Teen on bike, tasered, ran over by car, and then cop planted gun on the body...

[cynatnite]

Late one night in October, a 17-year-old on a bike was chased by a police officer in a cruiser. When the boy refused to stop, the officer aimed his Taser out the driver's window and fired. The boy fell off the bike and the cruiser ran over him, killing him.

snip:
Witnesses watched from in front of Sluggo's, a hipster vegan restaurant and bar directly across the street, about 50 feet from where Victor was killed. Elementary schoolteacher Rachel Moore said she saw the squad car on the wrong side of the street and heard the "loud click-click" of the Taser. She described the officer's driving as "careless" and said she feared he would hit the bicyclist.

"When the Taser clicked, the kid swung hard to his left over grass into the parking lot. The bike wobbled and he lost control. I don't know if the Taser hit him or the sound of it scared him. But he went down, and the cop turned into the parking lot and immediately ran over him," said Moore, who called 911.

snip:
The day after the funeral, Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigator Eli Lawson called Cassandra Steen's newly-hired attorney, Aaron Watson, and told him that TV news was about to report that a paramedic had found a gun in Victor's pocket.

A video, taken from the dashboard of another officer's car, recorded what happened in the minutes before the discovery:

Three officers squatted next to Ard's car, looking under it at Victor. Ard unlocked the passenger side of his car and got something out. The object is light-colored and floppy, but isn't clearly visible. Ard, holding the object, crawled under the car next to Victor's body and stayed there for 40 seconds. Two minutes later, paramedics found a 9mm silver and black semiautomatic in Victor's pocket.

Lab tests showed the gun had been wiped clean. No fingerprints were on it — not Victor's, not anyone's. Victor's family, as well as his pastors and friends, were aghast. Victor was scared of guns, they said. He would not have carried a gun around.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/death-of-teen-on-bike-shows-risks-of-expanded-use-of-tasers/1112106

It's not a new story except to me.

[Liberal_in_LA]

1. K&R

[JonLP24]

2. Surprising this was at '0' when I saw your post

Surprising that someone would 'unrec' this story. Anyways I gave it a rec and am now giving it a :kick:

[pnorman]

82. Whoever it was that unrec'd it

I just canceled that asshole out!

[drm604]

3. K&R

:kick:

[gratuitous]

4. Oh, don't worry

After a thorough investigation, Officer Ard's brothers in the thin blue line will determine that he did nothing wrong (the report's already written, just waiting to fill in the date), claim that there's a citizen vendetta against all police officers, and demand that everyone be reinstated with full pay and time in rank. Some time down the line, a civil lawsuit will be dismissed after payment of an undisclosed sum and everything will be back to normal.

[Fumesucker]

5. +1

[Tsiyu]

8. meh

What's human life, anyway?

Dumb, thoughtless teenagers SHOULD all be shot when they have errors in judgment. Zero tolerance and all that...

(course, the kid obviously knew to get away from that deranged cop - something in the gut told him to pedal faster from the psycho, I suppose, but nevertheless)

as long as we understand what a HERO this cop and his buddies are, and we worship his esteemed uniformed countenance, it won't happen to US.

That's all that matters now, People....move along.....

nothing to see here, folks.........













Our Law Enforcement Overlords Hath Spoken.

[saigon68]

63. THE CULT OF 9-11

A few of New York's finest get squashed and pummeled, protecting bond traders on the 90th floor

And the "Cult of Worship" is pushed by ruling corporations who need these thugs for protection

My view of the boys in blue

[Ignis]

6. K&R. Ugh, this is so sad. Sounds like he was a good kid.

(Not that bad kids deserve to be run over, either.)

[midnight]

7. If I understand this right, a police officer has a body under his

car which he caused to fall down and then run over? Another police car records a cop going under the car with something. Does he come out from under the car with anything, or does he leave it with the victim? I don't know what size a semiautomatic is, but it sounds big. Does anyone know if the police are issued this type of gun?

[Uncle_Gunnysack]

11. It wouldn't be issued. It's known as a throw away I believe.

[Jackpine Radical]

83. I think the term is "throw-down."

A gun or knife carried by cops to "throw down" at the scene of an unjustifiable killing in order to make it appear that their victim was armed.

[awoke_in_2003]

98. I have heard "throw away"...

they are taken from the evidence room and the serial numbers are ground off. Common practice in any moderately sized city (evidence room is where cops get there pot, too)

[Fumesucker]

18. A 9mm is a moderate sized round, particularly by today's standards..

And semiautomatics can be quite small in that caliber.

This is a 9mm semiauto, as you can see from the trigger and guard it's pretty small.

[midnight]

84. That is small.

[UndertheOcean]

9. Filthy PIGS , OINK OINK OINK

[Taitertots]

10. Quite a stretch to go from light colored floppy object to handgun

Why would you claim the police planted a gun when there is absolutely no evidence to support it?

[Skip Intro]

12. Shhhhh. Cops are pigs. Don't think. Just repeat. nt

[rhett o rick]

27. Cops are getting away with murder. Why dont you care? nm

[caseymoz]

119. He still tasered somebody on a bike and ran over him.

I think that's bad enough.

