Posted on 06/08/2007 4:03:44 PM PDT by ButThreeLeftsDo
The man who shot and wounded an undercover Robbinsdale police officer is now out of jail, and may not be charged with any crimes.
Martin Treptow walked out of the Anoka County Jail Friday afternoon, and told reporters he shot the officer because he feared for his family's safety.
Treptow says he got into a dispute on the road with a man who turned out to be the undercover officer. He says he did not know the man was a cop.
"We're about three feet away from each other and he's pointing the gun at my wife," Treptow said. "I had to defend my family."
Treptow, who used to work as a security guard and has a permit to carry a gun, pulled his own weapon and fired.
Treptow, his wife and two children, then drove to a nearby convenience store and called police.
Police say some witnesses back up parts of Treptow's story, but the officer says it was Treptow who pulled his gun first.
Coon Rapids Deputy Police Chief Timothy Snell says both drivers could have brought the situation to a better conclusion. "I think there were points in this incident when either side could have backed off," he said.
Treptow is now free, can resume carrying a gun, and can travel anywhere he likes.
Prosecutors say it may take weeks to finish the investigation.
The officer could not be reached for comment. Authorities declined to provide his name on Thursday, because he works undercover and has several cases pending.
You may be right-—I hope I never have to find out. However, I would just have my hand on my gun, out of site of the guy—the minute he moved toward me would be when I would react.
Never bet that you are faster, get a head start if you can.
Got to stay calm enough not to pull the trigger if it isn’t needed. Don’t “over plan” to excess, you never know what will happen until it does. I even hate to kill a rattlesnake in the yard, but I will, in a heartbeat. Ignore folks who brag about killing like it is a thing to be proud of, they will soil their pants and run, every time.
Well, I wouldn’t want to make the mistake of T’ing off an undercover cop.
It seems to be the essential details of this case are missing, like why did the LEO draw at all? And exactly who did he draw down on?
I think until that is known, the permit holder can’t be faulted. And seeing as he got off, you have to think that the cop was way, way out of line.
Also, I’d expect an undercover cop to be particularly careful about identifying himself. There too, I have to think he didn’t do that properly, or Treptow wouldn’t have gotten off.
Do you really want to spend the rest of your life hoping that some stupid little Cop doesn’t screw up?
Goodness, Gracious, Cops still depend on Charmin, just like we do, if they don’t want an itchy tail.
“It seems to be the essential details of this case are missing, like why did the LEO draw at all? And exactly who did he draw down on?”
And why did an undercover get involved in a traffic spat while undercover in a town out of his jurisdiction?
I like the permit holders chances. Based on everything I’ve read/heard.
But......
You just never know.......
Here’s what they said on the news tonight. Treptow says the cop cut him off, so he gave the cop a one-finger salute. Then the altercation escalated and they both pulled over to the side of the road. The cop got partially out of his car with his gun drawn, so Treptow shot him out of fear for his wife and kids who were in the car with him. The cop never IDed himself as such. Treptow then drove to a nearby convenience store and called 911. That’s Treptow’s version of the story, anyway.
whats he gonna say, Put down your gun or i'll shoot your wife and kids???
But like other posters have said, when carrying you have to be aware that any incident can potentially escalate to the use of lethal force and apply an extra measure of self-control, particularly when driving. Treptow put his family at risk by giving the cop the finger and for what?
“Then the altercation escalated and they both pulled over to the side of the road. “
If Treptow’s story is true and they both voluntarily pulled over to the side of the road then both of these guys are wrong. They both knew that they had a weapon. What did they think they were going to do, get out and exchange pleasantries? Treptow has kids in the car and he drives around flipping other drivers the bird? Not good judgement by either. The only way that Treptow would be totally innocent is if the LEO pulled in front of him in such a way as to cut him off and not prevent leaving.
Both of these guys should have just driven on and nothing would have happened. Because both of them being wrong (the LEO being more culpable for escalating the situation) no one should be in jail. I suspect the LEO will be either suspended or penalized for his extremely poor judgement.
Treptow does the rest of us CCW license holders an extreme injustice by his actions. What is it that all of the gun nazis talk about? Our highways will become a shooting gallery.. dodge city... etc.. One irresponsible action by a CCW holder casts a light upon the rest of us, even though there may be hundreds of other cases where CCW holders are responsible citizens who prevent a crime. We know the liberal press will report on the one bad incident to the exclusion of the rest.
One last thing, Treptow says he was concerned for his wife and kids safety because the LEO pulled a gun and was pointing it at them. If he was so concerned about their safety, why pull over in the first place?
In Texas one can lose their CHL for this alone.
Pretty soon you’ll be able to count spilled toothpicks.
Sounds to me like a renegade cop who watched Training Day one too many times.
People lie.
I understand that completely. I used to be fairly proficient at karate (I can't beat my way out of a wet paper bag with a hammer now). I always went out of my way to avoid situations where I would even consider using those skills, because I really didn't know how to do something that wouldn't seriously hurt someone, and get me into trouble.
I like the idea of concealed carry because, even though I'm heavily armed and relatively proficient with a gun, I never really wanted to carry one. Having said that, I know that if there are unknown, armed civilians around me, I benefit from their presence. How much better could it be?
But when cops lie, innocent people can go to prison. When a cop lies, he is almost always obstructing justice and violating someone’c constitutional rights. Don’t youi dare dismiss a cop lying with a claim that “people lie”. When a cop lies when in the performance of his job, he is a criminal.
I will dare to say it again...
People lie.
It was a statement. Just as yours.
I wan't implying anything more than you were implying.
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