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News :: Miscellaneous |
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Cops: Too Trigger-Happy For Their Own Good |
Current rating: 0 |
by Golem
(No verified email address) |
12 Jul 2001
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Good thing they were shooting at each other this time, instead of some poor citizen. If their aim had been a little better, it would've reduced the population of killer cops. Apparently they were just clumsy enough not to do a "Darwin" on each other. I'll bet the "review" board finds everyone involved guiltless no doubt. Maybe one of them thought the other was getting his wallet out??? |
Seattle police shoot at each other in confusion over stolen patrol car
Tuesday, July 10, 2001
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Seattle police officers in two cars fired more than 20 rounds at each other early this morning after mistaking each other's vehicles for a stolen police car.
Nobody was hurt.
Zachary Davis, 18, was arrested after he returned the stolen car to the North Precinct police parking lot, said police spokeswoman Pam McCammon.
Davis, a longtime friend of officers whose father was a Seattle policeman killed in 1995, was jailed for investigation of auto theft, eluding police and impersonating an officer.
Davis also was under investigation in two earlier reports of an unauthorized civilian driving a police car in the downtown area, one early Saturday and the other early Monday. No police cars were reported stolen or missing, however.
"We are not sure how he gets the patrol cars," said police spokeswoman Pam St. John.
She said the incident began when a bicycle patrol officer in the downtown area reported seeing a stolen police vehicle. A police car pursued it, but stopped briefly at an intersection in the north Capitol Hill district to check for other vehicles -- and lost sight of the stolen car.
A second police car approached and mistook the first for the stolen car, so the second car rammed the first one.
Then the officer in the first vehicle, believing he was being attacked by the stolen car's driver, started firing.
Three officers -- two in one car and one in the other -- fired more than 20 rounds from their weapons before they discovered their error, said St. John.
Meanwhile, the stolen police car had zipped away on northbound Interstate 5.
Davis had been friendly with officers since his father, Officer Ken Davis, died in 1995 in an accident, St. John said. In that crash, the Washington State Patrol was pursuing a suspect who got involved in an accident with Davis.
Davis once served a communications internship with police.
"Several officers have stayed in contact with him and spent time with him," St. John said. "He has been on ride-alongs, and in workouts, so he was real familiar to officers at two of our precincts."
"The vehicles aren't available to the public but if you're inside the secured facility you would have access to the keys," she said.
Police are investigating and a firearms review board will be called to consider the case, St. John said. |
See also:
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/30737_chase10ww.shtml
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