[Ignis]

138. Cops? No. This particular cop? Worse than a pig.

Do you disagree? If so, why?

[Tsiyu]

150. If you read the entire article

it's even more damning.

This cop did a rapid U-turn, drove on top of and along the sidewalk for a while and then tore into an apartment side-yard at a high rate of speed - BEFORE he tasered the kid.

It's a wonder this "Dale Joonyer" didn't kill anyone else.


Because he saw a black kid on a bike, this freak goes nuts in a patrol car.



Death for being black when the wrong cop is lurking.


No wonder the kid was running, is all I can say.

[Ignis]

151. Yes! Even if the kid had stopped, the cop would have hit him.

What kind of power-tripping asshole engages in a dangerous high-speed chase on the sidewalk to pursue a kid with no bike light?

Not to mention shooting the Taser with one hand out the window of his squad car. :eyes: Cowboys like that should be behind bars, not behind badges.

[havocmom]

13. No prints on gun; light colored floppy handkerchief?

Perhaps used to hold gun so no prints?

I could see it happening. Some guns are rather small and a handkerchief is big enough to extend out into the air if you are using it to hold a gun and not get prints on it.

[Taitertots]

16. Quite a huge jump from handkerchief to handgun

You have absolutely no evidence other than your own hypothetical fantasy.

[havocmom]

19. And you have no proof the theory is wrong

So what's the problem. I just wanted to point out a possibility of how a light floppy thing could also be a means to plant a gun to cover an ass's ass.

edited for typo because I was laughing so hard

[havocmom]

20. and for the record, I am not a knee jerk cop basher. I am family to cops

Just so we have that straight.

[Taitertots]

23. What do you mean, the total lack of evidence supports my position?

"I just wanted to point out a possibility of how a light floppy thing could also be a means to plant a gun"
Which is nothing but conjecture.

[havocmom]

24. fine have it your way

Lots of cops in family, one who was a special investigator of dirty cops, = I heard LOTS of tales on some of the tricks of the trade. But I know nothing so go on and ignore me.

:rofl:

[Taitertots]

29. So what? You still have absolutely no evidence of malfeasance

I'm sure you think you know a lot. Obviously not enough to support the fantasy you have weaved for the situation.

[AtheistCrusader]

88. Oh, lets see.

Witnesses report him doing something suspicious to the body.
Describe EXACTLY what one would expect to see with a gun wrapped in cloth to insulate against fingerprints.
Paramedics, not police, find a firearm on the kid, that is completely free of prints.



Now, to spin it another way, perhaps he had a bandage, and was trying to staunch a wound on the kid, until paramedics arrived. No idea if the kid died instantly.


However, suggesting there's been a 'fantasy weaved for the situation', with the extremely odd and interesting point that a firearm in the kid's pocket was completely free of prints is just weird. It wouldn't even really justify tasering the kid off his bike. That's extremely dangerous. Did the cop allege the kid flashed a gun? More evidence the lack of prints on the gun is 'odd'.

[havocmom]

104. I do not claim to know a lot, but I know enough to keep an open mind

And I am not the one who 'weaved' the gun on the kid the cop tased, ran over, killed. I just offered a viable theory as to how the gun got there.

Why do you insist on being so opposed to theories? The kid's family said he had no gun. The gun appeared after a conference with other cops and the removal of something from the cruiser's glove box and a trip under the car to where the victim lay dead.

So, I suppose the cop went to the glove box for a band-aide or some gauze?

[snake in the grass]

115. Jesus Christ!

The fact that he shot him out of a driving car and then ran over him is enough for me. Why do they always have to do that, when he could have just followed the kid?

Stupid fuckers!

[Vehl]

130. I agree

This cop needs to be fired and tried on court for murder and cover up

[caseymoz]

122. No evidence, but we have some indication of it.

Indication means you have enough to start an investigation to look for evidence.

Let's just say, the cop deserves his day in court, like any of us non-cops would.

[Pithlet]

30. Wait, wait, so let me see if I have this...

This cop chases and mows down this poor kid -complete with taser no less! - and this is even witnessed by multiple bystanders. This is bad enough. Then there is footage of this cop planting something on his body moments before paramedics find a gun -wiped down with none of his fingerprints on it, gee, how did that happen? - but WE are the ones pulling meaningless conjecture out of our asses? Wow.

[Taitertots]

37. The tape doesn't show him "planting" anything

That you are even claiming that something was planted is meaningless conjecture.

So multiple bystanders saw the event and yet not a single person has said he planted anything, let alone a gun.

[Pithlet]

38. The video shows him getting something out of the car and going back to the body

moments before a wiped gun is found on him. That is not meaningless conjecture to anyone except perhaps to someone who wants to believe that cops can do no wrong. ETA the fact that this happens moments after he happened to run him over after tasering him matters even more. Gee, what could the motive have been? Cop screwed up and cop wanted to cover his ass. It may not be absolutely damning, but it is very suspicious. Your claim that people are just jumping to the wrong conclusions with no evidence is ludicrous.

[BakedAtAMileHigh]

40. you might as well stop arguing with this one. He's programmed to obey.

It's a well written, deeply implanted code. There's no fixing the damage here.

