran who suffered from PTSD, who also experienced a run-in with law enforcement, was a story about 41-year-old combat veteran Thomas Barbosa. Barbosa was killed under what courts eventually referred to as questionable circumstances by on-duty Shasta County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Jose Gonzales.
As reported by A News Café, Shasta County District Attorney Stephanie Bridgett declared that after an investigation conducted by the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office and RPD, there was insufficient evidence to support the filing of criminal charges against Gonzalez for killing Barbosa.
Nearly exactly two years after Barbosa’s death, Shasta County awarded Barbosa’s family $12 million in a settlement to avoid trial for a wrongful death lawsuit. Gonzalez left the SCSO and has reportedly moved out of the area.
On this Memorial Day it’s noteworthy that the encounter between Ruiz and Valdez did not result in the death of yet another USMC combat veteran suffering from PTSD here in Shasta County, a place that has one of the largest number of veterans per capita in California; about 10 percent of the population.
Norman Valdez and Jacob Ruiz are among the many veterans who call Shasta County home. And as combat veterans, they have the further distinction of being among only 10 percent of all military personnel to actually go into combat and have to fire their weapons.
Shasta County DA Stephanie Bridgett has yet to bring charges against Valdez. He is scheduled for a June 30 arraignment.
Until then, the video continues to circulate, drawing yet more critical comments within the court of public opinion, even from people who normally side with law enforcement.
This online statement by Jonathan Boyko is just one example:
“First of all, I am pro LEO, I even work very closely with them in Los Angeles,” wrote Boyko. “The off duty officer was completely out of line; he even escalated the situation. He was off duty. He put the department and himself at risk for a lawsuit. He should have stepped in only of the situation called for it, and this situation was not one of those that called for him to intervene. He should have been a better witness. This officer should be suspended, if not terminated pending an investigation.”
Meanwhile, as Valdez awaits the outcome of his legal fate, the former combat veteran who was once awarded a Purple Heart in recognition of his bravery while serving his country, who survived two IED attacks, whose body still contains shrapnel, summarized his current state of mind in two words: “Stressed out.”
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