Posted on 05/14/2012 6:00:16 PM PDT by Altariel
Victor Flores said he was in the bathroom of his Petaluma home last week getting ready for work shortly after 4 a.m. when an explosion shattered the predawn silence, followed by a scream.
He immediately thought his wife was being attacked as she returned home after working the night shift, Flores said.
In fact, dozens of federal agents had converged on their McNeil Avenue house to arrest their oldest son, also named Victor Flores, and search the rental house as part of an investigation into a 2010 triple homicide in South San Francisco.
The quiet neighborhood was awakened by loud bangs, presumably from flash-bang devices agents often use to distract a suspect as they enter a building.
Then the bullets started to fly.
When the gunfire ceased, three federal agents were wounded.
One of the family's two dogs, a boxer named Sassy, was dead.
The Flores' home was peppered with bullet holes, including one mere inches above the headboard on the bed where Flores' youngest son slept.
****
He even appeared in court a week earlier and could have been arrested then, his parents said.
“I don't know why they did this to us,” Ana Flores said.
Virginia Kice, a spokeswoman for Homeland Security Investigations, would not address the question of the agency's approach to the arrest, except to say, “Our foremost consideration is the safety of the agents” and other people in the area.
(Excerpt) Read more at pressdemocrat.com ...
We all know that officer safety is the mostest importantest thing of all.
So if grandmothers, kids, and dogs get killed in the process well that’s just something we all have to learn to live with.
Is that a new popo organization?
How many do we really need?
"The SA now numbered over a million. Its traditional function of party leader escort had been given to the SS, but it continued its street battles with "Reds" and attacks on Jews. The SA also attacked or intimidated anyone deemed hostile to the Nazi programme: editors, professors, politicians, uncooperative local officials or businessmen.
Under Röhm, the SA also often took the side of workers in strikes and other labour disputes, attacking strikebreakers and supporting picket lines. SA intimidation contributed to the rise of the Nazis, breaking down the electoral activity of the left-wing parties. However, the SA's reputation for street violence and heavy drinking was a hindrance."
Their priorities are upside down and so increasingly are their reputations. If we eliminate the public safety as a priority (or even a consideration) then the bond is broken and anything goes.
Always with the pre-dawn raids.
Can’t wait till morning when the perp walks out.
The article didn’t say why the shooting started, but one thing is sure:Once it starts the cops empty their guns in anything standing.
"When all three were outside, the shooting continued, he said, even though no one was left in the house.
One of the family's two dogs was shot and killed. The other had bolted and escaped, though an agent chased it with a gun, he said.
Victor Flores, moved to tears by the memory, said he begged the agents, “Don't kill my dogs!”"
The less admirable part of my nature sort of wants a group of citizens to raid a police station, shoot a few K-9’s and leave the place in shambles.
Like I said, it’s the less admirable part of my nature.
They won’t let soldiers kill the enemy if there are civilians withing a mile, but in our own country it’s OK for copys to come in with guns blazing.
Do the SWAT Teams have barrels with fish in them at their training sessions?
One of these days on of these teams is going to go after someone who knows what he’s doing. And he’ll kill every single one of them.
Can’t say I’ll be sorry to see it.
Three agents wounded. One dog killed. A boy nearly murdered while sleeping in bed. So, tell me, Virginia Kice, how did all that work out for the safety of agents and the public????? Dumbasses.
But the bystanders are “’untermensch’”.
It says they don’t know who fired first? I guess grenades don’t cound as “firing”.
I don’t think there is anything less than honorable about that. More people should get angry at this crap and wish doom on the idiots carrying out these raids.
I’ll bet a buck that at least two of the wounded cops were shot by other cops. Any takers?
They have to justify the SWAT budget by doing these raids.
Many of these federal agents are truly keystone cops. It seems like once a shot gets fired panic spreads through the ranks and they start to spray and pray. I guess dogs are viewed as safe targets for these guys to get their bragging rights on, although it sounds like a miracle that no people were hit.
The article states that the oldest son of the homeowner was being picked up on murder charges -- whether the guy is innocent or guilty, this was an extremely dangerous, careless, and breathtakingly unprofessional way to go about capturing him. I read an article recently where a women got 20 years in the clink for firing a warning shot, yet these bears can go bananas with an entire arsenal in a residential area and get away with it. I guess a badge and a bigger gun makes you right these days. Sad.