[Pithlet]

41. I think some just want to cling to a rainbow and kittens world where cops never do such things.

Kinda sad if you think about it.

[Taitertots]

43. While some are hopelessly paranoid and will invent anything it takes to defend their bias

[Pithlet]

44. Yep. No doubt about it there are extreme viewpoints on either side.

And then there is reality, where there are indeed some bad cops. And this story in particular is pretty suspicious.

[BakedAtAMileHigh]

65. what a load of garbage

The cop tased the kid and then ran him over with the car.

You should be ashamed of yourself.

[peacetalksforall]

81. The reality is you are 50% wrong and everyone else is 50% wrong because we

don't know anything yet. Think it over.

[havocmom]

105. If I have a bias re cops, it is one leaning toward defending them until there is cause to question

And there is PLENTY cause to question in this case.

Two brothers in law, one step mother, three cousins all cops. I lean in favor of most cops. But I know enough to not trust all cops. My cop family members don't trust all cops either.

[Th1onein]

60. The tape shows him going under that car with something in his hand.

And NOT coming back out with it. Simple logic would tell you that whatever he had in his hand was left under that car. And, then, when you find a handgun with NO PRINTS on it.....well, it's a little more than meaningless conjecture at that point. People have been sent to Death Row on less substantive evidence.

[havbrush]

137. Conjecture

The cop tasered a cyclist from a moving car then ran over him and killed him. Isn't that enough for you? Why are you defending this reckless, out of control cop? The discovery of a gun after the fact, whether planted or not, does not change the fact that the cop killed him with his patrol car.

[revolution breeze]

74. Most likely light colored floppy object was latex gloves

First responders, including police officers, are required to wear latex gloves in any situation where they may come in contact with bodily fluids (i.e. the body of a 17 year old who has just been run over by a police cruiser).

[Raineyb]

79. It's not a huge jump at all. A handkerchief would keep the cop's prints

off the gun as he planted it on the boy's body. At any rate, what the fuck was the cop doing pulling something out of his car and then going under his car where the boy lie in the first place?

[peacetalksforall]

80. It makes sense that a gun in a glove compartment or wherever would be

wrapped in something. It makes sense that wiping prints off and making sure there isn't any prints requires something to wipe with.

[MsPithy]

112. How would you

get a fingerprint free gun, surreptitiously from a car into the pocket of a kid under a car without using a cloth to cover the gun?

[booley]

129. actually that makes sense

if there were no prints then there had to be something wrapped around the gun at some point. Reading the report even the kids prints werent' on the gun. Which means whoever had the gun had to use something to pick it so that his prints didn't get on it.

By itself it's not conclusive proof one way or the other but it does add to the above hypothesis.

[Schema Thing]

14. a handgun wiped clean.

[Taitertots]

15. A handgun isn't floppy even if it is wiped clean

[Spirochete]

22. The rag it's wrapped in

might be. After all, the cop didn't want to get his prints on it, so might have kept it wrapped in a rag.

[Taitertots]

25. Conjecture and totally meaningless n/t

[rhett o rick]

28. And your blind defense of the cops is scary. nm

[Taitertots]

31. And your blind unsupported attacks against them is scary

I hope you never end up on a jury.

[Cherchez la Femme]

53. Attacks against them? Who is dead, again?

:think:

[socialist_n_TN]

134. BINGO!.................

Who's dead? And who's responsible for said death?

It reminds me a little of a situation here in Nashville a few years ago. A cop shot a mentally challenged woman 4 or 5 times in the chest because she had a kitchen knife. Now this cop was sitting in his car on the driver's side and she was at the passenger side window with the knife. She was about 5'2" and weighed about 110#. He was about MY size at the time, IOW over 200#, twice her weight. I'm a very highly trained person and if I had broken that woman's neck and killed her even though she had a kitchen knife in her hand, I'd STILL be in prison because I'd have used WAY too much force to defuse that situation. The cop was back on the job after a couple of months. He could be still on the force. Basically, they can get away with murder if they want to.

[Ignis]

139. Gah, what a horrible story. And of COURSE he's back on the job.

:puke:

[havocmom]

106. "against them"? No, we are not attacking 'them' We are suspecious about ONE

The one who tased a kid on a bike, then ran over and killed him. The one whose career is pretty much over for bad judgment at best and manslaughter pretty clearly. The ONE who had motive to make the event look like a righteous kill instead of the FUBAR it was.

[rhett o rick]

157. So you dont think there is a problem with cops killing people?

In my small town just two weeks ago a cop fired 6 shots into a young man. The cops said there was a gun on the front seat. About a year ago, a deputy shot a mentally ill man that was in a tree. He wasnt a threat, but she shot him.
The list goes on and on. And in each and every case the police are exonerated. They can kill with impunity and not be held responsible. THEY ARE NEVER HELD RESPONSIBLE. Dont you understand? Yes they have a hard job, but that is no excuse to kill.

[safeinOhio]

64. Did the cops involved agree

to take a polygraph? While not allowed in court, they are used to determine if further investigation is needed.

[TheMadMonk]

35. No but a cloth over the top is. A fact that prestidigitators use to their advantage...

...in about 90% of hankie/scarf tricks.

