The Jose Guerena Raid: A Demonstration of Tactical Incompetence

captainsjournal.com ^ | 27 May, 2011 | Herschel Smith

[marktwain]

Helmet camera footage of the SWAT team raid on the home of Jose Guerena has been released.

Bob Owen noticed the same thing I did. One of the team members fell in the doorway upon breaching and entering the home. The video speaks for itself, but by way of summary, let’s observe the following.

First, Mr. Guerena’s weapon, contrary to initial accounts by the SWAT team, was never taken off of safety. The team took no shots from him. Second, the team mills around for a while before breaching the home. Third, they don’t form into a stack. Fourth, absurdly, they knock and allow only four seconds for a response. Fifth, one of the members falls in the doorway. Sixth, upon shots being fired (by the SWAT team), more than one team member begins backing away from the incident. Seventh, one of the team members who initially backed away moves forward to fire shots over the heads of other team members who are in the home (it’s a wonder that SWAT team members didn’t get shot by their own team). All the while, several team members are standing aimlessly outside the home, doing nothing. Then to top it all off, even though medical responders arrived within minutes, they weren’t allowed into the home for one hour and fourteen minutes.

The Sheriff may as well have sent the Keystone Cops to raid the home. These clowns shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near weapons.

UPDATE: Thanks to Glenn Reynolds for the LINK.

UPDATE #2: So I asked a certain former Marine I know (combat tour of Fallujah in 2007) what he thought about this particular raid. Here are his thoughts. This would be hilarious if a man hadn’t died in the process. Tactically speaking, their raid was foolish, and they are guilty of murder. So this SWAT team wanted to “get some?” Great. Go join the Marine Corps and deploy to a foreign country and fight insurgents. You’re supposed to be peace officers, to prevent things like this from happening. As it was, Mr. Guerena thought his home was being invaded, and so what would you do in this circumstance? Well, you go get a weapon and post up. You send rounds down range to protect your family. Mr. Guerena even had the good discipline not to do that. This whole incident was evil.

UPDATE #3: I’ve had a chance to talk with my son about this some more, and a good summary of what this raid was like is to say that “It looks like the Iraqi Army raiding a house.” I had known that the ISF wasn’t present during much of his time in Fallujah (most of the security forces were Marines and IPs), so I asked him, “Why do you say that? Have you seen the Iraqi Army raiding a house?” He said yes, and I responded by asking him what it looked like? He said “It looks like that. Just like that. People falling all over each other, emptying their weapons, shooting at everything, and shooting at nothing.”

[marktwain]

I initially thought they broke down the door eight seconds after knocking. Another poster said that it was 15 seconds. These observers think four seconds. It is not absolutely clear from the video.

In any case, it is a very short period of time. Not enough time for a reasonable person to respond to the door and ascertain that the people there are legitimate police, and not home invaders dressed as police.

Ironically, the police say that is what they were investigating: a home invasion gang that disguised themselves as police.

[Upstate NY Guy]

Amazing incompetence and stupidity. But maybe not considering this is Sheriff Dupnik's turf.

When Jared Loughner killed 6 people and wounded Representative Giffords (and a bunch of others) Sheriff Dipnik tried to blame conservative talk radio.

"When the rhetoric about hatred, about mistrust of government, about paranoia of how government operates, and to try to inflame the public on a daily basis, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, it has impact on people especially who are unbalanced personalities."

Dupnik blames Political Rhetoric

It sounds like there are more than a few "unbalanced personalities" in Dipnik's own department. But we are supposed to "trust government". I don't think so.

[smokingfrog]

Did they put some kind of breaching charge on the door?

The guy with the rifle slung across his back who is walking away when the door is breached and then suddenly runs up to the door when the shooting starts and fires his pistol into the house is some crazy stuff.

The siren at the beginning of the raid sounds more like a car alarm going off.

[The Magical Mischief Tour]

The Sheriffs Dept initially reported some absurd amount of time like 30 minutes... I can’t imagine any cop muchless a SWAT team pounding on a door for 30 minutes...

These criminals were caught redhanded in a full blown cover up of a murder.

A murder committed under color of law after they created the circumstances which led to the gunfire.

This Marine was awaken by his hysterical wife telling him armed men were outside, less than 45 seconds later he was dead...

