Man wounded by agent sues three in FBI

Baltimore Sun ^ | March 4, 2003 | Gail Gibson

[Mulder]

A Pasadena man mistakenly shot in the face by an FBI agent searching for a bank robber filed a $10 million lawsuit yesterday against three agents, alleging that they disregarded bureau arrest policies and then played down the potentially deadly result, telling an informant at the scene: "This [expletive] happens every day."

[Rifleman]

The individual agent shot the kid in the face.

[Rifleman]

Grand Jurors see what they are shown and mostly do what they are told. Prosecutors treat them like mushrooms. In cases like this they are a rubber stamp for the government.

[Mulder]

According to an FBI flyer out of Phoenix, those who attempt to "police the police" are terrorists.

And this was before the Patriot Act passed.

I do agree with you, however.

[cynicom]

Law enforcement people work hand in glove with each other to protect themselves from the "citizens". This goes from the judge to the DA to the street cops. They will not throw out one of their own rotten members unless it is to save themselves.

[Wolfie]

Surely by now you realize there are some who will excuse anything done by an a**hole with a badge.

[Abundy]

The guy was cleared of wrongdoing. That means there can't be a criminal trial. However, he made a mistake with bad consequenses. He (or the FBI) deserve to pay.

Actually, if the State's attorney for AA county had any balls, he would just file a criminal information. What occured is that said State's Attorney punted this for political reasons by allowing Braga to testify at the GJ. That is guaranteed to wind up in a no-bill. Had the SA wanted an indictment, he would not have allowed Braga to testify.

An assistant SA right out of law school could convict Braga of at least reckless endangerment under MD law based on the facts as reported in the press. Brage disregarded every procedure for a felony stop and approached the front of the vehicle without cover. He shot an unarmed man when that individual, responding to comands from other Agents, attempted to unbuckle his seat belt. Had Braga followed procedures and been at the rear of the vehicle he would have had no reason to fire. - But then we are talking about an out-of-control agency that doesn't answer to the citizens they are killing.

The informant was present at the scene - as the informant was wired and being used to ID the real suspect.

_Jim, you truly are a government-loving, boot-licking POS.

but then we all knew that before you came on this thread to spin disinformation for your beloved FBI.

[harpseal]

Now *her* claim looks like a money-grab ...

So what it beats hell of being next to someone shot from at the very least a very screwed up operation.

[Travis McGee]

Special Agent Braga is a trigger happy ex-Marine who found his calling to be working as a trigger happy FBI SWAT goon.

Anyone who reads Enemies Foreign and Domestic will recognize his type, and understand how common they are today in federal law enforcement "special response teams".

[Travis McGee]

I'm sure the gov't made a strong case to the grand jurors for his endictment. /sarcasm

Exactly.

[Travis McGee]

Cozy? About as cozy as Stalin providing your court appointed defense lawyer in 1937.

[Travis McGee]

Odd. Whenever there's defending of the jackboots to do, the same bits of trash repeatedly blow up the street... Just a FYI to all you new FReepers and lurkers. Do searches on their names, and read the posts. Now let's see if the others are on thread too. Quick man the phone trees.

They are working the other shifts this week in the JBT war room.

[SarahW]

You understand that the prosecutor doesn't have to provide evidence to the grand jury that he doesn't want to provide?

Prosecutors sometimes go for no-bills on purpose.

[Mat_Helm]

I hope these kids receive every penny and that it comes out of the FBI's budget. More importantly I want this trigger happy idiot out of law enforcement and without a gun in his hand before he shoots another innocent citizen.

[Stew Padasso]

Don't you think if there were sufficient basis for prosecution they would have indicted?

"Add me to your bump list."

[HiTech RedNeck]

The sadest thing is that this ends up in a civil case costing the taxpayers millions while Braga is back on the job instead of in jail worrying about is 'virginity'.

If he did go to jail, it would be at a nice white collar prison. Not one of the rough ones.

[HiTech RedNeck]

I hope these kids receive every penny and that it comes out of the FBI's budget.

Sigh -- it would be a strawman exercise. The Patriot Act will fund them every dollar they might lose through this, and then some. It's not as if there were competition for the job of Federal police. Names need to be named and shamed. And even though only three are getting sued (why isn't the FBI itself also being sued?), the responsibility runs much deeper. The Keystone Kops have nothing on this agency.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Don't forget Dane! No list of FRackboots is complete without Dane.

[Travis McGee]

Good point! I haven't seen that jack boot licker in a while though.