[Schema Thing]

36. The gun was put there with a rag or a glove

if it was indeed wiped clean.

it wasn't clean by magic.

[havbrush]

141. Handgun not Floppy

You're right, guns aren't floppy, but pieces of cloth are. And sometimes dirty cops carry throw-away guns on their person where they are easily accessible. A cop under a car can pull a throw-away from an ankle holster while he is under the car, wipe it clean and, using the towel, stuff it into the kids pocket with restaurant witnesses none the wiser.

[Pithlet]

17. No evidence?

I'd hardly call it no evidence.

[rhett o rick]

26. This is happening all over the nation. It happened in my home town. The police are killing and

getting away with it. The cop in Oakland killed a man handcuffed on the ground and was found guilty of only in-fucking-voluntary manslaughter. They are killing and getting away with it. Why do you defend them?

[Taitertots]

33. So since you have no evidence in this case you have to drag already resolved cases

What does the Johannes Mehserle case have to do with this case at all?

[rhett o rick]

100. There appears to be a trend of police getting away with killing people. nm

[havbrush]

142. Other cases

Bringing in other cases just shows that our society is trending towards more and more power held in the hands of the police. It didn't start with Bush/Cheney but their trampling of the Constitution with the Patriot Act and other privacy violations sped up our drift towards being a police state in the not-to-distant future if we don't wake up and stop it.

[BakedAtAMileHigh]

39. your post is fine evidence that many people will lick the boots of authority

even as it crushes their windpipe.

How sad and small is your sycophantic fawning.

[Taitertots]

42. Your post is fine evidence that people will invent any fantasy

Because they are biased, delusional, and paranoid about people in positions of authority.

[Joe Fields]

46. I smell bacon.

Since my father was business partners with an ex cop, a move he came to later regret, I have heard similar stories, by the ex cop himself.

The stench I am smelling from your posts is overwhelming. I have had more than one personal experience that would bury your viewpoint, but I doubt seriously if I would move you at all.

[disillusioned73]

56. The smell is overwelming....

breakfast anyone??

[havocmom]

108. If it's bacon, it's bacon gone bad

Good cops tend to not like bad cops. Bad cops tend to think all cops are bad therefore in need of vigorous defending in all cases.

Bacon gone bad is a very foul odor.

edited for typo

[keroro gunsou]

114. agreed.

not all cops are bad, but those that are make it that much more difficult for the good ones. i know one cop, he's a good guy, on and off duty. i don't live in a fantasy world, i know that some cops are dirty, power-crazed, tinpot dictators, fortunately, i've yet to run into any in my neck of the woods. where i come from, it's the politically-minded DA's ya gotta watch your ass around.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

47. They are not our superiors.

They work for us and sometimes they overstep their bounds.

"Authority, from the Latin word auctoritas, means invention, advice, opinion, influence, or command. Essentially authority is imposed by superiors upon inferiors either by force of arms (structural authority) or by force of argument (sapiential authority)".

[fascisthunter]

78. no... your defense is delusional

they work for us, the tax payers, not the other way around.

[Raineyb]

99. Your defense of this is absolutely disgusting.

A pathetic display of the constant fellating of the police. A vomit-inducing example of the authoritarian mind-set at work. You should be ashamed of this rather sycophantic display of mindless cop worship.

[havbrush]

144. People in authority

O-h-h-h-h . . . you're a cop. Why didn't you just say so?

[LanternWaste]

161. I stop at red lights...

I stop at red lights. I also avoid walking on the grass-- even when there's not a sign saying not to. On the other hand, I usually put my faith or remove my faith as the case may be, not into or from an organization or a demographic, but into or from the individual.

Try it sometime... :hi:

[olegramps]

55. Not much of a stretch.

The light floppy thing that was observed contained the gun so no filthy Pig's finger prints would be on it. Unfortunately far too many cops are the scum of the earth.

[Th1onein]

59. Well, WHAT was he doing under there? And why didn't he come out with what he went in with?

And why didn't the gun have any prints at all on it? These facts, which the video and the crime lab attest to, are not disputed. Is there any other way to explain them?

[zipplewrath]

87. hardly "Absolutely no" evidence

It isn't "beyond a reasonable doubt" by any stretch, but is plenty to get alot of search warrants, as well as suspend him pending an investigation. Truth is, barring some other evidence, there is plenty here to bring charges to a grand jury. The trial itself could get a tad dicey and will hinge on alot of other factors. But he's going to have to explain what the object was and why it was left under there, and that object better be found in the evidence locker. Of course he won't have to testify, but it will leave a big hole to be filled by the jury after listening to the prosecutor's explaination.

[Greyhound]

89. Because you wouldn't keep your wiped down throw-away in a bag or anything...

Just another dirty cop that will get away with another murder.
:puke:

[Dogtown]

91. EDIT:

Seems nothing will convince an Oath Keeper.

[AlbertCat]

116. Quite a stretch to go from light colored floppy object to handgun

Perhaps a wiped clean small handgun wrapped in a light colored floppy piece of cloth.

[caseymoz]

121. It's not "quite a stretch."

You're having something on video described to you. You have no idea how it really looked. Silver might be called "light colored."

I tend not to think very highly of police who would taser somebody on a bike and then pull into the parking lot to run over them. I tend not to. Perhaps there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for that maneuver.

