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That's the bodycam footage recorded by the detective himself.
Four other officers firing Tasers couldn't disarm an agitated Atiba Lewis, 45, as he advanced on them at the Crest at Princeton Meadows Apartment Complex off Plainsboro Road between Routes 1 and 130 on Feb. 16.
The standoff ended when Lewis rushed the detective.
Middlesex County sheriff's officers had gone to the complex that morning to serve Lewis with an eviction notice, Acting New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said.
They returned a short time later to "execute a search warrant for an unlawful firearm at Mr. Lewis’ residence,” Platkin said in a release.
Lewis wasn't home, so the officers waited.
He showed up around 11:30 a.m.
A police dashcam shows Lewis slowly pacing in the middle of the street as officers and detectives begin arriving.
He pulls a knife and advances on the first one who approaches, forcing him to backpedal. Other officers come running. Several point Tasers at him.
"Drop the knife. Drop the knife," one says.
"I will tase you," warns another.
A dozen or so law enforcers surround Lewis at one point. Some point Tasers. The others wield guns.
A few shout "Crossfire! Crossfire!" and begin to reposition themselves as the agitated Lewis runs at them, one by one, before heading back down the block.
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WATCH THE VIDEOS HERE: Plainboro -- Lewis Recordings
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"I'm not going to jail, man," says Lewis, holding a knife in one hand and a water bottle in the other.
"Listen, man, just take it easy," says Detective Phillip Nguyen. "Drop the knife and we're good."
"You don't have to do this," another officer says.
"Kill me, man," Lewis replies as his pursuers retreat.
"Yo, you're good, man -- if you drop the knife we'll take care of it," Nguyen tells him.
At least two officers fire Tasers, but they have no effect.
"Shoot me, man, shoot me," Lewis repeats. "That'll shut me up."
Then comes the fatal moment.
Knife in hand, Lewis pivots toward Nguyen.
"I know y'all can't shoot me," he says, running straight at the detective.
"Don't do it," Nguyen shouts before firing three shots.
Lewis collapses onto a police SUV, dropping the knife and water bottle. He ends up on the ground as police administer first aid.
Lewis was pronounced dead at Princeton Hospital a short time later, Platkin said.
No one else was injured, he said.
State law and his own guidelines require Platkin's office to investigate deaths that occur “during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in the officer’s official capacity or while the decedent is in custody," no matter what the circumstances are.
The guidelines guarantee that the investigation is done “in a full, impartial and transparent manner," removing politics or personal agendas.
Once the investigation by the attorney general's Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) is complete, the results are presented to a grand jury.
The grand jury reviews a host of evidence -- including witness interviews, body and dashcam video, and forensic and autopsy results -- to determine whether or not there was cause to suspect any wrongdoing on the part of law enforcement.
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