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FBI Agent Cleared Of Criminal Charges After Shooting Pasadena Man
WBAL Radio Website ^ | 7/2/2002

Posted on 07/02/2002 2:09:18 PM PDT by caa26

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To: _Jim
Heres a few problems I have with this shooting. The FBI should have performed a felony traffic stop. They didn't, they pulled up in front of the car and cowboyed out.

The second problem I have is: where's the deadly weapon or fear of death/serious physical harm by the agent?

The agent saw no gun because there was no gun. I bet he said in the investigation that he thought the victim was drawing a gun on another agent so he shot. Still, he did not see a gun.

We can only use deadly force when threatened with death/serious physical harm, not every time someone makes a hand movement.

When I was a rookie and riding with my training officer we got a call of two men in a 4x4 next to a convenience store and the caller said they had guns in the car. We pulled the 4x4 over and I approached on the passenger side with our shotgun.

The passenger (who was 16) opened the door and immediately reached under the seat. I waited until he pulled out whatever he was going for. It turned out to be a piece of paper. Had I shot I think I would have been more justified than the agent in this story.

141 posted on 07/04/2002 7:06:42 AM PDT by Cap'n Crunch
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To: _Jim
I wasn't there to observe the original 'event' so how could I judge these people

Heh, I see you're getting piled on again.

You'd be surprised to learn that if I was forced to take a guess about who started the Waco fire, I would say the Davidians. If I was forced to take a guess as to what happend to this kid that has his face disfigured, I'd say it was a tragic accident.

However, you're missing the big point here.... these things shouldn't be happening. Easily frightened and undertrained FBI agents shouldn't be running around suburbia with weapons of war, just as the Treasury Dept. shouldn't be conducting massive commando Ops for firearms violations, just as the Justice Dept. shouldn't be crashing tanks into buildings.

The thing that infuriates many of us is not these events in themselves, but nobody EVER is held accountable for their actions. Nevermind prosecuted, nobody is ever fired or even given a slap on the wrist.

142 posted on 07/04/2002 7:35:34 AM PDT by AAABEST
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To: caa26
Gutless DA - Sh*t heads for grand jurys - makes my butt tighten up. The shooter should be doing hard time. But noooo the Fools & Bungling Idiots get away with another criminal shooting. Remember Waco and Ruby Ridge - the Gubmint has a license to kill.
143 posted on 07/04/2002 8:10:33 AM PDT by sandydipper
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To: SUSSA
Murdering a Boy Scout might get him promoted , but isn't as good as murdering a mother who is holding an infant.

After shooting her dog and number one son and before running tanks and poisonous gas into a church!

144 posted on 07/04/2002 8:49:57 AM PDT by thirst4truth
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To: caa26
What is this country coming to? This agent should have been run out of the agency and prosecuted in a criminal trial. Wonder how much the feds are paying grand juries these days?
145 posted on 07/04/2002 9:11:22 AM PDT by antidisestablishment
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To: Cap'n Crunch
I responded to a domestic once, and unfortunately (or fortunately, as it turns out) was on the scene before the other officer responding. I observed a verbal argument between three individuals that appeared to be about to turn physical. I got out of my vehicle and approached them (they were standing on the sidewalk in front of their house) with about 15 people watching what was going on. As I approached them something made me look to my left and I observed an individual running up the sidewalk with a single shot shotgun. He was obviously agitated about something and was screaming at me and at the three people. He was holding the weapon with both hands and it was down below his waist pointing towards the houses. I drew my service weapon and began to circle backwards to my right to put parked vehicles between myself and this person. I was yelling at him to drop the firearm and he just kept running at me, yelling all the while. I was able to get the front of a parked car between us and the idiot bent at the knees, dropping down behind the fender. I told him if he stood up with anything in his hands I'd shoot him (he was approximately 8-10 feet away). Thankfully he left the shotgun laying on the grass.

Turns out the shotgun was the first firearm his deceased father had given him, so he didn't want to drop in on the concrete. Seeing me draw down on their relative (he was related to the individuals involved in the domestic) defused the argument between the other three. The family were all frequent flyers at our department and the kid with the shotgun had gotten into an argument with his mother who promptly kicked him out. He left with the shotgun but returned when he saw me arrive because he thought I was going to arrest one of his family members and planned to interfere.