Off hand, I don't know what planting a gun was meant to solve for the cop, but if he was dumb enough to taser and run over the guy, he'd probably be dumb enough to plant a gun-- on camera. People have been stupider.

All I'm saying is: he should get his day in court.

[Lorien]

124. "light colored floppy object" cloth covering the gun as they wiped the prints off of it

which seems fairly obvious given the rest of the story.

[havbrush]

135. Light colored floppy object

The light-colored floppy object was apparently a cloth used to wipe the throw-away gun clean of the any prints. This is not an unusual occurence in most cities. It happens all time when cops know they've screwed up.

[quakerboy]

152. I had that thought.

Yet, what other reason is there to go down there? If the paramedics found the gun, it obviously wasn't to search for weapons.

And a light colored floppy cloth would be a great thing to carry an undistinguished gun without getting your prints on it. That's not much of a stretch. I can think of at least 2 people I personally know who own just such a fleece lined dun color handgun pouch case thing.

I would suggest that while there is no evidence given that would prove he planted it beyond a shadow of a doubt, there is evidence to suggest it, and there is absolutely no evidence presented here that would oppose it.


One bit that I found much harder to reconcile than that was the profession of family and friends that he was scared of guns, and the statement that he planned to go into the army.

[Foo Fighter]

156. So, since you're only concerned about whether or not the gun was planted,

Does that mean you're A-OK with everything else that happened? As in, tasering a cyclist and then running him over and killing him. From the article:

It didn't make sense to fire a Taser at Victor on the bike, said Klinger, because of the likelihood he would get hurt. Furthermore, he said, Victor was not a suspect in a serious crime.

"You don't Taser people in circumstances that increase the likelihood of injury unless they're a suspect for something like rape or murder," said Klinger.

According to the article, it doesn't sound like Victor fit into either of those categories. Sounds like he was a pretty damn good kid.

Victor lived with his mother, Cassandra Steen, in a two-bedroom house in West Pensacola. His father died a few years ago from diabetes. Victor had never been in trouble and was about to get his high school diploma, join the U.S. Army, then go to college in a few years.

Victor's pastors, teachers, family and friends repeatedly described him as "respectful" and "loving," with a "great sense of humor."

"I work with a lot of kids who need guidance, but Victor wasn't one of them. He has a very caring and considerate family and their light shone in him," said Pensacola pastor Guy Johnson, 54.

And what about the lies the cop told? Are you OK with those also? Again, from the article:

Ard would later say that he tried to stop Victor because he had seen him at a construction site and thought he may have stolen something. But witness Victor Stallworth said he saw Victor ride his bicycle past the construction site without stopping. Months later, Ard gave investigators a different reason for stopping Victor: He didn't have a light on his bike — only two reflectors.

And when Ard ran over the kid, he nearly cut him in half. Is that just fine and dandy with you? And why was the kid being stopped? No one knows but again, from the article:

Jorge Torrens, a sound editor for the local public radio station, saw the end of the chase from his seat at Sluggo's. Torrens, along with about a dozen other patrons, frequently rode his bicycle to Sluggo's.

"The police never stop us," he said. "You have to wonder if it's because we're white, and Victor was ordered to stop because he's black. Did this tragedy have anything to do with racial profiling?"

Ah, I'm guessing Mr. Torrens hit on something there. Victor had never been in trouble and had been described by friends as being respectful, loving, and having a great sense of humor. Traits that any parent could be proud of, especially when we're talking about a 17-year-old kid. There was no reason for the cop to mow this guy down. My condolences go out to his family and friends.

This was a senseless and tragic death that didn't need to happen. My guess is that Victor's only "crime" was biking while black.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

21. No words

can convey the contempt I feel for sadistic authoritarians.

Wow. That poor cyclist and family.

[Puregonzo1188]

32. This article made me sick...but what made me even sicker were the comments posted on the orginal

site.

Most of these people think the kid deserved to die for "refusing to follow a lawful order." Disgusting.

[havbrush]

145. Refusing to follow order

Most people don't know that a large segment of the population are afraid of cops because of incidents just like this. The kid was probably scared, and as it turned out, rightly so.

[Odin2005]

34. Goddamn bastards pigs!

:grr:

[Ysabela]

45. FFS why didn't the onlookers IMMEDIATELY detain the officer? (or at least beat him to a bloody pulp)

I know I'll probably be banned for saying it, but police uniform be damned. The man outright murdered a child in full view of the public for no apparent reason, and no one did a damn thing about it.

[MilesColtrane]

90. FFS why didn't the onlookers IMMEDIATELY detain the officer? (or at least beat him to a bloody pulp)

He was armed and dangerous.

[djp2]

97. i hope the family wins...

a Billion dollars from the cop AND the local department!

[havocmom]

109. And since people are being sent to prison for merely videoing cops....

Oh, yeah, Joe Six Pack and the woman next door are gonna apprehend an armed cop who just killed somebody and was probably juiced on adrenaline at the time.

