Posted on 12/17/2007 8:37:42 AM PST by Ken H
Police blamed bad information for sending a SWAT team into a north Minneapolis house early Sunday morning in a raid that ended with shots exchanged between police -- who were struck by bullets -- and the resident, who said he was just defending his family.
The homeowner, who does not speak English, told his brother that he thought the police were the "bad guys" after they broke through the back door of the house, where he lives with his wife and six children. He fired and hit two police officers, who were not injured thanks to their bullet-proof vests and helmets, police said in a statement.
The Police Department's SWAT team was trying to search the two-story house at 12:46 a.m. in the 1300 block of Logan Avenue N., as part of an investigation by the Violent Offender Task Force. But police said that they learned later that bad information led them to that house.
"It was found out that this particular address was not part of that long-term investigation," police spokesman Sgt. Jesse Garcia III told KSTP-TV on Sunday. He told KMSP-TV that it was a "bad situation."
-snip-
Vang and his children, who range in age from 3 to 15, were shaken, Dao Vang said. "All these gunshots in the house. They don't know what's going on. Flying bullets in the house and they just cried," he said.
Garcia told KMSP that police grabbed the family's children and shielded them during the incident.
Garcia did not return repeated calls from the Star Tribune on Sunday. Questions about the shooting on Sunday night were referred to Lt. Amelia Huffman, head of the homicide unit, who also did not return calls.
(Excerpt) Read more at startribune.com ...
Sheriff's
Housing Authority
Health Department
ASPCA
Transit Police
DEA, FBI, Secret Service, ICE, PArk Service, Military
County, Local, State Police
Parking Patrol
Thanks to the proliferation of the SWAT concept you might be gunned downed in your home by a variety of oddly costumed, but heavily armed tax-supported buffoons at any time of night or day.
But look at the bright side: The SWAT movement supports many glossy magazines, and sales of black kevlar accessories now probably outstrip those of Detroit automakers.
Now if only these sinister looking dudes could perform a useful function, like helping old ladies and children across busy streets ... or god forbid ....guard the border.
Their Union would raise hell.
This guy didn’t speak English and didn’t recognize police uniforms? Hmmmmmm. . .
Depends on the situation and the crime in question. While the cops are peaceably presenting a warrant at the front door, an accomplice is flushing evidence down the toilet, scooting out the back door, or taking aim on the cops.
If WE are really serious about ending junk like this, we need to stop referring to public servants as "authorities".
Why does every two bit law agency feel a need for a swat team?
Hell every level of govt it seems, even the D.oO.T. has one and they constantly get it wrong.
Too late. There's already a long list of victims.
The robbers wore ski masks. They were bad guys ... that's why they covered their faces.
Looks like we had it wrong.
The knock is a joke.
It goes something like “KNOCK- “yell POLICE”-KICK DOOR IN”
They come in as if they are home invasion robbers.
Since this was “an innocent” family who had nothing to do with the drug dealers in question, he was right to infer these were criminals invading his home.
It has to be a LAWFUL execution of a policeman’s duty to have the immunity. Here we have an admitted mistake so there is a question.
The liability department should just sign the check fast and be done with this.
Nope. The law establishes their position of authority, which is rightfully held under our constitutional system. The problem is not that there are people who hold authority, but that they misuse that authority and transgress beyond the boundaries established by the laws and the Constitution.
Shielded the children, or shielded themselves using the children?
Seriously, are they trying to make the cops look like heroes in the midst of this? I may be a bit simple-minded here, but I think there wouldn't be a need to shield kids if you didn't break into their homes with guns drawn in the first place. It's like the arsonist firefighter who wants credit for putting out the fires that he set.
"Captain Mike, I see we spent 2 million dollars on SWAT last year. How many times was SWAT actually called out?"
>>"Um, 47 times, actually."
"Geez, that seems like a lot of money for just 47 call outs. We're going to have to review this expenditure."
"Captain Mike, I see we spent 2.5 million dollars on SWAT last year. How many times was SWAT actually called out?"
>>"There were 427 emergency SWAT call outs this year!"
"Great work Captain Mike!"
(Nothing gets a cat out of a tree like a $5,000 SWAT sniper rifle.)
I once had an El Paso County Sheriff’s deputy enter my house, uninvited to chase a kid into the basement (My son and another kid for whatever reason were out late and were brought to my house after a curfew violation - My son caught hell, the other kids got his just due from his mommy and daddy too). Both boys were 17 and returning from school and had a legitimate reason for being out. It was after 11 pm and I was sleeping. (Apparently my son decided to go into the basement where my office is to get ME and didn’t tell the cop what he was doing, the other kid RAN and caused the commotion)
All I heard was a “CRASH” and some unintelligible yelling. When I entered the front of the house, the light was on, front door open wide and noises were in the basement. When Mr. Deputy came back up the basement stairs, he found himself with a rifle pointed at his head and me telling him to put his hands in the air and step up the stairs.
At that point he stated “I’m a police officer”.
I said, “Fine, then step up the stairs with your hands in the air and allow me to see your badge and uniform”.
He complied and I took him off cover. I told him I apologized for pointing a weapon at him, but I didn’t know who he was. We parted ways after shaking hands.
If there had been shots fired in my house, he’d have been a dead man with a hole in his head before I ever saw his uniform.
Fortunately, people are generally calm when dealing with such things, and I was that night (I’ve also been under fire before and know when to shoot and when to wait). Most people though, are NOT going to be calm with someone kicking in a door.
My little town of 2500 has a twelve man SWAT team and also a tank.
too late. Innocent victims of sloppy police work have already been killed by SWAT teams. It’s too bad when the leadersipin PDs uses swat teams like dumb bombs.
If an innocent person opens fire on an intruder breaking into his house, he remains innocent even if it’s the police breaking and entering into the WRONG house. If an intruder is shot and killed, the innocent person REMAINS innocent. If the innocent person is killed, the intruder is totally and completely responsible for the death.
Shielded the children, or shielded themselves using the children?
I wonder how many shots were fired by SWAT, and how they knew there were no other children at risk from their stray bullets. (Even assuming that Garcia's claim is true, which I don't.)
But fortunately for this family. there is a tendency for LEOs to be bad shots.
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