Fight with computer brings SWAT team

Daily Camera ^ | January 9, 2003 | Mary Butler

[tarawa]

Fight with computer brings SWAT team
No charges filed after misunderstanding cleared up

By Mary Butler, Camera Staff Writer
January 9, 2003

A 32-year-old Boulder man who had opened his apartment's patio door to enjoy Wednesday's unusually warm weather was later overheard screaming threats and seen waving what appeared to be a handgun, prompting a maintenance worker to call police.

Officers, as a precaution, evacuated the man's apartment building and called SWAT officers to assist in defusing the situation.

It turned out that the man was simply upset at his computer — which he had called a "bitch" he "wanted to kill," police said — and the gun was a plastic pellet gun, not the .45-caliber automatic handgun it was made to resemble.

"It was alarming and concerning and expensive for us, but the man's conduct didn't warrant any criminal charges," Deputy Police Chief Dave Hayes said.

Three people were evacuated from the man's eight-unit building, at 3350 Bridger Trail in the Remington Post condominium complex at the intersection of 30th Street and Iris Avenue.

The 3 p.m. incident was resolved by about 4:30 p.m. The man, whose name wasn't released because he wasn't arrested on suspicion of any crime, was cooperative once police contacted him. Police did not confiscate the pellet gun, but with the man's permission, they took another firearm from his home "for safekeeping."

"He was very surprised, embarrassed and apologetic," Hayes said.

Hundreds of people driving near the housing complex — which is adjacent to banks, a grocery store and the Alterra retirement community — were detoured as police officers directed traffic to keep residents of the complex from going home. Many people watched from sidewalks to find out why SWAT officers were carrying large rifles around the housing complex.

[AdA$tra]

A Dell? I love my Dell. Most trouble free computer I've ever owned.

We have our AS/400 hotsite in Boulder. No way we could bring up our system there without our trusty Dell laptops. I am also the Dell guy at our office. Kind of like being the Maytag repairman.

[A CA Guy]

This whole thing calls for a lawsuit against the computer manufacturer who's fault it was for creating this piece of bitchy equipment that could so ruin a life and threaten limb by way of SWAT!
There also needs to be a lawsuit against the manufacturer of that pellet gun as well.
Maybe demand reparations while at it.

I'm sure that makes sense to some lawyer somewhere!

[shezza]

Yeah, and they're going to keep it so safe that he'll never see it again.

[Karsus]

Is it you first computer? :->

[x1stcav]

My sense of geography is better, obviously, than my typing.

Yeah, I remember you people being pretty sensitive about 'furriners' moving into the state. I got there in '91 and, when asked what part of the country I was from, I learned very quickly to tell them I had been 'transferred' by my company from California. That seemed all right to most people inasmuch as it seemed I didn't have a choice in the matter. Enjoyed my time there.

Better get ready for the next wave of arrivals as Davis and the demonrat's trashing of Kalifornia will create a new exodus.

[Larry Lucido]

Why did they take his other gun for safekeeping?

So he wouldn't get mad and try to shoot it with his pellet gun? Those pellets could permanently scratch the finish!

[demosthenes the elder]

speak no evil of Dell, or my big black Dell workstation will frag you!

[unixfox]

they took another firearm from his home "for safekeeping."

As if he couldn't just ...GASP... go buy another one?

[Bonaparte]

"Maybe this is why Dell supports gun control."

HCI and Dell have both refuted that claim, which was originally made by a paranoid gunsmith and then repeated uncritically on the radio and internet. Believe it if you want to, but nobody has ever shown that Dell supports gun control.

[Bonaparte]

"Is it you first computer? "

My first store-bought computer. Building them is just way too much hassle these days and Dell does a great job for a very reasonable price.

[ContentiousObjector]

That is nothing, back in 1984 when we were replacing our RadioShack TRS-80 PC's with IBM and Macintosh systems, the old TRS's were taken out to the chairmans ranch and we shot them up with shotguns, drove over them, dragged them behind horses and finally set them on fire.

Damn, were lucky that didn't turn into Waco

[roadcat]

"speak no evil of Dell, or my big black Dell workstation will frag you!"

Among the many machines I support at my job, are about 150 Dell workstations. I also am directly responsible for a couple dozen Dell servers. They have problems, just like the Compaq, IBM, and HP servers I support. Just had to replace a failed hard drive on a 4 month old Dell server the other day. Dell tech support is okay, if you're willing to pay for gold or platinum support which we have on our critical machines. Otherwise, it may take hours to get a response from them.

Our least trustworthy servers? Uh, IBM. Dell workstations are better than our Compaq workstations. Point is, they're all machines that can screw you when you least expect it.

[FLdeputy]

”Of course the official report was that he was drug crazed and attacked them. Apparently these big JBTs with all their equipment can't handle a teenager with a butter knife in any other way.”

I’d love to know what you do for a living, besides playing quarterback on Monday.

[Paulus Invictus]

OK, I'm ready! Will the Dell from Hell stay up long enough? My Bro's new Dell stays up at least once a day, but for shorter and shorter times. Tech help isn't, so he is off-line most of the time.

[stuartcr]

Windows XP Home

[Wombat101]

I like the way police won't release the guy's name because he hasn't done anything wrong, yet the newspaper had no problem publicizing his address. Is it just me or is this wrong?

[Liberal Classic]

Police did not confiscate the pellet gun, but with the man's permission, they took another firearm from his home "for safekeeping."

No crime, no charge, no arrest, but a confiscation?

[Wolfie]

No crime, no charge, no arrest, but a confiscation?

More like: No crime, no charge, no arrest, IF a confiscation.

[Aracelis]

Heh...been there.

[Liberal Classic]

More like: No crime, no charge, no arrest, IF a confiscation.

Ah, yes. I see exactly what you mean. If he hadn't have surrendered his weapon, downtown with him. Will he ever get it back?