Since this story is local news to myself I figured I would blog a bit about it, especially since it’s my line of work.
Poor little Devon Brown got shot while attacking the police and guess what? The police are getting attacked in the media and by the community because of it. Am I surprised, no…happen’s every time.
If you havn’t heard a 13 year old led police on a chase after he was caught in a stolen car.
Garcia and his partner were on routine patrol near Gage and Grand avenues when they saw the driver of the maroon Toyota Camry run a red light. The officers followed the car onto the Harbor Freeway and then tried to pull the driver over.
A three-minute chase ended when the driver lost control of the Toyota and drove onto the sidewalk. The officers then parked their patrol car behind the Toyota.
A 14-year-old passenger fled, but was later apprehended. When Devin, who was driving, allegedly backed into the officers’ car, Garcia opened fire.
Granted this is from the LA Times, one of the most liberal paper’s in the country.
First off, I have been in many pursuits. Last one was 2 weeks ago (have a copy of the radio traffic but wont post it up here for you to listen to until the criminal case is over.) and they all have put my adrenaline thru the roof. It’s just natural since it’s a dangerous situation. I been in pursuits where the suspect got himself cornered and believe me, if he had tried to put the car in reverse I would of shot his ass also. Thankfully none have yet.
It’s just funny to me how the community can blame the police but not this gangster in a stolen car, or how about his parents? Wtf is wrong with these people. These are the same people who will say “why didn’t you just shoot the gun out of his hand?” or “why didn’t you just shoot him in the leg?” Are you kidding me? People today have seen too many cop movies and believe they are real.
In a gunfight you most often get tunnel vision and believe me you are not sighting down range. You are pointing your gun at the suspect and shooting, shooting to kill. We do not, nor will we ever shoot to wound. If I pull the trigger on my gun it is to stop a deadly attack towards me or someone else and to stop this attack we shoot to kill. It is just not feasible to think that when someone is trying to kill me that I would take the time to aim at someone’s leg, or try to shoot the gun out of his hand, or just dive out of the way of a 3000lb hunk of steel, hoping I don’t slip and get run over. No, if they attack me with something that can cause my death I will shoot to kill this person to stop this attack, plain and simple. That is what these LAPD officers did and they did right.
The gangster’s and their families will cry “police brutality” as usual, and the LA Times will put these stories on the front page as usual, and we will continue on.
ADDED – It’s signs like these that were posted in the community that foster’s the us against them mentality.
“LAPD … Thank you for giving us yet another reason to dislike your services. We have seen enough deaths caused by you and do not agree with your execution of yet another young black male. You are a cancer to the community.”
Oh, and one last thing…the youngest kid I ever caught driving a stolen car was 12 years old. This wasn’t his first one either, he had been arrested for a stolen car one month prior. But of course it was our fault for catching him, not the parent’s fault.
Check out Right Wing News, and The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler for some more info.
Update – 2258HRS – Just found this blog, Susskins Central Dispatch, awesome post he has up.
Plus he has a quote from Chief Bratton that I had not heard before:
Bratton said such a policy should prohibit officers from shooting ?unless the officer or other person are threatened by deadly force, other than the moving vehicle,? according to The Times.
Ok, now I’m really pissed. Wtf is a 3000lb piece of metal then? Not deadly force? Holy freakin christ….You sure this isn’t Chief Parks? What happens to these cops when they start gaining rank huh? They shrivel up and forget what it was like being a street cop.

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