FBI agent stops wrong car, shoots driver in face

Baltimore Sun ^ | March 2,2002 | Tom Pelton

[Donald Stone]

FBI agents searching for an armed bank robber pulled over the wrong car last night on Fort Smallwood Road in Pasadena and shot a man in the face who had no connection to the crime, authorities said.

The 27-year-old victim, whose name was not released, was flown by helicopter to Maryland Shock Trauma Center and is expected to live.

"Anytime anyone gets shot, whether it's the right or wrong person -- we are traumatized by it as well," said FBI spokesman Peter Gulotta. "This is not something that we like to see happen. The circumstances will be thoroughly investigated."

[Travis McGee]

If he intended to stop the passenger in the vehicle then why at almost contact distance did he miss a vital area with a Rifle????? In short why was the subject not killed outright with an 5.56 X 45mm round through the brain.

Possible partial answer to that question: the sights of the M4 are several inches above the bore. At very close CQB range, one must account for this.

The agent may have been aiming "just over" the victims head when he/she had her ? negligent ? discharge.

Again, poor agent screening and training could be to blame.

[Travis McGee]

The civil rights division of the U.S. Department of Justice will review the investigation conducted by an FBI team from the agency's Washington headquarters.

Sure to be fair, balanced, and objective in its pursuit of the truth no matter what the truth is.

[Donald Stone]

I think the reason the FBI agent was armed with the M-4 assault rifle is that a number of years ago a group of FBI agents in Miami, FL. were seriously outgunned by two very dangerous armed bank robbers in something the FBI now refer to as the Miami Shootout.

I don't remember the details but these two bank robbers were heavily armed (former U.S.Army Rangers)and either 5 or 7 FBI agents tried to apprehend the bank robbers, outgunned two of the FBI agents were killed and others seriously wounded in a bloody shootout.

After this incident the FBI changed their policy and began to carry more firepower when pursuing bank robbers.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Let's post his ugly mug ALL over the place, and let him be castigated by the community and the nation.

And always remember...deny personal protection to the genuinely corrupt whenever possible...

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Maybe dude in a car behaved like the Anthrax Guy?
Better safe than sorry.

After all, we must secure our childrens' future...

[harpseal]

Is a negligent discharge sort of homicidus interuptus?

Stay well - Stay safe - Stay armed - Yorktown

[harpseal]

I was once familiar with the details of the Miami Massacre and the problem really was not so much bad weaponry as mistakes in the stop itself. The bad guy who did most of the killing with a Ruger Mini-14 effectively had his heart destroyed by a 9mm round that was fired through the windshield. One agent lost his gun in the stop another lost his glasses and was then effectively blind. Yes, the FBI decided to go to the 10mm as their handgun of choice after that before they went to the .40 S&W because some agents could not handle the recoil but the primary failure was not one of weaponry.

In point of fact give sufficient adreneline a person can function for a minute or more even with a punctured heart. That time can be an eternity in a firefight. He was finally brought down by a round to the head.

Stay well - Stay safe - Stay armed - Yorktown

[harpseal]

Like you said poor training and screening. He should have been adjusting at that close a range or beenfar enough back that he still would have hit.

It is still a class A bad shoot.

Stay well - stay safe - Stay armed - Yorktown

[Travis McGee]

Don't forget that one Fibbie in Miami ran away until the smoke cleared and help arrived.

[Cap'n Crunch]

Oh, your speaking of the Miami shoot out, with Platt & Maddix (spelling) or "how not to make a felony traffic stop" by the FBI.

They really blew that one. Guys paid with their lives.

One of the bad guys took I don't know how many lethal hits and kept shooting agents. That was a hairy shoot out. I saw the Hollywood movie and I saw the tape that the FBI made also.

[Cap'n Crunch]

Optirectalitis

[Cap'n Crunch]

It's been awhile since I've seen the tape but a couple of the agents left their vests and 12 guage shotguns in the backseats of their cars.

It aint good to bring a S&W .38 snubby to a gun fight against a guy with a mini 14.

They even knew he had it because the FBI pulled up along side of them and he raised it up for them to see it.

That was ugly.

[Lurker]

You are referring to the Platt Matix shooting, and the FBI was not outgunned, they were outperformed.

The agents involved weren't wearing their body armor, and had their weapons on the seats of their cars when they decided to ram into the suspect vehicle. The laws of physics took over, and the FBI fools disarmed themselves.

The only 'assault rifle' was a Mini-14 with a couple of high capacity magazines.

Oh, their backup agents were busy tag-teaming a waitress down the road at the same time....

Those Fibbies died because they were incompetent, not because they were outgunned.

L

[Lurker]

You've missed the point entirely my dear.

This FBI agent was approaching a known member of a Right Wing Homophobic Paramilitary Organization.

He was perfectly within his rights to violate every known rule of firearms safety when he approached this known bigot who has undoudtedly trained with firearms.

The only mistake the Fibbie mad was in not blowing not only his brains out, but burning his girlfriend to death as well.

Oh well, a few weeks at Quantico under the tutelage of Mr. Horiuchi and a promotion should take care of that.

Regards,

L

[Melinator]

Bootlicker. You think the Government and LEOs are protecting you? They are "keeping the peace" (by frightening people into compliance with ridiculous, unjust laws, regulation and taxation), and constantly lying to you about the great threat of mortal danger they protect you from.

These people are organized crime, writ large. They are thugs and propagandists, led by criminals and financed by the taxpayer through coercion and terror.

[Melinator]

Yes they should be afraid to shoot "criminals". Who are they to decide who gets executed? They don't get to decide who is a criminal and who gets the death penalty. They get to act in self-defence to the extent necessary to reasonably protect their own lives while carrying out their duties in apprehending and investigating suspects on reasonable and probable grounds.

What is wrong with you? Are you so juiced up from watching "Cops" that you can no longer even understand how these thugs are supposed to fit into the "American Justice System"? You think that they should not be afraid to shoot citizens whom they suspect of crimes? Do people like you actually welcome these "masters"?

What a snivelling coward! You're revolting!

[rbmillerjr]

Message Board no fear commado...ssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh DUCK BLACK HELICOPTER !!!!

takes a real man to challenge somebody a coward on the message board. That in itself proves your value to your country....now run along and watch your Rambo tape....btw, punk I was jumping out of planes when you were jumping off the schools bus.

[rbmillerjr]

No need to apologize...same for Travis ...I've been a little heated myself lately after having veterans of "Red Dawn" tell people on another post how the one recent tragedy at FT Bragg qualified them to tell SF how to run the Q school. Then people who can't read entered the fray and advised us that special operations guys are training to disarm American civis LOL. So, I'm a little hot for conspiracy zealots right now.

[CWRWinger]

My comment is based on the reallife observation that gov't agents and law enforcement in general, when armed with a pistol, can't hit the proverbial broad side of a barn.

If we do a 'Barney Fife', and take their M4's away, and give them wornout LLama's, accidental shootings may go down.