The backup officers all said they would have shot him after the first three commands to drop the gun....guess it was a good thing they arrived late.

I've been involved in 5 or 6 incidents such as this where I would have been cleared if I would have shot a suspect - but I never fired my weapon due to good training, a calm head and common sense. Wonder why the FBI has so much trouble, I was just a lowly local cop - you know, the kind held in such contempt by the Feds.

146 posted on 07/04/2002 10:45:34 AM PDT by Abundy
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To: Abundy
You hit on something there. When guys say "I would have shot." Well, until your in the situation you don't know if your going to shoot or not.

Of the close calls I've had I just didn't think it was the right time to shoot, I did'nt feel threatened enough; and two of the three I almost shot were coming towards me with knives. And I did have an incident with a man with a shotgun also. (you start to forget over the years)

Theres a huge gray area there but I think you have to wait until you at least see a weapon.

147 posted on 07/04/2002 10:56:14 AM PDT by Cap'n Crunch
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To: mercy
Mercy, I agree with you that people SHOULDN't have to put in sarcasm tags for the slow of wit, but, as you concluded, there are some on here that are ve r r r r y s l o o o o o w.
148 posted on 07/04/2002 11:15:37 AM PDT by jammer
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To: Abundy
From the first part of your reply in #139, in the excerpted text we find:

  They also indicate that ... apparently did nothing 

  They strongly suggest that ...

  ... documents that might have proved ... 

Three sentences and five different 'weasel word' sets - and you proceed to state the following:

"Gosh, it appears to show that the FBI is absolutely guilty of obstructing justice and was absolutely in contempt of court "

I notice that *you* used another weasel word in YOUR responses.

That must mean that you understand that a) you know exculpating evidence exists (but not yet revealed here) OR b) you are afraid that such evidence exists ...

Good work.

From the second part of your reply we find:

" it appears to show that the FBI agents are dfeinately [sic] accessorys to murder because they failed to stop an impending crime "

More 'weasel words' - because all you really have to make this point is the slimmest of material. A few lines excerpted from a 'story'.

Gee, I wonder what that the bureau up there was doing that month - how many other active cases, how many security-clearance interviews, background checks, etc, they were conducting?

I have noted that Classical Conspiracy Theory always assumes that those involved with the conspiracy have nothing else to do except involve themsleves with the conspiracy at hand, when in fact, these people have other responsibilities and duties to discharge - a lot like you and I do. What were the workloads of these men - were they called away or otherwise involved in other activities? Court appearances? Bank-robbery investigations? Other crime investigations conducted on/involving Federal property?

Common sense should also still tell you that if this material were that damning it would have been destroyed loooooooooong ago.

*IF* this material were that damning ... I'd expect something actionable out of an 'investigation' soon. I'm not going to hold my breath though ...

I think overall that you're putting way too much stock into a few loose press reports.

Better if you were to stand back and with a cooler head take a look at the bigger picture, use a little common sense and get the story that (I'm sure) exists on the other side of this coin ...

149 posted on 07/05/2002 8:09:57 PM PDT by _Jim
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To: _Jim; harpseal
Jerk - I used the "weasel words" "apparently" and "appears" because they are what you were focusing on in your attempt to spin the story. It's too bad that utter contempt and sacasm are not conveyed effectively over the internet - then maybe you would have gotten the point of the word usage and addressed the points that I made - well, maybe not, because you never do when you can't argue with them. Let's review:

FACT - The documents were NOT turned over to the defense.

FACT - They indicate that another individual did the crime.

FACT - The FBI had information the crime was going to occur before it took place.

FACT - The FBI is required to turn ALL of that information over to the defense.

You can't refute them, they are, after all, facts. Again, it would take longer to pick the jury than to put on the evidence - But you've been ignoring the facts because they don't suit your agenda.

Back to the original subject of this thread - why haven't you addressed all the facts in that story.

FACT - The agent disregarded police procedures and ran up to the front of a vehicle.

FACT - When the occupant obeyed another agent's orders to unbuckle the seat belt he was shot.

FACT - The shooter had already seen that the victim's hand was empty.

Prima Facia case of reckless endangerment, due to the agent's actions in ignoring proper procedure for felony stops.

But you haven't addressed anyone's posts on that point either...but then you never do when the FBI ignores police procedure.

150 posted on 07/06/2002 3:26:21 AM PDT by Abundy
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