[tblue37]

148. Juiced on adrenaline is a large part of the point, I think.

These cops get all excited during a chase and they just cannot let themselves back off. The fact that the kid was Black was probably the main reason he was being harassed in the first palce, but once he ran (probably because he knows Black teens can have scary things happen to them when a cop has at them and there are no witnesses late at night), the thrill of the chase took over for the cop.

[Capitalocracy]

48. I'm pretty sure that's not in the TASER manual

shooting it out the window of a moving vehicle at someone on a bike. Although I suppose it might not be specifically forbidden...

world's first drive-by tasering? :puke:

[AlabamaLibrul]

49. But, but, but, you're BROADBRUSHING!!!!!!111one (eom)

[bobburgster]

50. There must be a rational explanation behind this.

:sarcasm:

[diveguy]

51. I've seen the videos

I dont think he planted a firearm. At least i didnt see it. Dumbass shouldnt be using the tazer out of a moving car. On the videos, cop was freaking out, and it looks like he grabbed a cpr kit from in his car

[Th1onein]

61. And he left that CPR kit under the car for the kid to use on himself, right?

It would take a lot more than 40 seconds to administer CPR to that kid, if that's what he was doing. What? Did he give up, after 40 seconds, and leave it with the kid to do it himself? Why didn't he come back out from under the car with anything in his hands? And how do you get a gun in your pocket without leaving fingerprints on it?

[DetlefK]

52. I always wipe off fingerprints before I put something in my pocket.

You don't?

[Th1onein]

62. Damn. This story is sad, but LOL to your comment.

eom

[havocmom]

110. Me too. You get dirty looks from the line when cashier gives you your change?

Takes time to tidy up all those dimes. ;)

[Enthusiast]

54. K&R

Using a taser on a moving bicyclist is totally ignorant. It could result in the death of the cyclist and in this case it actually did. Any way you look at it this guy is too stupid to be a cop. You're fired!

[olegramps]

66. You have that a little back-wards. He is stupid enough to hired as a cop.

[City of Mills]

57. But in the movies, they put the gun in the perp's hands to transfer fingerprints

They didn't think to do this?

[Foo Fighter]

154. In the heat of the moment, they probably didn't think of it.

Also, the victim here is a cyclist. Since he very probably had both hands on the handlebar, holding a weapon in one hand wouldn't have worked so well. Also, there were witnesses that could possibly testify that the victim had both hands on the bar and wasn't holding anything. That said, I suspect it was more a "heat of the moment" thing as I doubt the cop(s) had thought it through that much. They were probably more concerned about getting the gun planted than they were about the particulars.

[Warren Stupidity]

58. forget the freaking gun

this cop tasered a kid on a bicycle and then ran over him. The first act was an assault that could cause serious bodily harm or death, the second was manslaughter or murder one.

[havocmom]

111. Gun is imporant; gun is cop's get out of jail card

Make a bad kill look like a righteous kill: plant a weapon. It happens and it is a very important part of this incident.

Kid putting a gun in his own pocket is gonna get prints on it.

Cop in full panic mode, knowing he is solid in the wrong might forget to put the kids hands on the gun for prints.

Gun and lack of prints very important here.

[Javaman]

67. Doesn't it seem that these stories seem to be appearing daily now?

or is it just me?

[Name removed]

68. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Javaman]

75. ah, riiiiiiiight.

that was a weird responce.

[orbitalman]

69. I Believe Police MALTREATMENT and MALICE is More Common...

than we otherwise know about. I have had 4 experiences of abuse but none reported. There are reasons for this, suffice to say my very small town.

[jdadd]

70. Bacon on left......

Edit to add, It's apparent this cop doesn't get out of the cruiser at the donut shop. Does crispy creme have a drive through?

[burnsei sensei]

71. Alas. Mr. Steen was the wrong color. nt

[GoddessOfGuinness]

113. +1

Guilty of biking while black

[sui generis]

72. the primary purpose of a police force is public safety.

it's a little counter intuitive that tasering somebody moving in traffic on a bicycle supports public safety.

There is something about tasers that makes people itch to use them, kind of like guns. Absolute power doesn't corrupt, but it does attract the absolutely corruptible.

[rjwin]

76. the primary purpose of a police force is racial oppression!

.

[NashVegas]

93. More About

Protecting people who are perceived as "nice" and the not-nice who have great amounts of power.

[burnsei sensei]

136. The ostensible purpose of a police force

is public safety.
At least so far.

[myrna minx]

73. K&R n/t

[fascisthunter]

77. how stupid was that? What the hell was that cop thinking????

[L0oniX]

85. Oh gee ...another one of those from the few bad apples basket.

:crazy:

[loveable liberal]

86. I work with cops every day.

The vast majority, in my opinion, are well intentioned and are public safety oriented. There are those that are not just like in every single other occupation. Some of the comments on this topic are completely crazy. But I suppose if painting a group with a broad brush is your opinion so be it. Same can be said for child molesting priests, bleeding heart liberals and heartless, cowardly conservatives.

But for those that hate cops certainly dont call them when you have an emergency or when your stuff gets stolen. That would make you a hypocrite.

[nebenaube]

102. I've called them for stuff stolen and stuff vandalized...

They take a report, tell me nothing will come of it and then go back to harassing hippies.

[Ikonoklast]

107. Did they even bother to come out?

Here, it's "Come on down to the station and file a theft report."

