The Smoaks appear on CNN
Posted on 01/08/2003 11:35:54 PM PST by JohnHuang2
The Tennessee policeman who shot and killed a family's dog during a terrorizing traffic stop took just three seconds to slay the animal after it jumped out its owners' car, reports the Cookeville Herald-Citizen.
Law-enforcement authorities released a videotape of the incident yesterday, which shows the three-second time frame on the tape's counter.
The Cookeville police officer who shot the dog, Eric Hall, has since been reassigned to administrative duties while the incident is probed.
As WorldNetDaily reported, the Smoak family was returning to their home in North Carolina on New Year's Day when three police cars swarmed their vehicle on Interstate 40 in what appeared to be a traffic stop.
The Smoaks appear on CNN |
A Tennessee Highway Patrol officer broadcast orders over a bullhorn for driver James Smoak to toss the keys out of the car window, get out with his hands up and walk backwards to the rear of the car. Smoak obeyed and was subsequently ordered onto his knees and handcuffed at gunpoint. Officers similarly handcuffed his wife, Pamela, and their 17-year-old son with their guns drawn.
As the troopers were putting the family members inside the patrol car, one of the Smoak family dogs, a boxer-bulldog mix named Patton, came out of the car and headed toward one of the Cookeville officers who were assisting the THP troopers.
"That officer had a flashlight on his shotgun, and the dog was going toward that light, and the officer shot him, just blew his head off," Pamela Smoak told the Herald-Citizen. "We had begged them to shut the car doors so our dogs wouldn't get out, [but] they didn't do that."
The Smoaks had been pulled over by mistake after someone reported seeing the car getting on the highway with cash flying out from behind the vehicle. James Smoak, it turns out, had mistakenly left his wallet on the roof of the car when he stopped to get gas. Someone within the THP reportedly thought a robbery had occurred, though it turns out none had.
Hall claimed he was acting in self-defense.
"I yelled at the dog to get back, but it attempted to circle me to attack, so I felt that I had no option but to protect myself," the officer wrote in a police report.
Police Chief Bob Terry told the Herald-Citizen, "We are aware there is a lot of criticism out there over this incident, and we want to take [Hall] off the road and let him perform other duties while we get this all resolved." Terry stressed that Hall was not being punished for killing the dog.
The Herald-Citizen reports that "to an average viewer, the scene recorded on the video may not demonstrate the aggressiveness or the threat the officer said he experienced as the dog came toward him."
Terry said he will have two unrelated police agencies perform independent reviews of the incident.
"We once again extend our deepest concerns to the Smoak family for their loss," Terry said. "We know this was a terrible experience for them, and we truly wish that we could undo the events that occurred on the night of Jan. 1."
The Smoaks recently told their story on CNN's "Connie Chung Tonight."
Speaking of Patton, son Brandon Smoak told Chung, "He's the gentlest dog that I've ever been around. He's like Scooby Doo. He wasn't mean at all."
The Pope says he's sorry for the Inquisition and the Holocause, and can we move on.
Trent Lott says he's sorry for supporting segregation, and can we move on.
The FBI says it was sorry about wrongfully accusing Richard jewell, and can we move on.
This clown says he is sorry for doing less than half assed police work, and killing the pet of people who had done absolutely nothing wrong.
Talk is cheap, and apologies are even cheaper since they cost nothing to make after you've screwed with someone else.
Why? Getting sued will be to get off easy! This guy should be jailed for terrorizing an innocent family, along with his partners in crime. These men aren't peace officers - they are brownshirted thugs. This is unforgivable - justice must be served IMMEDIATELY. How would this Nazi feel if it was his wife who was manhandled and handcuffed for no reason? No wonder I have no respectd for cops - they think they are ABOVE THE LAW! They constantly break the laws they are sworn to uphold! How many times do you see cops speeding down the highway - EVERY DAY OCCURENCE! Who is policing the freaking police?
Cops are nothing but revenue collectors. If they are not committing the crimes, as in this case, they get there too late to prevent crimes - they arrive just in time for clean up! They are good for nothing except harrassing citizens. Citizens' militias could do the same job. Personally, I don't like cops in general - they have an arrogant and superior air to them - 99% of them do. Why don't they go out and get real jobs! I don't need a freaking cop - I WILL PROTECT MY OWN FAMILY FROM HARM, thank you.
Same here. I had avoided posting to these threads until I saw the video. My take on this, the cop had already decided that he was going to "shoot that damned dog" if it got out of the vehicle.
Why would we want a release of the pressure valve? I'd rather more people distrust them, than less. I don't want the public placated.
The more incidents like this, the better in the long term.
...someone reported seeing the car getting on the highway with cash flying out from behind the vehicle. James Smoak, it turns out, had mistakenly left his wallet on the roof of the car when he stopped to get gas. Someone within the THP reportedly thought a robbery had occurred, though it turns out none had.
ALTERNATE SCENARIO: cops mistakenly stop car. Family cooperates. Dogs stay in car. Cops realize error and apologize. Life goes on.
And sir, the only part of that that didn't happen is that the dog attacked a cop, forcing him to defend himself. And that has you all broken up.
You want to live in a world where law enforcement never makes any mistakes. Me too; in fact, I will, one day.
Meanwhile, you are setting things up so that the police will forever be raked over the coals for not acting preemptively to prevent or stop crime, AND AT THE SAME TIME raked over the coals for every mistake they make attempting to prevent or stop crime.
Yes sir, you bet. I'm willing to give them a break. They made a mistake. The family cooperated. Everything was on-line to a quick resolution -- until the dog attacked the human. Too bad. Bad dog!
Dan
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