Roadside arrest ‘could have saved’ Gabby Petito’s life as police response to Brian Laundrie fight is investigated

AN investigation has been launched into the Moab City Police Department's handling of a dispute between Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito in Utah, weeks before she was murdered in Wyoming.

The probe, announced by the city of Moab on Thursday, comes amid a slew of who responded to the August 12 call, claiming they treated Petito as the abuser, rather than the victim.

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Adding to the chorus of outrage on Thursday, criminal defense attorney Phillip Holloway told Fox News that he believes the cops could have saved Gabby's life had they acted differently during the call.

Police were altered to the situation involving Laundrie, 23, and Petito, 22, by a man who called 911 to report that he'd seen a man "hitting and slapping" a girl before getting into a van and driving away.

While insisting he isn't attempting to shift blame onto the officers, Holloway explained that police do have the discretion to make an arrest under such circumstances.

"An eyewitness saw Brian using physical violence against Gabby and other information suggested that she was also involved in some type of mutual combat [with Laundrie]," he said.

"At a bare minimum, the investigation on the side of the road developed, I believe, probable cause that would have been sufficient to charge one or both of them with some type of domestic violence."

'SHOULD'VE MADE AN ARREST'

Considering the totality of the circumstances, Holloway insisted that the officers would've been "on sound legal grounds to have made that arrest."

"Under the law out there in not only Utah there is a heavy presumption in favor of making an arrest in a domestic violence case when it is a close call," he continued.

"The reason for that is so that parties are definitely separated from each other when tensions are high and we know if nothing else these two had at least at times a tension-filled and tumultuous relationship."

Had the officers properly utilized the law, Holloway believes they could've "changed the trajectory" of Petito's fate, possibly saving her life.

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Critics on social media have drawn similar conclusions, blaming the "complicit cops" for failing to adequately protect Gabby - and some have even called for them to be fired.

One social media user said: "The police didn't want to feel complicit in Gabby's disappearance, so they released a video that didn't give the full details of the 911 call!

"Instead the police released a video that made Gabby appear to be the abuser."

Another wrote: ";Watched the traffic stop of Gabby and Brian, I thought police were supposed to serve and protect.

"If those cops didn’t know he was lying, it is obvious to a child. They need f*****g fired. Should have taken her to [the] station and made her call home. Their fault she is dead."

A third fumed: "The 911 operator needs to be fired and the cops!! Misogyny at its finest!! Good for the caller to report it. So sad for Gabby!

"You can tell in the cop bodycam she was a textbook abuse victim and [Brian] was the abuser!!" 

A fourth wrote: "For what it's worth, the two cops allowed Brian Laundrie to drive away should be fired and arrested for gross negligence."

INVESTIGATION BEGINS

of the incident was released by the Moab PD last week, showing officers pulling over the couple in their 2012 white Ford Transit van.

With tears streaming down her face, Petito told the officer: "We've just been fighting this morning. Some personal issues."

Petito was as she explained to the officer what they had been arguing about, while Laundrie was seen joking and laughing with the cops.

"We have been fighting all morning and he wouldn't let me in the car before," she said, telling the cops Laundrie "really stresses me out" and it had been a "rough morning".

Petito admitted hitting Laundrie, who told the officers with a smile that he had pushed Gabby several times in a bid to fend her off.

In a statement announcing their investigation into the officers' conduct on Thursday, the city of Moab called Gabby's death a "heartbreaking tragedy" and sent their condolences to the Petito family.

The release of the bodycam footage, the city said, has "naturally led to questions from the media and the public about the call."

"The Moab City Police Department has clear standards for officer conduct during a possible domestic dispute and our officers are trained to follow those standards and protocol."

"At this time, the City of Moab is unaware of any breach of Police Department policy during this incident. However, the City will conduct a formal investigation and, based on the results, will take any next steps that may be appropriate."

The statement continued that individuals "can view the same situation in very different ways, and we recognize how the death of Ms. Petito more than two weeks later in Wyoming might lead to might lead to speculation, in hindsight, about the actions taken [in Moab]."

"The purpose of the City’s formal investigation is to gather the underlying facts and evidence necessary to make a thorough, informed evaluation of such actions."

Moab City Police Cheif Bret Edge also offered a brief statement to The Sun.

"An outside party filed a request with the Moab City Police Department asking for a formal investigation into the Aug. 12 incident in Moab involving Gabrielle Petito and Brian Laundrie. We take all complaints seriously and we are committed to fully addressing these concerns.

"In compliance with police department policy, we will conduct an investigation. The police department will identify an unaffiliated law enforcement agency to conduct the formal investigation on our behalf.

"We look forward to the investigation. Should the investigation identify areas for improvement we will take that information to heart, learn from it, and make changes if needed to ensure we are providing the best response and service to our community."

Questions as to whether the officers who responded to the call have been placed on leave or administrative duty until the probe concludes went unanswered when raised by The Sun.

GABBY'S FINAL MOMENTS

The interaction with police came around two weeks before Petito last spoke to her parents.

