Deputy Shoots At Child Driver During Chase (Lakeland, Florida)

[flvegan]

LAKELAND - A Polk County sheriff's deputy opened fire on a 12-year-old girl he said tried to run him over Sunday afternoon. No one was shot. The girl was charged with attempted murder and aggravated battery.

Her 6-year-old brother was with her in the car that crashed after the shooting, Polk County sheriff's spokeswoman Michal Shanley said. No one was seriously injured.

Shanley said the girl, whose name is not being published because of her age, asked for and got the keys to a Chevrolet Cavalier that belongs to a family friend about 2:30 p.m. She got into the car with her brother and made her way to Wabash Street and New Tampa Road.

The Cavalier then stopped in the middle of the intersection, Shanley said, and that's when Deputy Dan Hughes noticed the car with windows tinted so dark he couldn't see who was driving. He got out and approached the Cavalier.

<snip>
Full story:
http://www.tampatrib.com/MGB5SK08GAE.html

The local news this morning, has shown an interview with the girl's mother. She states that the girl was supposed to get something out of the car, but took the car instead. She was beside herself as to why the police would shoot at a 12-year old girl. The story this morning futher went on to say that the windows were too dark to see the driver.

[demnan]

1. Lakeland is a pretty redneck place

even by this Virginian's standard. They have bad crime there too. People stealing cars at bars and stuff.

[LiberalinNC]

3. All of Polk County is pretty much "redneck".

:rofl:

[truthisfreedom]

2. show us a picture of the Cavalier with the tinted windshield.

and the bullet holes through the tint.

[flvegan]

4. Best I could find

From http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2005/6/27/102139.html

[guruoo]

5. The bullet holes seem to indicate...

that the officer fired after the car had already passed by him.
If that's true, then the officer was already out of danger
when he fired.

I've known cops that actually bragged about
jumping in front of cars to give them an excuse to use deadly force.

[progressivebydesign]

8. Thank you Dick Tracy.. but...

Hardly worthwhile forensics there. You can't see the front of the car clearly, and are not there in person to inspect it for bullet holes on the front of the car. Perhaps, with your jr. detective badge you could ponder if shots were fired from in FRONT of the car, THEN as it passed, on the side.

So many people on DU are quick to blame the police no matter what that they do silly things like trying do-it-yourself forensics.

[napi21]

6. What makes you think the officer was looking through the windshield?

If you haven't seen cars on the road with windows tinted so dard you couldn't see inside, you must live somewhere with NO population!

I see them all the time! I have to assume a 12 year old wouldn't be a very good driver, so why wouldn't you accept the idea that the cop tried to do his job?

I'm a bit surprised that her mother is complaining about a cop shooting at the car her 12 year old was driving, rather than asking WHY in the world a qw year old could get away with gtting the keys and thinking it was just fine to drive the darn car!!!

[progressivebydesign]

7. Gosh she couldn't figure WHY they'd shoot her?

Duh. Could be because she TRIED TO RUN OVER THE COP??? Tinted windows all around? Attempted vehicular assault? Cop did the right thing apparently, lucky she wasn't killed.

[Cocoa]

9. the obvious question...

is the "family friend," or whoever gave this child his car keys, going to be held accountable?

[Endangered Specie]

10. Im just wondering how shooting at a car will get it to stop?

even if you kill the driver, its still going to roll a good ways, that and to fire accurately you have to hold still in a certain stance, time is better spent getting out of the way.

nevertheless, it doesnt take a 12yo brain to understand the difference between unlocking a car door and going for a joyride

and If not, I expect a parent to have some common sense, if the kid is dumb enough to do these sorts of reckless things, it probably wasnt her first incident, and the parent ought to have known better.

Dumb cop, dumb girl, dumb parent.... 0 for 3.

[kittykitty]

11. Couldn't they just shoot the tire(s) to disable the car?

[slackmaster]

12. You have to hit a critical part to stop a car

Like the fuel pump, the distributor, or the driver's brain.

[Endangered Specie]

14. Well, if you cant hit a critical plane part with a .50

I doubt youll pull off a similiar stunt with a 9mm and a car.

[MiniMandaRuth]

13. I probably allready know the answer to this question,

but why was she in the car in frist place, with her little brother too? Someone who's halfway intelligent would get the keys, and someone who halfway cared about her brother wouldn't bring a little boy with her on a 'joy ride'?

Problems at home, maybe?

[JVS]

15. Call me when they get to tasering her