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Posted on 12/12/2009 11:38:22 AM PST by Chet 99
DALLAS — The search for suspects who raped an SMU student last weekend led police to a southeast Dallas neighborhood off Jim Miller Road and Red Bud Drive. Ruben Moontiel also saw SWAT officers near his home on Red Bud Saturday afternoon while he landscaped his front yard.
No sooner had he gone inside to tell his wife police were suiting up outside when SWAT kicked in his front door. "I felt humiliated," Moontiel said.
His wife, Agueda, said Dallas SWAT officers rushing into her home trampled over her foot and fractured it. DPD detained the entire family for four hours, keeping them outside.
Finally, detectives had Agueda Moontiel's black 2001 Chevy Tahoe impounded. That was particularly inconvenient for the family because their SUV has a special seat in it to transport their three-year-old disabled son, Ruben Jr. But police say they were acting in good faith while investigating the SMU student's rape.
The three men who raped the 20-year-old woman miles away left the scene driving a dark SUV. Plus, DPD traced the rape victim's cell phone to Moontiel's street, where there are a half dozen similar vehicles.
But detectives zeroed in on his home because his family's 2001 Chevy was previously owned by a sex offender. Detectives contacted SWAT with promising evidence, but police concede that detectives were wrong.
"It's one of those fine lines," explained police spokesman Lt. Andy Harvey. "We're trying to get bad people off the street, so -- unfortunately -- sometimes mistakes are made. But our intention is always in the right place."
DPD's SWAT doctor examined Agueda Moontiel's foot at the scene, but she refused treatment, Lt. Harvey said. The family provided records that show Methodist Hospital later found fractures in her foot costing the Moontiels $600.
Their house now needs repairs, too, from SWAT kicking in the front door.
Late Tuesday evening, Dallas Police had the Moontiel's black SUV towed back to their house after discovering it had a flat tire while in DPD's custody at the impound lot.
Lt. Harvey said Ruben Moontiel, 33 -- who cleans office buildings for a living and has no criminal record -- is not a suspect in this crime. Police readily admit that this was a case of mistaken identity.
As it always does, SWAT provided paperwork for the Moontiels to file a claim against the city. But since police were on the job looking for violent criminals, Dallas isn't obligated to pay the family a dime.
Not the first time, any PD. Will not be the last either.
“Comments have been turned off for this article”!
Sounds like the Gwinnett County Georgia Police. They do this every other month.
Turned off on the article’s website, not on Freepers!
I’d feel worse about this if there was some confirmation that Ruben and Agueda are living in the US legally. If they’re not, that might have been another factor that pointed to him as a suspect, and law enforcement would have every right (at least in a sane legal system) to barge into their home, albeit for a different reason.
Huh? Does this make any sense?
Tragic... but at least SWAT teams were used against real crooks this time.
Stupid is as stupid does.
Sue those bastards for everything they’ve got. Todd Chism certainly did (youtube).
“Protect and Serve” is now “Us versus Them” ...
It’s fortunate both husband and wife weren’t blown away.
As bad as all this was for the Moontiel family, at least there was no mention in the article of the prerequisite dog shooting. Maybe their cat owners.
Oops! their=they’re
I once knew a guy who managed an apartment complex in the east SF Bay area.
Whenever he had someone he wanted to get rid of, he would tip off the police that the potential evictee had drugs in his apartment. The police would raid and arrest the victim. Then the apartment complex could throw them out without a formal eviction.
Best of all, the manager could bill the owner of the complex for his extra labor in fixing the door.
If it's a fine line, maybe it shouldn't be crossed, just a thought.
Our troops in combat zones in Afghanistan are operating under more restrictive rules than these cops and our troops
can be held personally responsible if someone says they were injured by our soldiers. The world is truly upside down.
SMU Student Abducted, Raped After Dallas Party
(12/8/2009)
On Wednesday Dallas Police arrested two men in connection to the off-campus rape of a SMU student athlete.
Arturo Arevalo and Alfonso Zuniga face aggrivated sexual assault charges in the case. Arevalo is also charged with aggravated robbery.
Thursday the third suspect, 26-year-old Luis Zuniga, was identified. Zinga is currently in custody.
The 20-year-old victim had just left a party early Saturday in downtown Dallas when she was forced into a car with her attackers.
One of her classmates who was at the party said the victim and several other students were leaving the party when three men drove up in a dark-colored SUV.
Police said one of the men grabbed the victim around the neck, put a gun to her head and forced her into the back seat of the vehicle.
They reportedly put duct tape over her eyes and took her to another location where they raped her.
According to police, the victim was pushed out of the vehicle and ran for help.
Records show Arevalo and Zuniga are illegal immigrants.
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