Gabby is believed to have last been seen inside a restaurant in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, with .

Witnesses claim to have seen the couple inside the Merry Piglets that afternoon. Laundrie reportedly got into an explosive argument with a waitress, while Gabby was seen in tears and apologized to staff.

Laundrie quietly returned home to Florida on September 1. He then vanished last week after police began investigating the disappearance of Gabby, who was reported missing by her mom on September 11.

Detectives found Petito's remains at the Spread Creek Dispersed Campground in the Bridger-Teton National Forrest on Sunday.

The nature of her death has been preliminarily declared a homicide though a cause of death is yet to be determined.

Authorities confirmed that Petito's body was found in Wyoming and that her former fiance remains a "person of interest" in the homicide probe.

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'TERRIFIED'

It comes after a body language expert said the YouTuber appeared to be "terrified" in the bodycam footage.

Petito was apologetic throughout the clip and tried to explain to the officer what she and Laundrie were arguing about.

But Laundrie appeared calm throughout as he told cops about their "stressful" morning.

Forensic psychiatrist Dr. Ziv Evra Cohen said the "imbalance raises a red flag".

He said the YouTuber looks "scared and very overwhelmed".

Cohen told : "She was emoting so much that it was very clear that there had been an incident and there had been a problem of some kind that she was struggling with."

A 9/11 caller claimed Laundrie allegedly hit and slapped the vlogger which prompted police to speak to the couple.

According to the audio, which was first obtained by Fox News, the caller said: ";I’d like to report a domestic dispute.

"We drove by and the gentleman was slapping the girl. They ran up and down the sidewalk, he proceeded to hit her, hopped in the car and they drove off."

The operator who took the call has since been criticized for "not taking the claims seriously".

How the hell did the FBI and the North Port police let this kid slip out of the house? What the hell is going on?

John Walsh

has also slammed the cops' handling of the domestic incident.

He told Fox News: "How the hell did the FBI and the North Port police let this kid slip out of the house? What the hell is going on?"

Police are currently searching for Laundrie, who was last seen on September 14 by his parents who claim he went hiking at a nature reserve near Venice, Florida but never returned.

It comes as court documents reveal there had been "more and more" tension between Gabby and Laundrie before her disappearance,  reports.

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Petito told police she had experienced “increased anxiety” during their cross-country road trip, according to the affidavit.

And, Arches National Park ranger Melissa Hulls warned that the , the reports.

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Gabby Petito timeline

Gabby Petito, 22, was last seen on August 24, leaving a hotel in Utah. Here is a timeline of Gabby Petito's disappearance:

• June 2021 - set off on a cross-country trip across the US.
• July 4 - posts photos of herself barefoot in Gove County, Kansas.
• July 8 - Gabby posts photos of herself at the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado.
• July 18 - Gabby and post photos of themselves at Utah's Zion National Park.
• August 12 - in September showing an encounter Brian and Gabby had with police in Utah. Police confirmed that no significant injuries were reported.
• August 19 - on their YouTube channel chronicling their trip. The video receives more than 200,000 views.
• August 24 - Gabby is spotted leaving a hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah.
• August 25 - Gabby Facetimes her mom, Nichole Schmidt, for the final time. In a later police report, Schmidt said her conversations with her daughter revealed "" between her and Brian.
• August 25 - Gabby also posts her last Instagram. No location is given.
• August 27 - Gabby is . Witnesses claim they saw Brian in an explosive argument with staff at a restaurant in Jackson Hole, leaving Gabby in tears.
• August 27 - Four hours later, travel bloggers driving through Grand Teton National Park drive past the couple's van "abandoned" on a dirt road.
• September 1 - Brian returns home to without Gabby.
• September 11 - report her missing to Suffolk County police.
• September 14 - Brian's family issues a statement saying he has retained an attorney and will not be cooperating with investigators.
• September 14 - Brian is by his family. He reportedly told them he was going hiking in Cartlon Reserve but failed to return.
• September 15 - Florida's North Port police announce in the case. He is not charged with any crime.
• September 16 - Utah police release of the police encounter with Brian and Gabby.
• September 17 - say they have not seen their son in a couple of days and report him missing.
• September 18 - Police announc. Police announce they have not found anything.
• September 19 - Authorities in Wyoming say . The FBI announces the body was believed to be Gabby's but a full forensic identification needs to be completed first to confirm.
• September 20 - Police execute a search warrant on Laundrie's home, seizing and a hard drive that may contain "evidence relevant to proving that a felony has been committed."
• September 21 - Officials announce they will be on the remains found in Wyoming to confirm whether or not they belong to Gabby. Police also resumed their search for Laundrie, this time on the Venice side of Carlton Reserve.
• September 21 - The FBI announced the body found in Wyoming was identified as Gabby's. The cause of death was not yet revealed.
• September 21 - The Teton County Coroner's office said was still pending but the initial manner of death is homicide.
• September 22 - Police continue to scour for a trace of Laundrie but yield no leads. A specialist dive team is called in to assist with the hunt.