CHP fires on Motorcyclist

[HIGHLANDER]

Thought Cali was bad before.. what d'ya think about this ????

https://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c...MNGKTJCJOA3.DTL

CHP officer fires on motorcyclist on I-80

Chronicle Staff Report

Sunday, June 11, 2006

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A California Highway Patrol officer fired at a speeding motorcyclist who refused to pull over Sunday afternoon, authorities said.

It was unclear whether the shot struck the motorcyclist, who got away and was still being sought Sunday night, authorities said.

The incident began at 12:07 p.m. on eastbound Interstate 80 in American Canyon, where a CHP officer clocked two motorcycles speeding at 85 mph, according to CHP spokesman Marvin Williford. The CHP officer began pursuing the riders and attempted to pull over both of them. One, however, exited I-80 at Red Top Road and then re-entered I-80 westbound while the second motorcyclist continued east on I-80.

A second CHP officer was west on I-80 and had been monitoring the pursuit. At the Columbus Parkway exit in Vallejo, the officer pulled over a motorcyclist who matched the description of the first fleeing biker. The officer, however, realized he had the wrong biker when he spotted the fleeing motorcyclist coming off Columbus Parkway in his direction, Williford said.

The officer stepped off his bike and waved for the fleeing motorcyclist to stop, but the rider instead accelerated toward the officer and the officer opened fire, Williford said.

The motorcycle swerved away from the officer and continued on Columbus Parkway.

Authorities are searching for a Kawasaki ZX6R 636 silver with black trim whose driver was wearing a dark helmet, a dark jacket and blue jeans. The motorcycle had no license plate.

Police are also seeking the second motorcycle that continued on east I-80. The motorcycle is described as champagne colored with a paper license plate. Both motorcycles are of the same make and type possible 2005 or 2006 models.

CHP officers ask that anyone with information in this case contact Lieutenant Johnson at the Solano Area CHP office at (707) 428-2100.

 

[Woodstock]

Now, wait a minute. Officer standing on side of freeway, motorcyclist coming down freeway. LEO assumes motorcyclist is coming "toward" the LEO (duh, you're standing on the side of the freeway), and so he _fires_ on the motorcyclist. Like with the freeway as his backdrop?? All for an 85mph ticket? WTF?? Sheese.

 

[Mike-H]

Kinda makes you go ummmmm....doesn't it.....

 

[odot]

Red means stop....green means go. Otherwise......shoot....

 

[Toecutter]

I've long been of the opinion that anybody worth chasing is worth chasing with bullets. Think about all the innocent victims of high-speed pursuit crashes. Were the people the cops were chasing guilty (not just suspected) of a capital crime? Is it worth killing a family of people to chase down a car thief?

I think if you decide to run from the cops, you should be willing to dodge their bullets. It sounded like these guys were looking for trouble in the first place, with no plates and charging the officer.

 

[Rogue]

If an officer steps out in front of you and says stop and you aim at him thats Assault with a deadly weapon and he has a right to fire on you.

I don't like it but thats the law here.

 

[Mike-H]

Only here say at this point toe.....not condoning it.....just there are 2 sides to every story....

 

[painman]

Hum, let me see, cyclists is being waved to pull over and cyclists accelerates at officer standing on the shoulder of the road waving him over and officer opens fire on cyclists accelerating toward him. Duh, officer has to make a split second decession which he has been trained to do and if your using your motorcycle as a weapon accelerating at the officer by all means, open fire on the dummy! What kind of dim whit knuckle head would use a cycle as a battering ram on a cop? He's lucky the officer was a bad shot or did he just fire a warning shot? Either way the biker was lucky he's alive. PM. <>< :lol:

 

[Woodstock]

If the bike was really heading for the LEO, then yes, I agree. Me thinks (again, I have no idea here, just my idiotic-from-1000-miles-away-take-it-with-a-grain-of-salt opinion) is that the LEO got spooked. I'm guessing that the LEO didn't jump out onto the freeway to wave the guy over, that the guy was just trying to speed past the LEO. If the LEO did not have a proper backdrop (you know "be aware of your target AND WHAT'S BEHIND IT"), then I'd certainly question the LEO's actions.

Now, if you want to say that running from cops entitles them to shoot you, I guess you can make an argument. I've never run from cops, probably never will, but that's just me.

In any case, I assume we can all agree that...

A ) If someone is trying to run over a LEO (or anyone, frankly) with a vehicle, LEO/person is entiled to protect themselves, by using deadly force if necessary.

