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Police officer fired after shooting at squirrel in store
UPI ^ | Oct. 25, 2013

Posted on 10/27/2013 1:55:48 PM PDT by nickcarraway

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To: Mark17
Most police departments have animal control.

Then how did this cop get his job in the first place?

61 posted on 10/27/2013 3:40:03 PM PDT by Navy Patriot (Join the Democrats, it's not Fascism when WE do it, and the Constitution and law mean what WE say.)
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To: nickcarraway

He gassed his firearm?


62 posted on 10/27/2013 3:46:39 PM PDT by philetus (Keep doing what you always do and you'll eventually get what you deserve)
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To: philetus

He used pepper spray.


63 posted on 10/27/2013 3:49:45 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: servo1969

True storey, no s**t!

You know that donut muncher that tried to shoot me and missed, and the business with the pepper spray.

yeah, yeah, I'm still LMANO, but it gets better. Turns out Jody had 19 years in, just this far from his pension. Can you believe that? What a maroon!

64 posted on 10/27/2013 3:52:54 PM PDT by Covenantor ("Men are ruled...by liars who refuse them news, and by fools who cannot govern." Chesterton)
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To: nickcarraway

At what point did the guy think: “hey I have a good idea, just blast it with a firearm right here in the middle of isle 6. After all it is just a rodent with a good press agent.”


65 posted on 10/27/2013 4:50:22 PM PDT by Clay Moore ("In politics, stupidity is not a handicap." Napoleon Bonaparte)
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To: nickcarraway

"Hey! Them squirrels can get big hereabouts!"


66 posted on 10/27/2013 4:58:26 PM PDT by COBOL2Java (I'm a Christian, pro-life, pro-gun, Reaganite. The GOP hates me. Why should I vote for them?)
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To: Navy Patriot
Then how did this cop get his job in the first place?

I have no clue. If I ever had to call 911, I would hope someone other than this guy would show up.

67 posted on 10/27/2013 5:10:48 PM PDT by Mark17 (Chicago Blackhawks: Stanley Cup champions 2010, 2013. Vietnam Veteran, 70-71)
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To: nickcarraway

Excellent but vat about Moose?

68 posted on 10/27/2013 6:52:57 PM PDT by xp38
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To: nickcarraway

Maybe he’s been tracking this squirrel in hopes of revenge (actually shared by a friend at a Missile Base in Montana)


I never dreamed slowly cruising through a residential neighborhood could be so incredibly dangerous! Studies have shown that motorcycling requires more decisions per second, and more sheer data processing than nearly any other common activity or sport. The reactions and accurate decision making abilities needed have been likened to the reactions of fighter pilots! The consequences of bad decisions or poor situational awareness are pretty much the same for both groups too.

Occasionally, as a rider I have caught myself starting to make bad or late decisions while riding. In flight training, my instructors called this being “behind the power curve”. It is a mark of experience that when this begins to happen, the rider recognizes the situation, and more importantly, does something about it. A short break, a meal, or even a gas stop can set things right again as it gives the brain a chance to catch up.

Good, accurate, and timely decisions are essential when riding a motorcycle.at least if you want to remain among the living. In short, the brain needs to keep up with the machine.

I had been banging around the roads of east Texas and as I headed back into Dallas, found myself in very heavy, high-speed traffic on the freeways. Normally, this is not a problem, I commute in these conditions daily, but suddenly I was nearly run down by a cage that decided it needed my lane more than I did. This is not normally a big deal either, as it happens around here often, but usually I can accurately predict which drivers are not paying attention and avoid them before we are even close. This one I missed seeing until it was nearly too late, and as I took evasive action I nearly broadsided another car that I was not even aware was there!

Two bad decisions and insufficient situational awareness.all within seconds. I was behind the power curve. Time to get off the freeway. I hit the next exit, and as I was in an area I knew pretty well, headed through a few big residential neighborhoods as a new route home. As I turned onto the nearly empty streets I opened the visor on my full-face helmet to help get some air. I figured some slow riding through the quiet surface streets would give me time to relax, think, and regain that “edge” so frequently required when riding. Little did I suspect.

