What gets me is this. They knew the vehicle was the only thing stolen (the thieves didn't get anything), they knew there was a hostage, and instead of doing the smart thing and hanging back...
What gets me is this. They knew the vehicle was the only thing stolen (the thieves didn't get anything), they knew there was a hostage, and instead of doing the smart thing and hanging back (allowing the air unit to observe, and doesn't UPS lowjack their trucks?), they went into pursuit, putting the hostage in danger, then when the truck got stopped by heavy traffic, they fired into the vehicle (putting the hostage in mortal danger, as it turns out), and hid behind occupied vehicles to use the drivers as human shields as they emptied their sidearms at the truck.
It's not even a case of "could it have been avoided", it's more "how does a fustercluck like this even happen?"
I feel like this story is the perfect tl;dr to all the police stories we've been reading these past few years. Officer shoots a friendly dog in a fenced off yard... cops arrest a man moving into...
I feel like this story is the perfect tl;dr to all the police stories we've been reading these past few years. Officer shoots a friendly dog in a fenced off yard... cops arrest a man moving into his own home for burglarizing said home... (my personal favorite) police demolish a half-million dollar house because a shoplifter that stole $50 worth of stuff ran inside a house that wasn't his, and the city offers the family five grand as compensation.
It just doesn’t make sense. Why wait for them to enter a crowded intersection and THEN open fire? Guys were also hiding behind civilian vehicles for cover! Seems like best case was to try and take...
It just doesn’t make sense. Why wait for them to enter a crowded intersection and THEN open fire? Guys were also hiding behind civilian vehicles for cover! Seems like best case was to try and take them down/spike strip in an open area with no traffic. The driver would have been at risk either way unfortunately.
What gets me is this. They knew the vehicle was the only thing stolen (the thieves didn't get anything), they knew there was a hostage, and instead of doing the smart thing and hanging back (allowing the air unit to observe, and doesn't UPS lowjack their trucks?), they went into pursuit, putting the hostage in danger, then when the truck got stopped by heavy traffic, they fired into the vehicle (putting the hostage in mortal danger, as it turns out), and hid behind occupied vehicles to use the drivers as human shields as they emptied their sidearms at the truck.
It's not even a case of "could it have been avoided", it's more "how does a fustercluck like this even happen?"
Poor training, not thinking, carelessness
I feel like this story is the perfect tl;dr to all the police stories we've been reading these past few years. Officer shoots a friendly dog in a fenced off yard... cops arrest a man moving into his own home for burglarizing said home... (my personal favorite) police demolish a half-million dollar house because a shoplifter that stole $50 worth of stuff ran inside a house that wasn't his, and the city offers the family five grand as compensation.
Can you imagine just sitting at a light one day, doing nothing wrong, and then you get shot? Fuck
Adding insult to injury, UPS released a statement thanking the police for the incident.
I saw that trash. Couldn't fucking believe it...
It just doesn’t make sense. Why wait for them to enter a crowded intersection and THEN open fire? Guys were also hiding behind civilian vehicles for cover! Seems like best case was to try and take them down/spike strip in an open area with no traffic. The driver would have been at risk either way unfortunately.