They won't come out for stolen goods unless it's a business.

[Tsiyu]

103. Well, no one should talk about bad cops then

It might hurt your little feelings.


But, see, just because the cops never treated YOU badly ( are you white, BTW?) doesn't mean that cops haven't treated anyone else badly. You obviously are sheltered from that sickening, frightening, traumatic reality.

I, personally, do not believe that cops are judges, juries AND executioners. Maybe you do think so. Maybe you think bad kids should be killed.

This cop obviously believes the penalty for being a teen riding a bike with poor judgment is DEATH.

Well, now the kid can't speak up for himself, as you speak up for your happy, cheery perfect cop friends.

HE'S DEAD!!!!!

So maybe this little thread is inconvenient to your cold-hearted little self, because it hurts the sweet, innocent coppers widdle bittie feelings ( and yours by extention) but the rest of us VALUE life. Even that of a teenaged ass.

And we are upset.

Sorry this human loss only makes you feel sorry for your dear, sweet, happy fairyland police officers.


:puke:

[quakerboy]

153. You are wrong

Its become quite clear that cops are, at will, Judge Jury and Executioner. They just should not be, but they are.

[loveable liberal]

158. Your hyperbole makes me giggle.

Thanks for that at least....

[Tsiyu]

166. Your giggling in a thread about a kid cut in half makes me sick

If this is an indication of your respect for human life, I understand everything I need to know about you.

[loveable liberal]

168. Your projection is pathetic.

I said nothing of the sort. But by all means use this boy's death to fuel your hate.

[Tsiyu]

171. hate for what?

Sensitive types who whine because people are upset about a kid killed for nothing?

Nah. I don't hate you. And nowhere on this thread have I expressed hatred for anyone.

You came on here wincing because your feelings were hurt.

If you can't take the heat, go talk to yourself in your room.

[Ignis]

140. Ah, so it's just "a few bad apples," like at Abu Ghraib?

You claim to work with LEOs daily, yet you can't even acknowledge that there is an inherent stick-together culture among police? You've never heard of officers lying (even under oath) to cover for a fellow officer's "mistakes?" You've never seen an IA investigation suddenly and silently disappear because a police department's reputation would be damaged if the facts of a case came under public scrutiny?

Never ever ever? :shrug:

Well, that is simply is disingenuous beyond belief. :thumbsdown:

[loveable liberal]

159. I didn't acknowledge it because that wasnt the point of my post.

Cops mostly respond to medicals, theft reports, traffic complaints and domestics. I didnt acknowledge the things you mention, but I didnt deny it either. The point of my post was that the percentage of dirty cops is probably similar to the percentage of dirty doctors, dirty janitors and dirty astronauts (but a less percentage than dirty politicians).

When responding please feel free to bring up any other out-of-context issue or non-cited projection you care to share with the rest of us.

[Ignis]

162. Way to miss the point: Dirty janitors don't carry guns.

Dirty janitors aren't likely to kill someone in the mis/nonperformance of their duties.

Dirty janitors aren't protected by a Thin Green Line of numerous Fraternal Orders of janitors who are willing to defend their abuses of power.

Dirty janitors aren't likely to receive a fraction of the jailtime or other penalties that civilians engaging in similar crimes would.

Dirty janitors aren't lauded as heroes solely based on the uniform they wear.

Dirty janitors aren't able to detain or arrest civilians based upon the flimsiest of pretenses that serve to mask their prejudices.

Dirty janitors don't carry throwdowns/dimebags to frame civilians and send them to prison for years.

...But I'm looking forward to the data you'll present to support your claim that the % of dirty cops = the % of dirty janitors BUT is < the % of dirty politicians. It's been a while since I've taken a Sociology course, so perhaps this is new research?

:shrug:

[loveable liberal]

169. I would be more interested in the citations for your numerous claims.

I noticed you didnt mention astronauts. But here is some more information for you. The percentage of dirty cops is probably equal to the percentage of dirty barbers, dirty plumbers, dirty mid-level white collar workers, dirty street-line painters and dirty zamboni drivers.

In all honesty, we (and you are included in the 'we') have no idea how many 'dirty' cops there are. I would also be interested to find out what you're doing about all this criminal activity by the police.

Finally, the very first thing we learn in Sociology is that it is dangerous to make generalizations about populations.

[Prometheus Bound]

155. What's the use of calling the cops after your stuff gets stolen?

If they come or don't come, will it make any difference?

[loveable liberal]

160. It depends on the item.

If you have serial numbers, items get logged into a national database that, if found, can be traced back to the owner. Stolen cars and such are easier to locate because they are more visible. Laptop's and such are entered but are just more difficult to find.

[Prometheus Bound]

163. OK, but you can go down and make a report, perhaps even over the internet.

You don't really need a cop. A clerk would do fine. Who needs a couple of guys with guns and tazers for that?

[loveable liberal]

170. That is true, and many cities/agencies have this option.

The end result is the same, the serial number of the stolen item is entered into the national database and if found, the owner of the item is notified.

In my experience, for the 36 agencies I dispatch for, the vast majority of police work is responding to medicals, alarms, traffic, domestics and reports.

