Teen shot by DEA agents in case of mistaken identity

Austin-American Statesman ^ | Monday, February 10, 2003 | ASSOCIATED PRESS

[IMHO]

Teen shot by DEA agents in case of mistaken identity

ASSOCIATED PRESS Monday, February 10, 2003

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - A 14-year-old San Antonio girl was shot by U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents who were attempting to make an arrest in what was later determined to be a case of mistaken identity, a police spokesman said.

The girl was in critical condition Monday at Wilford Hall Medical Center, Tech Sgt. Steve Elliott, a spokesman for the U.S. Air Force hospital, told The Associated Press on Monday. A woman who answered the phone at the DEA field office in San Antonio said no one was immediately available for comment.

Agents in plain clothes and unmarked vehicles were watching a home on the city's west side late Sunday where they believed a drug suspect was hiding, San Antonio police Sgt. Gabe Trevino told WOAI-TV. They saw the man get into the passenger side of a Mitsubishi Eclipse.

"A girl got into the driver's side of the vehicle, and when they started leaving without the headlights on, and at a high rate of speed, the agents felt certain that this was their suspect and he was trying to escape," Trevino said.

Agents boxed the car in and attempted to arrest the man.

"The agents in front were head-on with the suspect vehicle. They got out wearing vests that very clearly said 'police' on it," Trevino said. "He clearly yelled that they were police and ordered the driver of the vehicle to stop and the occupants of the vehicle to show their hands."

Trevino said the girl at the wheel continued driving toward the agents, and slammed into their vehicle, then shifted into reverse and rammed the DEA vehicle behind her. Agents fired at least four times, and the girl was struck in the head.

The man was not the suspect agents were seeking, but he was booked into jail on a charge of public intoxication, Trevino said.

[IMHO]

Well, I guess if she was driving at fourteen, she deserved it, Huh?

/sarcasm

[Pay now bill Clinton]

[Redcloak]

Hmmm... Mistaken identity. Let's see if this story sticks to the wall. (Will it be "We thought that she was an Iraqi" next week?"

[IMHO]

Here's another version


Suspect
LAST UPDATE: 2/11/2003 12:23:57 AM
Posted By: Maritza Nunez

Watch this story...

It started as a stake-out and ended in a shootout.

A 14-year-old girl shot during an attempted drug bust
was listed in critical condition Monday night. Ashley
Villarreal was shot late Sunday by San Antonio drug
agents who were looking for Ashley's father.

"They should have known she was only a little girl,"
said Adriana Villarreal, Ashley's sister. "She was only
14, she was a baby."

Ashley Villarreal and another man were driving away
from her grandmother's house when she was shot in
the head.

Agents thought the man in the car with her was their
suspect trying to get away.

In all, the DEA says agents fired three shots into
Villarreal's car. One bullet hit her in the head. The other
two ended up across the street into a home, barely
missing a bedroom window.

Not a single shot came within miles of the real suspect,
Villarreal's father. In fact, he wasn't even at his home
Sunday night.

Drug agents said the suspect is a significant drug
trafficker in the San Antonio area that deals cocaine
and meth-amphetamines. News 4 WOAI found
nothing on the man's record. "Our greatest concern
when we're putting together these operational plans is
the safety of the public and the safety of our agents that
are out there dealing with these people," said Robert
Paiz with the DEA.

But neighbors say they're not sure who scares them
more, drug dealers or the officers who are supposed to
go after them. "I was just afraid that some of the shots
might come through my window," said one neighbor
who lives near Sunday night's shooting. "It was just too
scary."

The suspect was still free Monday night, but agents
said they got a call from the suspect's lawyer saying he
may turn himself in sometime Tuesday.

[babaloo999]

Hasn't this story already made the rounds of FR this week?
I thought the girl died a couple of days ago.
Anyway, don't be surprised or upset if this thread gets pulled.

[blackdog]

If they would just make feds comply with a 9:00 curfew, make them leave their sunglasses at home, and take away their cars, all the dogs, grandmoms, eagle scouts, chilrun, and marijuana smoking warlords would sleep safer.

"High fives all around, dead dog, lungshot grandpa, HOOHAH!!!"(the leo death cheer)

[shadeaud]

The gal died by the way and now the DEA isn't talking to anyone. Cops asked the media to stop showing footage of the scene after the incident. City is investigating and I trust them more than this task force. No warrant, 18 agents incognito for one guy who was believed to be dealing only since November, did the DEA have on their id vests ( neighbors say NO!).

[blackdog]

Yep, it gets pulled faster than this pos.....

[HetLoo]

another victim of gun violence...

[babaloo999]

Actually, those threads may have been dumped or moved to the dungeon.
The jack booted thugs were going at it pretty good with the pervert libertarian
cop haters. Or something along those lines.

[IMHO]

Sorry, perhaps I missed it.

[babygene]

This was the excuse last time....

This thread has been pulled.

Pulled on 02/12/2003 10:55 AM MST by Admin Moderator, reason:
Pulled. The WOD flamewars are going to stop one way or another. We are discussing options. We also do not intend, long term, to allow disrupting parties to get all of these threads relegated to the backroom or pulled- so this is a temporary measure until we figure out a plan of attack. Sorry for the inconvenience.

[IMHO]

Why would they be dumped? Where could I find them? Nothing wrong with debate or awareness is there? Or am I in the wrong FreeRepublic?

[IMHO]

I seem to keep replying after my questions are answered. :-)

[BossLady]

The DEA strikes again!

[blackdog]

The WOD lunatics are the most zealous fixated goobers I've ever encountered. I may be hard on cops shooting dogs and dopers, but the WOD crowd (both sides) could argue the mortar content of a stone wall for hours. It becomes rather personal and pointless after a while.

[visualops]

"argue the mortar content of a stone wall"



very good lol

[lodwick]

Damm this WOD bullshit!

Our government = our enemy.

[narby]

Hasn't this story already made the rounds of FR this week? I thought the girl died a couple of days ago. Anyway, don't be surprised or upset if this thread gets pulled.

Seems "FreeRepublic" isn't free to talk about this kind of subject. At least outside of the smokey room where no one will see it.

[narby]

Oh, now I see why these threads get pulled.

Too much bother for the moderator to kill individual posts by people who obviously don't want this subject discussed.

It's just amazing how much power the WODers have. They've even got both political parties to agree on the WOD. Amazing.