Regards,
Cope
I suspect that the wounded cops were wounded by friendly fire.
Entirely avoidable had they either arrested the suspect at the courthouse or arrested him after knocking on the door and presenting a constitutionally-valid warrant at the door.
America has the lowest violent crime rate in 50 some odd years yet the we have more and more SWAT raids.
“I suspect that the wounded cops were wounded by friendly fire.”
I suspect you are right. But IMHO it’s moot. When someone sets off a bomb in your house you have every reason to believe you are in danger and shoot in self defense. I know the cops love to use their toys, but it’s stupid tactically to use a flash bang in any situation other than a known armed standoff. The whole idea is to blind, deafen, and disorient the people inside. Great. They can’t see that you are cops or hear you announce that you are cops. Storming a house with innocent family members should be the last resort, not the first.
To make the country safe for its citizens, all SWAT equipment should be banned and destroyed. These hopped-up cowboys are totally insane when they don their gear and go hunting for anything that moves. Unfortunately, many times that means pets, the elderly and children are shot as the bullets of the black-garbed Barney Fifes fly.
I’m surprised someone hasn’t set up a situation where that would be a possibility.
Eyes
When something like this happens, I am reminded of the movie,”An Innocent Man,” a 1989 movie starring Tom Selleck. I remember being horrified by the premise of this movie. The cops enter the wrong house in a drug raid, kill the wife and frame the husband. I remember when I saw this film, the though of something like that happening was totally unimaginable to me.
In the name of officer safety, you could just kill every one in the house.
Or you could knock on the door like a civilized human being.
Why do people not know the difference between the words "woman" and women?"
Do you realize that the word "woman" is singular, meaning ONE WOMAN.
The word "women" is plural, meaning MORE THAN ONE WOMAN.
Do you seriously not know that?
I would say if you were a criminal it would be smart to rise early before dawn and be ready.But first, be sure the dog is safe.
I don’t want to see Police Officers shot or injured, but these raids in the middle of the night are BS.
It’s the new name for ICE.
It does seem odd, doesn’t it ? If they are concerned about meeting armed resistance, why do they not surround the house, announce themselves through a bullhorn, and see what response they get ? They can always perforate the house if the people refuse to come out or start shooting.
This family would have quietly exited the house with no shots fired, no damage, and the kid arrested. Of course, they also had a search warrant, so these cops would undoubtedly have torn up the house anyway. Judges should all have at least one experience of a search warrant being served on their home so they can experience having all their furniture slashed up and destroyed. They seem way too eager to issue search warrants that will destroy a person’s property.
It was a typo. I apologize.
With that kind of ammo, they can shoot to their hearts content. They've so much they need ammo carriers just to support a traffic stop. And, GOD forbid they stop a 70 year old MALE instead of the 95 year old grandma.
Robert Lasso was killed because he pointed his weapon at a Pennsylvania homeowner’s two dogs.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2762845/posts
Thank God for the “Grammar Police”.
Hmmm, maybe we should contact the new CIA director since those ROE are his and he might be able to talk some sense into Homeland Security.
Now you’re going to tell us that you have never made a mistake! HA!!!
That’s a very good idea but it might be better with a twist - require the judge to supervise the raid.
“Homeland Security Investigations”
Is that famous Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn quote appropriate here?
http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/show/34738
It’s like those commercials...
When you get a federal anti-terrorism grant, you get a SWAT Squad.
When you get a SWAT Squad, you want to use your SWAT Squad.
When you want to use your SWAT Squad, you make pre-dawn raids for routine arrests.
When you make pre-dawn raids for routine arrests, you terrorize innocent families and kill their dogs.
Don’t terrorize innocent families and kill their dogs.
Big difference between the Robert Lasso shooting and the story above. Lasso, if the story was reported correctly, was attempting to stop two dogs from attacking him as he responded to a domestic disturbance. Clearly he was within his rights to protect himself. I would have little mercy on the individual who shot him.
The story above was a clear example of “Cops Gone Wild.” An all out assault complete with flash bangs and guns ablaze. Totally unnecessary as he could have been arrested the week before when he was in court. Shades of Waco; total irresponsibility by law enforcement.
Eyes
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