As I passed an oncoming car, a brown furry missile shot out from under it and tumbled to a stop immediately in front of me. It was a squirrel, and must have been trying to run across the road when it encountered the car. I really was not going very fast, but there was no time to brake or avoid it-it was that close.

I hate to run over animals.and I really hate it on a motorcycle, but a squirrel should pose no danger to me. I barely had time to brace for the impact.

Animal lovers, never fear. Squirrels can take care of themselves!

Inches before impact, the squirrel flipped to his feet. He was standing on his hind legs and facing the oncoming Valkyrie with steadfast resolve in his little beady eyes. His mouth opened, and at the last possible second, he screamed and leapt! I am pretty sure the scream was squirrel for, “Banzai!” or maybe, “Die you gravy-sucking, heathen scum!” as the leap was spectacular and he flew over the windshield and impacted me squarely in the chest.

Instantly he set upon me. If I did not know better I would have sworn he brought twenty of his little buddies along for the attack. Snarling, hissing, and tearing at my clothes, he was a frenzy of activity. As I was dressed only in a light t-shirt, summer riding gloves, and jeans this was a bit of a cause for concern. This furry little tornado was doing some damage!

Picture a large man on a huge black and chrome cruiser, dressed in jeans, a t-shirt, and leather gloves puttering maybe 25mph down a quiet residential street.and in the fight of his life with a squirrel. And losing.

I grabbed for him with my left hand and managed to snag his tail. With all my strength I flung the evil rodent off the left of the bike, almost running into the right curb as I recoiled from the throw.

That should have done it. The matter should have ended right there. It really should have. The squirrel could have sailed into one of the pristinely kept yards and gone on about his business, and I could have headed home. No one would have been the wiser. But this was no ordinary squirrel. This was not even an ordinary pissed-off squirrel. This was an evil attack squirrel of death!

Somehow he caught my gloved finger with one of his little hands, and with the force of the throw swung around and with a resounding thump and an amazing impact he landed square on my back and resumed his rather anti-social and extremely distracting activities. He also managed to take my left glove with him!

The situation was not improved. Not improved at all. His attacks were continuing, and now I could not reach him. I was startled to say the least. The combination of the force of the throw, only having one hand (the throttle hand) on the handlebars, and my jerking back unfortunately put a healthy twist through my right hand and into the throttle. A healthy twist on the throttle of a Valkyrie can only have one result. Torque. This is what the Valkyrie is made for, and she is very, very good at it. The engine roared as the front wheel left the pavement. The squirrel screamed in anger. The Valkyrie screamed in ecstasy. I screamed in.well.I just plain screamed.

Now picture a large man on a huge black and chrome cruiser, dressed in jeans, a slightly squirrel torn t-shirt, and only one leather glove roaring at maybe 70mph and rapidly accelerating down a quiet residential street.on one wheel and with a demonic squirrel on his back. The man and the squirrel are both screaming bloody murder.

With the sudden acceleration I was forced to put my other hand back on the handlebars and try to get control of the bike. This was leaving the mutant squirrel to his own devices, but I really did not want to crash into somebody’s tree, house, or parked car. Also, I had not yet figured out how to release the throttle.my brain was just simply overloaded. I did manage to mash the back brake, but it had little affect against the massive power of the big cruiser.

About this time the squirrel decided that I was not paying sufficient attention to this very serious battle (maybe he is a Scottish attack squirrel of death), and he came around my neck and got IN my full-face helmet with me. As the faceplate closed partway and he began hissing in my face I am quite sure my screaming changed tone and intensity. It seemed to have little affect on the squirrel however. The rpm’s on The Dragon maxed out (I was not concerned about shifting at the moment) and her front end started to drop. Now picture the large man on the huge black and chrome cruiser, dressed in jeans, a very ragged torn t-shirt, and wearing one leather glove, roaring at probably 80mph, still on one wheel, with a large puffy squirrel’s tail sticking out his mostly closed full-face helmet. By now the screams are probably getting a little hoarse.

