[marajade]

Um, you can't arrest someone for something they haven't done...

They waited until he left the store so they could arrest for armed robbery... Until he had left he hadn't committed the crime yet...

[DCBryan1]

Um, you can't arrest someone for something they haven't done...

No $hit! You need to re-read the article. But you CAN blow away a criminal with a gun in your face. The cops put the clerk in danger. They should have supplemented a SWAT officer in civie clothing behind the counter.

What would your reaction be if the criminal SHOT the oblivious clerk?

They waited until he left the store so they could arrest for armed robbery... Until he had left he hadn't committed the crime yet...

Re-read the article before you comment, you are stating the obvious and missing the point entirely.

[shiva]

Um, you can't arrest someone for something they haven't done...

You got that right!

[SarahW]

Isn't the innocent clerk's life worth more than "making the arrest"?

The cops decided that making an arrest for armed robbery was more important than preventing the danger to life and property ahead of time, by PREVENTING it.

The perp was a felon, on parole, and had a gun. He would have gone straight to jail and stayed there.

It wasn't worth the risk of the clerk's life to get an armed robbery conviction.

At minimum, with the advance notice given, the clerk should have been replaced with an armed undercover officer. THE END.

There is NO excuse for this. The informant gave them info and they should have acted on it to protect life and property. That was enough for them to stop the guy on the street, search him and put him in jail for a weapons charge and violation of parole.

[NYTexan]

If the cops new he was going to rob the store, then they should have arrested him for possesion of a deadly weapon!

[TexasCajun]

"Um, you can't arrest someone for something they haven't done... "

Well... You don't live in Houston, Texas!!