Captain under fire defends (K-Mart) street racing arrests

Houston ABC13 TV ^ | August 26, 2002 | Patrick Nolan

[isthisnickcool]

Attorney Steve Rocket Rosen represents 15 of the arrestees

Name seems to fit?

[swarthyguy]

What did Bush know and when did he know it.

[Dog Gone]

There were no arrests of street racers, and nobody would be complaining if that's what this was all about.

According to local radio this afternoon, the first lawsuit has been filed. This one, by the ACLU, is asking for damages of $100 million, which seems rather excessive to me.

I'll see if I can find a link.

[Ron H.]

"We did not feel that any Houston police officer who was out there, or any officer in the chain of command, did anything unlawful or improper," said attorney Terry Yates.

Nothing improper or unlawful, huh?! Next you'll be telling us that your client was actually doing those 278 citizens all a favor by arresting them (according to your logic it would appear).

[Dog Gone]

Request by captain in Kmart raid denied by judge

Judge denies request to force the City of Houston to remove an investigation from control of police chief

By RACHEL GRAVES
Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle

A judge today denied a request from Houston Police Capt. Mark A. Aguirre to force the City of Houston to remove an investigation of the officer from the control of Police Chief C.O. Bradford.

Aguirre ordered the midnight raid outside a westside Kmart on Aug. 18 in which hundreds of teenagers were arrested for trespassing. He has been suspended with pay pending police department investigations of the arrests.

Aguirre filed an application for a temporary restraining order and injunction against Bradford, the City of Houston Police Department and the City of Houston. It claims that "the defendants have conspired to intentionally inflict ... emotional distress on the plaintiff."

Aguirre's attorney, Terry W. Yates, said in a news conference that it is in Bradford's best interest to discredit Aguirre because the officer accused Bradford of perjury in May.

"We would like a public hearing," Yates said. "Somebody needs to look at this aside from Chief Bradford."

Police officials, including Bradford, declined to comment because the matter is under investigation.

State District Judge John Donovan, acting as ancillary judge, denied Aguirre's request today. There has been no hearing set on the case.

Meanwhile, Justin Esparza sued Aguirre and the City of Houston in U.S. District Court for arresting him for "attempted trespass" during the raid.

Esparza is asking for a judgment of $100 million.

[niki]

Raid on Kmart lot leaves shock, anger
Raid on Kmart lot leaves shock, anger
Raid on Kmart lot leaves shock, anger
Raid went to 'hell in a handbasket' Officers say Kmart bust was flubbed
Policing the police after Kmart raid
Raid at hot dog joint preceded Kmart bust
(Kmart Raid) Sonic officials say raid at restaurant unwanted
Kmart neighbor: What took the police so long?
New Clues Surface In Parking Lot Raid
ACLU plans to file suit over Kmart arrests
Berry watched (Kmart) raid, but didn't question police
The plan that led to the arrests of hundreds of teenagers at Kmart, Sonic
Hard questions for mayor, police in K-mart debacle
More we know about Kmart raid, the worse it gets
Police union knows what went wrong, how to fix it
(Kmart raid)Captain scapegoat, lawyer says

[niki]

More Kmart information

[isthisnickcool]

This is why I moved out of Harris county. Lee Brown and his crew of locusts are too busy stealing everything that is not tied town to do anywhere near a decent job. Something stupid like this is typical of Brown and his crew. Who, I imagine, are looking for Brown's next venue to move to after they strip Houston as bare as they can.

[sweetliberty]

Looks like it's time for the justifications, cover-ups, shifting of blame and whatever else it takes to cover their asses.

[eastforker]

Here you go eric,everything you ever wanted to know about this,LOL.

[sweetliberty]

"What did Bush know and when did he know it."

Obviously you are the only one who recognizes that this is all Bush's fault. He IS from Texas after all.

[niki]

"Three days before, Captain Aguirre sent a memorandum to the chief where he stated that there would be mass arrests of street racers and their followers,"

He is not understanding reality. That is not what he did.

[Dog Gone]

Check out the details of the planned operation:

Memo Sheds Light On Parking Lot Raid

[sawsalimb]

Of course he was doing them a favor. They all got a roof over their heads,courtesy of the taxpayers. They got an exciting ride in a police cruiser or paddy wagon,and I bet that a few of them might even have gotten fed a meal. And all the arrestees got to experience a little bit of reality for once,and once they were in jail,they were safe and sound,and they weren't at risk of being tempted to do anything illegal,so it's all cool. Really. The HPD said so.(/sarcasm)

[niki]

Meanwhile, Justin Esparza sued Aguirre and the City of Houston in U.S. District Court for arresting him for "attempted trespass" during the raid.

How could he be charged with "attempted trespass"?

[sweetliberty]

It is starting to look like this could have been a set up to get Aguirre in the first place. Obviously he has been a trouble maker in the past and it is abundantly clear that he ain't the sharpest knife in the drawer. Could have been that Bradford knew alright, and was allowing this thing to play out having a strong hunch how it might go down given Aguirre's hot dog propensities. What better way to get rid of a troublesome cop than to let his own tactics be his undoing?

Should I adjust my tin foil hat now?

[sweetliberty]

"But he has done the citizens of this community a great service and served them admirably for 23 years," Lewis said."

Yeah, I'll just bet those law abiding citizens he arrested are real proud of the way he protected and served THEM. Oh, that's right. Didn't he jump jurisdictions to pull off this operation?

[Dog Gone]

How could he be charged with "attempted trespass"?

Beats me. There's no such crime. Maybe the lawyer for the ACLU is stupid and couldn't read the charges.

Asking for $100 million for one client isn't likely to get much community sympathy for their client, either.

[Dog Gone]

If the memo that Channel 2 news got this afternoon is authentic, it really hurts Aguirre's case. See the link above.