New Footage Shows More of What Petito Told Moab Police

Gabby Petito can be seen showing a cut on her cheek and examining bruises on her arm
By Liz MacGahan,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 2, 2021 10:50 AM CDT

Another bodycam video has surfaced showing more of Gabby Petito’s encounter with the Moab police. Police say they responded to an incident on Aug. 12, but neither Petito or her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, called them. The officers who responded asked a few questions and separated the couple for the night, but labeled the problem a “mental health crisis” and not an assault. But video of more of Petito’s conversation with Officer Eric Pratt shows a lot more detail. The first batch of footage shows Petito saying she slapped Laundrie first. But this longer version shows Pratt asking a lot more questions. “Is there something on your cheek here? Did you get hit in the face?” he asks. “What happened here and here,” he asks, pointing at bruises. Petito examines her arm, looking a little surprised.

Pratt goes on to tell Petito that two people told police Laundrie had hit her, and she says she slapped him first because “he kept telling me to shut up.” Pratt asks about a mark on her cheek, and she says “he didn’t punch me” but grabbed her face and snagged her cheek with a fingernail. “Definitely I was cut right here because I can feel it. When I touch it, it burns,” she says. Petito tried to minimize the incident, and asked if they could just be given a ticket and let go, People reports. The video also includes audio of a witness speaking to the police over a cell phone, CNN reports. The witness minimized the incident, too, saying it looked “just kind of like two kids fighting.” In a statement, the Moab police said the city will “conduct a formal investigation and, based on the results, will take any next steps that may be appropriate.” (More Gabby Petito stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X