Finally I got the upper hand.I managed to grab his tail again, pulled him out of my helmet, and slung him to the left as hard as I could. This time it worked.sort-of. Spectacularly sort-of, so to speak.

Picture the scene. You are a cop. You and your partner have pulled off on a quiet residential street and parked with your windows down to do some paperwork.

Suddenly a large man on a huge black and chrome cruiser, dressed in jeans, a torn t-shirt flapping in the breeze, and wearing one leather glove, moving at probably 80mph on one wheel, and screaming bloody murder roars by and with all his strength throws a live squirrel grenade directly into your police car.

I heard screams. They weren’t mine...

I managed to get the big motorcycle under directional control and dropped the front wheel to the ground. I then used maximum braking and skidded to a stop in a cloud of tire smoke at the stop sign at a busy cross street.

I would have returned to fess up (and to get my glove back). I really would have. Really. But for two things. First, the cops did not seem interested or the slightest bit concerned about me at the moment. One of them was on his back in the front yard of the house they had been parked in front of and was rapidly crabbing backwards away from the patrol car. The other was standing in the street and was training a riot shotgun on the police cruiser.

So the cops were not interested in me. They often insist to “let the professionals handle it” anyway. That was one thing. The other? Well, I swear I could see the squirrel, standing in the back window of the patrol car among shredded and flying pieces of foam and upholstery, and shaking his little fist at me. I think he was shooting me the finger. That is one dangerous squirrel.

And now he has a patrol car.

I took a deep breath, turned on my turn-signal, made an easy right turn, and sedately left the neighborhood. As for my easy and slow drive home? Screw it. Faced with a choice of 80mph cars and inattentive drivers, or the evil, demonic, attack squirrel of death...I’ll take my chances with the freeway. Every time. And I’ll buy myself a new pair of gloves.


69 posted on 10/27/2013 6:59:37 PM PDT by Rides_A_Red_Horse (Why do you need a fire extinguisher when you can call the fire department?)
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To: Spirochete

” When the only tool you have is a pistol...”

Obviously it was the only tool he had. He was missing the one between his ears. The one used to advise on what is an appropriate action, and what is just plain brain dead stupid.


70 posted on 10/27/2013 7:12:15 PM PDT by LevinFan
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To: Slings and Arrows
Squirrel was armed 'n dangerous.

Reporter doesn't reveal all the facts.


71 posted on 10/27/2013 10:48:51 PM PDT by Daffynition (*$17,000,000,000,000* Fear the beards! GO SOX!)
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To: CopperTop; Paladin2

12ga low-base (3-dram) & 7 1/2 shot. Don’t even penetrate my pine porch rafters at 5 yards, but cut the little buggers chewing their way into the attic in half.

Yes; they chew through the 1” pine siding, and the subsiding, to get into the attic, make winter nests in the insulation, then eat the outer insulation off the ROMEX wiring. And, to make an unpleasant visit more so, pee all over to mark their territory

Worst thing about them, they aren’t even edible: only max out at 3/4 pound, live; not much bigger than a chipmunk, but twice as destructive.


72 posted on 10/28/2013 12:26:20 AM PDT by ApplegateRanch (Love me, love my guns!©)
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To: smokingfrog
[But the squirrel could have had rabies or something, I guess.]

I didn't think of that. I guess if it was being aggressive.

73 posted on 10/28/2013 12:39:37 AM PDT by Brad from Tennessee (A politician can't give you anything he hasn't first stolen from you.)
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To: nickcarraway
The question should be why was LEO called in the first place what a waste of resources.

We have turned are police into baby sitters. Stupid store management could take care of a squirrel by their self's.

74 posted on 10/28/2013 3:35:40 AM PDT by riverrunner
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