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According to a report from Fox News, bodycam footage from an encounter that Gabby Petito had with law enforcement shows her stating that Brian Laundrie hit her, but then added the caviat that she hit him first.
During the same interaction with the Moab Police, Laundrie told an officer that he “didn’t have time” to discuss whether he had hit her.
“I pushed her away.” said Laundrie to the officer at the scene.
“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.” added Petito’s fiancé.
Multiple officers conducted interviews during this investigation of possible domestic violence and the bodycam footage of the officers involved have been released separately.
“Did he hit you though?” the Moab police officer can be heard asking Petito.
“I guess,” she answered, while appearing to own responsibility for being hit by Laundrie and downplay the incident.
“I guess, yea,”she continued.
“But I hit him first.” added the 22 year old influencer.
“Where did he hit you?” asked the officer of Petito. “Don’t worry, just be honest.” he added as encouragement.
Petito then altered her version of the incident, claiming that after she attacked him, he defended himself by grabbing her “with his nail”.
“He didn’t like hit me in the face.” Petito assured the officer.
Adding; “He didn’t like punch me in the face or anything.”
“Did he slap your face, or what?” asked the officer of Petito.
“Well he like, grabbed me with his nail, and I guess that’s why it looks, I definitely have a cut right here,” Petito answered while touching her face. “I can feel it, when I touch it it burns.” she added.
In another video where Petito spoke with officers, she again is asked about being struck in the face by Laundrie.
She is heard on the video saying; “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.”
Adding that she wanted to continue moving because the couple was out of water.
The officer then directly asks Petito if she had been hit in the face.
“Is there something on your cheek here?” inquires the officer. “Did you get hit on the face?”
“I’m not sure,” Petito responded.
A witness had described an incident in which Laundrie and Petito had an altercation in their van where Petito climed into the van as Laundrie appeared to have been trying to take her cell phone and drive away.
“Did you ever see the male strike the female?” the officer asked the witness.
“I wouldn’t say that,” they answered. “I think I saw maybe a push or a shove, but not a full on punch to a face or anything.”
“You did see her slapping him though it sounds like.” followed up the officer.
“Yes.” the witness answered.
Police bodycam also shows an officer tell Laundrie that Petito stated that he did not hit her.
A third party investigation is being conducted to evaluate how the Moab officers dealt with the domestic violence incident.
Laundrie’s attorney, Steve Bertolino has stated that Laundrie returned to his home in Florida with Petito’s van on Sept 1 without her, purchased a cell phone, saw his family members and has since disappeared.
Laundrie is a person of interest in Petito’s homicide and is wanted on fraud charges in relation to the unauthorized use of a debit card.
A domestic violence incident was reported to 911 dispatchers that claimed that in the parking lot of the Moonflower Cooperative, a witness saw a “male hit a female”.
U.S. Park Rangers and Moab Police responded to the incident. When a Moab flashed his lights at the van Petito and Laundrie were traveling in, the white van swerved and struck the curb. Laundrie accused Petito of grabbing the wheel and intentionally driving the van into the curb.
The bodycam from the U.S. Park Rangers that responded has yet to be released by the department.
