Posted on 04/22/2016 12:15:03 PM PDT by Impala64ssa
There are some serious questions about what happened in the hours leading up to three teenagers dying in a Florida pond after police dashcam video was released of the incident.
The video shows the marsh-like pond is too thick for deputies to save the girls early in the morning of March 31st.
In a press conference the following day, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said his deputies took off their belts, rushing into the water to try and save them, but were hindered by mucky conditions
But dashcam video only shows the officers standing near the pond, watching the girls' car sink, and calling for backup.
It's too late. 15-year-olds Laniya Miller, Ashaunti Butler, and 16-year-old Dominique Battle all drown. Now their families are hiring a lawyer and calling for a new investigation, saying officers aren't telling the whole story about girls they say deputies are painting as criminals.
"My daughter was not perfect," said Laniya Miller's mother, fighting back tears. "What 15-year-old is?"
The girls are accused of stealing a car in a Walmart parking lot and running from police several times before crashing into the pond.
On Friday, the Miller family's lawyer says she can't comment on the dashcam evidence until she goes through everything. But just last week, she told ABC News that there are inconsistencies in law enforcement statements and moments leading to crash.
"In my opinion, this has been a rush to judgment," Michele Whitfield said. "In my opinion, this has been a smear campaign."
For the most part, police officers have no underlying legal duty to save your life. There are a couple exceptions, but dirtbags fleeing into a marsh/pond is certainly not one of them.
Also, since we don’t have all the facts, it might be possible other officers not in view of a dash cam attempted the rescue.
And what did any of their baby mamas do when these girls were in trouble previously????? did they render any meaningful discipline, tell them not to go out stealing cars, for example??? Any parental admonitions that one of these days, they are going to ruin their lives if they keep this up?? Anything???
Why refer to them as “girls”? If the article had said “Teens”, we could have stopped reading right there..Instead, we have to read their names in order to connect the dots..
Maybe the article calls them girls because it’s unusual for females to get involved with this sort of crime?
The way to get someone to release you in the water when they have you in a bear hug death grip is to pinch them hard on the underside of their upper arm.
For some reason, the drowning person will let go and upen up their arms. Quickly turn them away from you in a half spin and put your arm over their shoulder and grip their chest. Talk to them as they will flail. Keep their head above water and encourage them to kick to assist you in swimming to shore.
Preferential to try to use something as a flotation device if at all possible.
*** Disclaimer: classes taken 30 years ago and exact details might be a little fuzzy.
I agree, I just wish the department had not said they entered the lake and attempted rescue if they did not. If the video doesn’t match statements a jury may give them a settlement that they sure don’t deserve.
With terrific parenting like that it is no surprise they were criminals!
I’m a certified rescue diver and I wouldn’t go into the water in those conditions.
gators, snapping turtles, snakes, stuff to get tangled in, stuff to get cut on, nasty germs
not to mention getting tangled in the car IF you found it.
In what universe is it acceptable to commit grand theft?
Answer? No universe.
If their parents beating these kids would have kept them from stealing someone else's valuable property, and ending up dead, then maybe that would have been better...
Good point.
The logic here is that there are many unemployed and near destitute lawyers out there who will encourage the parents of these girls to sue the city for millions on the excellent possibility of a jury of the girls peers finding in family's favor.
However, if they publicly lied about what they did,....All they needed to say was “Thought about it, laughed about it, and forgot about it.”
With my luck a pesky alligator would have got me.
I was a Paramedic for 5 years. I did some risky things to save people, but there is no way I would have entered a pond at night.
Since when?
Unusual for girls to be charged or jailed, yes.
Unusual for girls to steal? Not hardly.
Actually, in that particular (Ghetto Thug) culture, it's not unusual at all.
Not to mention the encouragement provided by the lack of punishment - 7 previous (known) instances of vehicle theft, and they were still running around loose?
I know I was not a “perfect” 15-year-old either, but dang! Pretty sure I never even dreamed of stealing a car, much less leading the police on a high-speed chase.
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