The trajedy that occurred in the original post is horrific and if the officer acted maliciously, I hope he is prosecuted to the full extend of the law. Just like anyone else.

[Prometheus Bound]

164. Well, okay, I went to make a report to the cops today.

Damn, they were nice and helpful. I mean, honestly, way above and beyond the call of duty.

I take back some of my criticism.

[Citizen Worker]

92. Gives new meaning to serve and protect, doesn't it?

[KansDem]

94. First he tases him, then runs over him with his squad car, then asks him "Are you all right?"

...

[asdjrocky]

95. Cops are not here for us.

If a cop ever helps you, it's pure happenstance. If a cop helps the rich and powerful, it's expected.

[LatteLibertine]

101. Yep you get

caught out driving with weed, you're going to jail. If the child of a wealthy person gets caught they "escort" them home. Seen this many times. They get caught driving drunk and with other drugs then they take them home to their parents. No charges, no jail time.

When push comes to shove both the military and police are about maintaining and protecting the status quo.

[Dawson Leery]

120. True.

[Frisbee]

96. Sadly, this doesn't surprise me at all. eom

[d_r]

117. he totally planted it.

[sulphurdunn]

118. This is not about a gun.

The kid was not killed for allegedly carrying a gun. He was killed for allegedly not having a reflector on his bike and for allegedly running from the cop. That's what the judge said. What the judge meant was that Florida cops have a license to kill first and fabricate the reason later. Y'all better beware if you live down there.

[Yeahyeah]

123. That ain't America.

[Rex]

125. So why didn't the cop put the car in reverse and back off the kids body?

So they know the kid was dead when the cop ran him over...must have been messy then or is this from speculation on the culprits part? I hope that boy didn't suffer under the car while the piggies planted a gun on his body...that would be lower than low. Even snake shit ain't that lowdown.

[tblue37]

147. He was torn almost in half when he was dragged by the car after

being run over. He was dead.

[DallasNE]

126. Why Do Police

Carry guns that have been wiped clean in the glove box of their cruisers? What possible purpose can they serve other than what happened here? And what does a trace on the ownership show or was the serial number filed clean. Talk about something stinking to high heaven!

[sgsmith]

127. Every police car that I've looked at lately

Has the front seat taken up by a great deal of electronics, so much that it's almost impossible for someone to sit in the front seat. Consequently, most of the extra stuff is stored in the trunk.

Wouldn't a CPR kit / AED be kept in the trunk?

[Dappleganger]

128. He was only 17...

just a kid. I cannot imagine losing my 17 yr. old in that manner knowing that there is very little chance of getting any degree of justice.

[LooseWilly]

131. I feel safer already...

:sarcasm:

[SILVER__FOX52]

132. Evil bastards, aren't they? This is just the way is, now.

The Cops have lost any professionalism. These guys are just utility workers with guns. What a joke these guys are. And, for the fools out there that will irrationally, try to defend these killers: BITE ME, they're guilty.

[Doctor_J]

133. I thought Tazers were used instead of guns.

So, if this incident had happened before Tazers, they would have just shot the kid for trying to get away on a bicycle?

[PatrynXX]

143. well it's a new story to me..

always learning crap that happened months ago and find out about it long later.

[tblue37]

146. I was wondering if the kid was Black, since that is often the case when there is

no apparent reason for the cops to be harassing someone in the first place.

I went to the article to read the whole story, and quite a ways down I saw this:

Jorge Torrens, a sound editor for the local public radio station, saw the end of the chase from his seat at Sluggo's. Torrens, along with about a dozen other patrons, frequently rode his bicycle to Sluggo's.

"The police never stop us," he said. "You have to wonder if it's because we're white, and Victor was ordered to stop because he's black. Did this tragedy have anything to do with racial profiling?"<emphasis added>

This comment was so far down in the story that I was actually beginning to think for a minute that maybe this once at least it wasn't a matter of a cop harrassing a Black kid for the "crime" of riding a bike while Black. But of course that was too much to hope. It seems very likely that the only reason the cop orered him to stop in the first place and then chased him down is that the kid was Black.

And it is likely that the reason Victor didn't stop is that he knew perfectly well that if he did, the cop was likely to do something to him, no matter how innocent he was.

[tblue37]

149. k&r nt

[IBEWVET]

165. A few comments

It was 2:30 in the morning, what is a 16 year old doing out at that time? He was observed at a construction site when the cop called him to come over he ran. The taser did not connect with the boy. It was in the news here a lot, and it came out that the cop should not have fired his taser while driving. But nothing was shown to lend credence to the cop planting the gun.

[Tsiyu]

167. You could answer your own questions if you read the story

He was 17, had been to a homecoming game, i believe and then stopped at a family member's place to help plan a party for a young child.

They say he was really good with kids; this is why he was asked to come help plan the party.

Whether he was out at 3 in the afternoon or 3 in the morning, he didn't deserve the death penalty. If we have become a nation that executes its children in the streets for being out late at night, and a nation of citizens who accept this, we are truly screwed.

I have six kids. This wanton disregard for life is disgusting to me. All who excuse this renegade cop disgust me.

There is no excuse. The cop fucked up badly, letting his own prejudice rise to a level equal with law.