B ) LEO's (or anyone) should _not_ shoot at a fleeing 85mph biker, even if they don't have plates.

The truth here is somewhere between A and B, not sure where.

 

[FJR_pig]

I'm guessing there'll be about ummm, 50 posts on this by Wednesday morning. Didn't we just have a pro-cop/pro-bad guy thread recently? :dribble:

 

[Mike-H]

If the bike was really heading for the LEO, then yes, I agree. Me thinks (again, I have no idea here, just my idiotic-from-1000-miles-away-take-it-with-a-grain-of-salt opinion) is that the LEO got spooked. I'm guessing that the LEO didn't jump out onto the freeway to wave the guy over, that the guy was just trying to speed past the LEO. If the LEO did not have a proper backdrop (you know "be aware of your target AND WHAT'S BEHIND IT"), then I'd certainly question the LEO's actions.
Now, if you want to say that running from cops entitles them to shoot you, I guess you can make an argument. I've never run from cops, probably never will, but that's just me.

That's because you have always said it tough to fly with one wing (ok that one sucked)....couldn't control my fingers.... :blink:

 

[odot]

I thought the cops in kalifornia could shoot people at will? It is kali....ya know.

 

[Thug]

If true this is bullshit! This cop has plenty of time to decide in this case whether to park his bike/car get out wave at the fuckwit on the bike and then think Hmm I think I will draw my weapon to shoot this person?.. he did not have a split second.. he had time to decide. Why didn't he just step back and get the **** out of the way?

Unless he absolutely thought he was in such fear for his life or others and had no other option?

I find this type of poor judgement (It the story is true) and this bloke should be kicked out of the service forthwith. As for the dickhead rider he's such a fuckwit he/she will make the same mistake again and will eventually get caught.

I'm not a cop basher in fact quite the opposite many of my friends are coppers very tough job ,always getting shit canned for one thing or another, as if their job isn't hard enough. but in this case (and again if this story is accurate) he was way over the top and there is no position for this person to be anywhere near a police uniform.

Cheers

 

[SkooterG]

I'm guessing there'll be about ummm, 50 posts on this by Wednesday morning. Didn't we just have a pro-cop/pro-bad guy thread recently? :dribble:

Didn't take long did it? Unfortunately, I agree that this will bring all the experts NEEDING to share their opinion on an event they no little to nothing about.

I guess it's time for a little pre-emptive moderation:

 

[ShinyPartsUp]

I'm guessing there'll be about ummm, 50 posts on this by Wednesday morning. Didn't we just have a pro-cop/pro-bad guy thread recently? :dribble:

Didn't take long did it? Unfortunately, I agree that this will bring all the experts NEEDING to share their opinion on an event they no little to nothing about.

I guess it's time for a little pre-emptive moderation:

I agree with the little round headed guy wearing the pointy yellow hat regarding opinions with few facts. I'll be interested in the results of the police shooting investigation (they do have automatic investigations when a policeman fires his weapon don't they?). Other officers getting the facts and making judgment will be telling for me.

P.S. the guys on the bikes are a disgrace and give true bikers a black eye.

 

[bramfrank]

In the end it will depend on whether he fired at an approaching bike (possibly aimed at the officer, who shot to protect himself) or whether he was firing at a departing bike (in which case the officer's life was no longer at risk, if it ever was. Yes, the article says that he fired on approach, but the truth has been known to be 'bent' in the past.

If the rider was really aimed at the officer all he really had to do to protect himself was to step on to the shoulder and be shielded by the bikes parked there.

I'm guessing that he wasn't aimed at the officer, and hopefully the rider that had been stopped will be able to clear things up for us all (and I wonder how he was being treated by the officer before this all happened?) .

 

[Scab]

Let me be the first to say...

nothing.

 

[FJR_pig]

Let me be the first to say...
nothing.

Couldn't have said it better myself, Scab!

Sincerely,

Trying to help get that post count up to 50 because I appear to be wrong this morning...

 

[gasman]

I've long been of the opinion that anybody worth chasing is worth chasing with bullets. Think about all the innocent victims of high-speed pursuit crashes. Were the people the cops were chasing guilty (not just suspected) of a capital crime? Is it worth killing a family of people to chase down a car thief?
I think if you decide to run from the cops, you should be willing to dodge their bullets. It sounded like these guys were looking for trouble in the first place, with no plates and charging the officer.

It's 85 frickin miles an hour not a damn high speed chase fer criss sake! If that's the way these assholes play then I'd have been dead many times over for "high speed" chases. Geez. JB