The cops the true idiots they are, think that a man (any man) can go from sleep, to thinking a home invasion is taking place, to oh its the cops and surrender/submit or be killed in less than 45 seconds...

All of these cops should be indicted, tried for murder then executed.

[Berlin_Freeper]

Let's say for the sake of argument that Jose Guerena was completely innocent of any wrong doing.

Why would the police be at his door?

Because his own family, as found evidence indicates, were part of a home invading drug gang.

So if not for his own family, he would be alive today.

BTW, if you know of criminal activity like home invading and drug dealing you are lawfully supposed to report such crimes. Except if you are the spouse, then I think that person is shielded from the law.

[marktwain]

So if not for his own family, he would be alive today.

A rather twisted way of blaming the victim.

We will see what happens in a criminal trial. The police have very strong incentives (now that they killed someone) to cover-up, obfuscate, and throw wild accusations all over the place.

Assuming, for arguments sake, that his family was involved in criminal activity, that does not deprive him of equal protection under the law.

[muddler]

As terrible as this is, everyone should know by now that these monsters will never be held accountable for their crimes. At least not by us mere mortals.

[Berlin_Freeper]

“Assuming, for arguments sake, that his family was involved in criminal activity, that does not deprive him of equal protection under the law.”

I agree.

However nothing in these videos shows that the police acted in a wrongful way.

I understand people are emotional but that doesn't mean the police did anything wrong. Even when one guy tripped and another broke open the door.

[butterdezillion]

What evidence did they find? Nothing I’ve seen so far has been proven to be stolen. What am I missing?

[butterdezillion]

I think the comments here have showed a lot of stuff these police did wrong. They plugged a guy full of holes when the guy’s gun was still safety-locked. How is that right in any way, shape, or form? They gave him no time to even realize who they were or what they were there for, much less surrender. Before giving him any time to surrender they plugged him full of holes. How is that right?

How is it right for them to claim that they knocked on the door for 30 minutes when some who have looked at the video have said it was actually 4 seconds?

Name me one thing the cops did right.

[Berlin_Freeper]

I am referring to the information posted in a thread yesterday from this article:

Jose Guerena, 26, his older brother, Alejandro Guerena, and Jose Celaya - a relative by marriage - were listed as suspects in an investigation of drug trafficking and home invasions, records show.

and

During a briefing before the warrants were served, records show, detectives told SWAT team members the two Guerena brothers and Celaya were associated with a double homicide related to a home invasion.

[dalebert]

exactly

[calex59]

Because his own family, as found evidence indicates, were part of a home invading drug gang.

You are full of sh**. His family was KILLED by home invaders, they were not part of a gang. This guy, and his family, are/were innocent of any wrong doing. Only a total frickin fool, yes that means you, would think this was anything but another swat team cluster f***. They killed an innocent man and for you to try to spread rumors about his family is beyond contemptible.

[Berlin_Freeper]

There has been much hyperventilating including now from this article: Third, they don’t form into a stack.

Five SWAT were stacked enough to shoot him over 20 times.

What are we doing now? Taking out our measuring sticks to see how many inches apart they were?

[Berlin_Freeper]

I refer you to the link in post 11 and ask you to control your emotions.

[dalebert]

well maybe someone in the police force was getting kick back from gangs and was making a point. might be good to investigate the person who ordered the raid.

[calex59]

What evidence did they find? Nothing I’ve seen so far has been proven to be stolen. What am I missing?

They have no evidence. You have to realize that Berlin_Freeper is a total cop apologist. He has been on these threads constantly taking the side of the swat team since this sh** happened. Now he is making up sh** about the guys family being part of a home invasion gang. The best way to deal with the idiot is to ignore him. Of course I don't follow my own advice in that respect, he just pi**es me off to much.

[gunsequalfreedom]

However nothing in these videos shows that the police acted in a wrongful way.

There are any number of ways they could have peacefully apprehended the guy for questioning. A traffic stop might be one of them. They are out of control.

[Berlin_Freeper]

I am just one person giving my observation. Other people could do the same and not include me in that at all and that would be fine by me.

I am not the one replying to others observation's even though i don't agree with them.

Imagine that.

[dirtymac]

The police are supposed to arrest the man. They are not the District Attorney, the Judge, nor the Jury, but they were by God the executioner.

The problem is that they were scared to death and acted thusly are the first incident or noise.