LA Times; details on that shootout in LA (UPDATED)

| February 10, 2013

Shoot first

The LA Times roots out some of the details of the two officers who opened fire on a pair of women who happened to be delivering newspapers while the LAPD was looking for Chris Dorner, who had shot two police officers, killing one, the other morning. Witnesses say that the police didn’t shout a warning and that bullets were flying wildly through the neighborhood;

As the vehicle approached the house, officers opened fire, unloading a barrage of bullets into the back of the truck. When the shooting stopped, they quickly realized their mistake. The truck was not a Nissan Titan, but a Toyota Tacoma. The color wasn’t gray, but aqua blue. And it wasn’t Dorner inside the truck, but a woman and her mother delivering copies of the Los Angeles Times.

[…]

Law enforcement sources told The Times that at least seven officers opened fire. On Friday, the street was pockmarked with bullet holes in cars, trees, garage doors and roofs. Residents said they wanted to know what happened.

[…]

Kathy Merkosky, 53, was outside her stucco home pointing out the six bullet holes in the bumper and grill of her silver Acura MD-X. She knew her truck was damaged when she spotted it on television and “saw fluid flowing into the street.”

Her Ford Focus was hit as well — a bullet shattered the windshield and another flattened a front tire.

[…]

Goo said he could hear the bullets hitting the front door and feared they were coming through the house. He said he called 911 for the police, but was notified that they were already there.

See, I thought there were only two officers involved. In that case, I figured they had a couple of nuts in uniform, but now that I hear that there were at least seven, well, that tells me that there’s a training problem in the LAPD system. Out of seven, one might have said out loud that they were a bit out of control and suggested to the others a different course of action – but apparently that didn’t happen.

Thanks to Old Trooper for the link.

UPDATE: KD8NOA sends us a link to a second incident much like this one – wrong make & model and color of the truck and a white guy about 100 lbs. lighter than Dorner;

Seconds later, Perdue’s attorney said, a Torrance police cruiser slammed into his pickup and officers opened fire; none of the bullets struck Perdue.

His pickup, police later explained, matched the description of the one belonging to Christopher Jordan Dorner….

Yeah, I’d get out of the LA until this over. Cops haven’t killed anyone yet, but not from a lack of trying.

Category: Who knows

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Lucky

Wow, all that weapons fire, seven officers, and two hits, nvm on the wrong people, but the LAPD firearms instructors need to have their credentials pulled, the academy out there needs to lose CALEA certification, and the department needs to go into a stand down

Lucky

One of my E-4’s at drill this weekend, reports that her husbands best friend is LAPD, and he reports that Dorner’s allegations are probably true, officers on the street do use extremely excessive force on suspects, but he still shouldn’t have killed people

NHSparky

Lucky–these are the same geniuses who crowed about pulling dangerous rocket launchers off the streets when they bought a USED AT-4 tube.

Yeah, I weep for my country.

Lucky

Sparky, you and I have been in agreement since that fun but back bullshit a month ago, the LAPD has lost all semblance of professionalism, in my eyes they are just as bad, or worse than the corrupt, prohibition era idiots that preceded them

TxRepublican

This proves one thing, the LAPD does not racial profile, the entire county is a killbox.

Lucky

Agreed with the above, I don’t think I’ll visit LA anytime ever

2/17 Air Cav

This isn’t a surprise. They hit the range for quals probably once a year. There’s no one potentially fring back at them. When the shit hits the fan, it’s a royal clusterphuk. It’s a training issue. The problem is that training can’t fix stupid.

Lucky

More range time, and getting serious about shoot/no shoot scenarios will fix that. If you fuck up, fall asleep, or miss by one question, turn your badge in. That easy

NHSparky

Now while it’s been a few years since I left the greater cesspool that is the LA/OC area, what I’ve noticed is that the LAPD/LASD will respond wherever possible with overwhelming force–think 30-50 shots to stop a druggie type shit.

Now I realize that some of the neighborhoods in LA make Sadr City seem like Leisure World on a Sunday morning, but for crying out loud, there’s being a cop and then there’s just being a fucking thug.

Then again, most of the LAPD’s “issues” would go away if there were a couple of policy changes, such as:

–Getting rid of Special Order 40
–Citizens who actually give a shit about their communities and WANTED to get rid of the shitbags/gang bangers.
–Getting past the whole Rodney King bullshit.
–Quit the racial hiring quotas. (Yeah, I said it. Sue me.)

Lucky

Completely agree Sparky!

WOTN

I know it’s been said before, but seriously…

How many officers fired how many rounds and missed their misidentified, non-threat targets completely?!?!?!

Evidently, the LAPD can’t hit the broadside of a car, and have become so PC they don’t see male from female, or black from white.

Hell, this incident alone should lay to rest the argument that citizens should give up their guns and trust the police to keep them safe.

Lucky

Agreed, I kinda feel like I need them to protect me from the police

Ex-PH2

@59-62, Chicago seems to be slowly shifting in that direction, too. While I have not felt inclined to want or need a gun, that is not cast in stone.

Scubasteve

You know, Joe, Insipid, and Obama Girl did have some great talking points about this that really made me think and reconsider my outlook in comment number…. Wait. They haven’t said jack. Nevermind.

streetsweeper

Add to your list, Sparky. LA city council is primarily made up of “because it feels good” socialists. They have spent far too much time reshaping LAPD to fit their worldly view and a few have problems that never see light of day in the press. Maybe what I should say instead is, they have turned that city into a virtual meat grinder. Bodies in, bodies out.

Ex-PH2

@65 – Street, spiffy hasn’t read Dorner’s manifesto, especially the parargraphs he addressed to DiFi and other Democrats. Those are entirely political.

Twist

LA is more interested in making sure that porn “actors” wear condoms than having a well trained police force.

Joe Williams

Looks like the old spray and pray techinue or the newer close my eyes, point in general direction and hold the trigger back till no sound comes out. Nothing will get you shot like a scared person with a firearm. Except several scared people with automatic weapons.

Ex-PH2

Here’s what is going on with the LAPD and its eight (count ’em) officers involved in shooting up the Torrance neighborhood because they can’t tell the difference between a blue truck and a gray truck:

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/22/17058326-8-lapd-officers-involved-in-shooting-after-dorner-case-of-mistaken-identity?lite&gt1=43001

NHSparky

And that’s what I can’t understand–I thought Torrance had it’s own PD, so why is LAPD in that neighborhood anyway? Usually if it’s an unincorporated area of LA County or one without police department would be covered by LA Sheriffs. About the only thing I can think of is that one of the people named in Dorner’s rant lived in that area and as such was getting LAPD protection, but meh.

Someone is gonna pay a shitload of money, that’s for sure.