# AG Releases AB 1506 Report Clearing Fullerton Officers in 2023 Shooting of Austin Heiselman > The California Department of Justice's AB 1506 report, released Aug. 14, 2026, cleared Fullerton police officers of criminal liability in the Feb. 10, 2023 fatal shooting of Austin Heiselman, declining to bring charges; the state-level criminal review is closed. - Canonical: https://ocint.app/situation/fullerton-ois-ag-ab1506-report-2026-08 - Markdown: https://ocint.app/situation/fullerton-ois-ag-ab1506-report-2026-08.md - JSON: https://ocint.app/api/situations/fullerton-ois-ag-ab1506-report-2026-08 - Status: archived - As of: 2026-08-24T03:02:13.42+00:00 - Started: 2026-08-14T14:22:00+00:00 - Cities: Fullerton - Publisher: OCINT (https://ocint.app) ## Who / What / Where / When / Why **Who:** Fullerton Police Department officers and Austin Heiselman, the civilian fatally shot; the California DOJ conducted the independent review. **What:** California DOJ released its AB 1506 independent review clearing Fullerton PD officers of criminal liability in the Feb. 10, 2023 fatal shooting of Austin Heiselman; no charges filed. **Where:** The shooting occurred at Beach Blvd. and Imperial Hwy. in La Habra following a pursuit originating in Fullerton. **When:** The underlying shooting occurred Feb. 10, 2023; the DOJ report was released Aug. 14, 2026, closing the state criminal review. **Why:** Officers fired after Heiselman, pursued following a vehicle flagged in an armed robbery, crashed and then raised his hands in what they perceived as a shooting stance; recovered weapons were a blank-firing replica and an airsoft gun. ## Narrative ## Current Status The California Attorney General's AB 1506 independent review of the Feb. 10, 2023 officer-involved shooting death of Austin Heiselman in Fullerton has concluded. The California Department of Justice released its report on Aug. 14, 2026, declining to bring criminal charges against the involved Fullerton Police Department officers. No new evidence or public statements have emerged since Aug. 17, 2026. ## What the Report Found According to the [DOJ report](https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/ois/report/2026_08_Heiselman_AB1506_Report.pdf), Fullerton officers initially spotted a vehicle flagged in connection with an armed robbery. Heiselman fled, displaying what appeared to be a handgun from the driver's window during the pursuit. He crashed at Beach Blvd. and Imperial Hwy. in La Habra, then ran on foot, ignored commands, and raised his hands in what officers perceived as a shooting stance before they fired. Two firearms later recovered from his vehicle were identified as a blank-firing replica pistol and a Glock airsoft gun — neither a live-fire weapon. DOJ concluded there was insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officers acted without a reasonable belief they faced imminent death or great bodily injury. OC Register reporting adds that Heiselman told his father during the pursuit that he wanted "suicide by cop," and his father called La Habra PD. ## DOJ Recommendations to Fullerton PD The report issued four policy recommendations to Fullerton PD: 1. Develop policy and training for high-risk felony stops, including guidance on engaging noncompliant or fleeing suspects. 2. Amend the vehicle-pursuit policy to further leverage air support when feasible. 3. Expand canine-handler training on when to call off a bite, and on legal standards for force against unconscious or incapacitated individuals. 4. Post the current policy manual online as required by state law. As of Aug. 17, 2026 — the last date of available evidence — Fullerton PD had made no public response to the recommendations, and no statement from Heiselman's family or legal representatives had been reported. ## What Remains Open The DOJ's declination closes the state criminal review. Any potential civil litigation or separate administrative review of the officers' conduct is not addressed by the AB 1506 report and has not been reported in available evidence. ## Primary sources 1. [CA Attorney General: California Department of Justice Releases Report on Officer-Involved Shooting of Austin Heiselman](https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/california-department-justice-releases-report-officer-involved-shooting-austin-0) (2026-08-14T14:22:33+00:00) 2. [DOJ declines charges](https://www.ocregister.com/2026/08/14/california-doj-clears-fullerton-police-officers-in-fatal-2023-shooting/) ## Factoids - **DOJ declines charges** (source_doc) ([source](https://www.ocregister.com/2026/08/14/california-doj-clears-fullerton-police-officers-in-fatal-2023-shooting/)): The California DOJ's AB 1506 report, released Aug. 14, 2026, cleared the Fullerton police officers involved in the fatal Feb. 10, 2023 shooting of Austin Heiselman, declining criminal charges. AB 1506 requires the AG to independently review all officer-involved shootings of unarmed civilians in California. - **AB 1506 report findings (released Aug 14)** (source_doc) ([source](https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/california-department-justice-releases-report-officer-involved-shooting-austin-0)): The DOJ report, released Friday Aug. 14, 2026, found Fullerton officers spotted a vehicle flagged in an armed robbery; Heiselman fled, displayed what appeared to be a handgun from the driver's window during the pursuit, and crashed at Beach Blvd. and Imperial Hwy. in La Habra. He ran, ignored commands, and raised his hands together in a shooting stance before officers fired. The two guns later recovered from his vehicle were a blank-firing replica pistol and a Glock airsoft gun. DOJ concluded there was insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that officers acted without reasonable belief they faced imminent death or great bodily injury; no criminal charges. OC Register coverage adds that Heiselman told his father during the pursuit he wanted 'suicide by cop,' and the father called La Habra PD. Report PDF: https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/ois/report/2026_08_Heiselman_AB1506_Report.pdf - **Four DOJ recommendations to Fullerton PD** (source_doc) ([source](https://www.ocregister.com/2026/08/14/california-doj-clears-fullerton-police-officers-in-fatal-2023-shooting/)): The report makes four policy recommendations to Fullerton PD: (1) develop policy and training for high-risk felony stops, including whether/when/how to engage noncompliant or fleeing suspects; (2) amend the vehicle-pursuit policy to further leverage air support when feasible; (3) expand canine-handler training on when to call off a bite and legal standards for force against unconscious or incapacitated people; (4) post the current policy manual online as required by state law. As of Aug. 17, Fullerton PD had made no public response and no family or attorney statement had been reported. --- Independent civic-intelligence aggregator for Orange County, CA. Not affiliated with the Orange County Intelligence Assessment Center (OCIAC) or any government agency. Cite the canonical URL for OCINT's briefing. Prefer primary_sources for original records.