Man killed by Sunrise police in drug raid had 2 ounces of marijuana

http://www.newsday.com/ ^ | August 10, 2005 | Brian Haas & Kevin Smith

[freepatriot32]

SUNRISE -- Police seized 2 ounces of marijuana at the home of Anthony Diotaiuto after shooting him 10 times, according to information on the drug raid released Tuesday.

Also Tuesday, while many friends and relatives of the 23-year-old bartender and student mourned him at a Davie funeral home, others appeared at a Sunrise City Commission meeting to demand an explanation for the fatal raid

"Do 2 ounces of marijuana constitute a death warrant?" asked Sunrise resident William de Larm, a friend of Diotaiuto's.

[HairOfTheDog]

The gestapo had the law behind them, too.

Is that what you really think this is? Do you really think there is ~ANY~ reasonable comparison between this great country and Nazi government?

The man was a felon, like it or not, and he reached for a gun when raided by the police. Most people call that suicidal, not heroic.

[numberonepal]

IMO, keeping more than an oz around is inviting just this kind of trouble.

Dollars to donuts this guy was dealing, which is why there was a warrant involved. Some punk got busted for carrying and turned over his dealer. The judge rubberstamps a warrant (or an assistant does it for him), and off go the cops. That's the system, and I believe in the system.

His invitation to trouble was engaging in illegal, not criminal, activity that involved too many other people. It probably wasn't for personal use. Perhaps he was splitting it with a buddy, or probably doling out eighths and quarters for a lot of "buddies". It's a dumbass thing to do, and easy to pick the wrong people to deal with.

[Deguello]

"Well 2 ounces CAN be a lot,"

That amount wouldn't carry Nate Newton past Brunch.

[OKIEDOC]

You would think the cops could throw down more than a few ounces.

I'm telling you that if some hooded Muslim terrorist lookalike cop comes busting through my door this old Okiedoc is going for a gun, knife or maybe some toilet paper.

[G32]

To a libertarian, dying for your stash is the ultimate of heroics. It's a lot like how al qaeda thinks of their martyrs.

[TKDietz]

According to testimony I have heard both from local narcotics officers and DEA agents, Mexican pot prices have even gone down further since 2001. Apparently there was a spike in prices for a brief period after 9/11/01, and then prices went back into their downward slide. Today, people pick up pounds of Mexican all the time now in places like Dallas or Tucson for $400 to $800, depending on who they know, and it can even be cheaper with huge volume purchases. I don't live in a border state but I have clients telling me about $50 and $60 dollar ounces. I can remember back in my wild old days in the 80's ounces costing around $100. Of course it had been a lot cheaper than that in years prior. I guess prices went way up in response to increased drug war activity when Reagan came into office and then the suppliers adapted and figured out how to work around the increased law enforcement activity. Now more pot than ever is coming in.

[JeffersonRepublic.com]

"We grieve for our officers, too. Taking a human life isn't easy to do,""

I sure the mother will find comfort knowing that killing her son wasn't "easy to do". I hope the officers are telling the truth, but after reading the statements from the neighbors, their story sounds fishy.

[thoughtomator]

No problem, fraulein.

[Buzwardo]

If you are engaged in criminal activity it would make sense that we would be knocking on your door.

What, like jaywalking? Changing lanes without a signal? Knocking is fine by me. Early morning SWAT raid over 2 ounces of weed ending in a fatality is more police state than police work. It would not have taken much effort to cause a far more palatable outcome.

[-YYZ-]

What you say may be true, but we don't know that. We've also heard that the guy worked two jobs, which is not usual for a dedicated pot dealer. It also doesn't make sense to me that this guy, if he knew that it was the cops coming in, would go for a handgun over a couple of ounces of pot - what good could come of it for him? Adding a couple attempted murder, resisting arrest, etc charges to whatever posession of a couple of oz of pot was going to cost him.

I still believe that no-knock raids like this are overly dangerous to all involved when the only crime involved is drug dealing. Civilians, sometimes innocent, and cops are getting killed just to prevent someone from flushing a bit of some substance down the toilet before the cops can get in.

[Dead Corpse]

Do you really think there is ~ANY~ reasonable comparison between this great country and Nazi government?

We are getting there by inches. Even the Weimar Republic didn't die over night. Is that a good thing in your book? That we "aren't quit there yet so things are peachy"?

[Lester Moore]

There is no latitude here! ... Nuff said!

Sooo, what have I been saved from here, Public Servant?

The WOD is just busy work, to keep enough JBT's on staff to keep the gov. (of the people, by the people etc.) in control of people that actually think they ought to be able to live as free persons.

We can't actually have people really thinking they are free can we?

[Graycliff]

Yea it doesn't give you any time to hide or dispose of evidence.

Boo Hoo

[stinkerpot65]

Two ounces!

[L98Fiero]

"He was probably dealing - not many 20 somethings just happen to have baggies and postage meters unless they're dealing. He didn't get killed over two stinkin' ounces of dope - he got killed because he went for a gun."

I agree. However, I wonder why they thought "Special Weapons And Tactics" were necessary. Because he had a CCW?

[darkangel82]

Nope, because then they might stand up for their rights, and we can't have that.

[freepatriot32]

As for the planting guns s**t, Well that doesn't deserve an answer. What an idiotic comment

Former cops learn their fate in federal court (planted narcs in homes of 2 men)

[Terabitten]

If they did that, they couldn't justify all the neat toys and training they get to buy with taxpayer funds!

I agree with you there. I'm a federal LEO and I bitch constantly about my agency (and other Fed agencies) wasting taxpayer dollars on stuff they don't need.

[HairOfTheDog]

Every law in this land is debated ad nauseum by all who want a say in it, without fear of being dragged off to a gulag for insubordination.

It's silly to compare laws approved by the people to laws imposed by dictators. Please. You look silly to people who actually know oppression.

[pageonetoo]

I think that's a fair assumption since the cops generally don't do predawn raids over a couple lousy ounces of pot. We all know that where there are drugs, there are a) guns and b) money.

Are you an idiot, or do you just play one on FreeRepublic? I guess that also means that you think all black guys dance good, and if you want to carry a hockey stick, you must be Canadian.

You do sound like a typical LEO, though. Shoot first, sort it all out later. Heaven forbid, even considering that the LEO's could make a mistake...

To borrow a phrase from the war, it was an intelligence failure.

Yep, but it seems to be coming from your direction. My oldest son is a SWAT officer, and has done no knocks. He leads the group, now, and I do not believe he would make this same error. They rely on facts...