> From: Baardwijk, J. van DTO/SLWPD/RZO/BOZO > > > weapons at the officers. The Learning Channel, or some show like it, > > showed police in LA killing the driver of a stolen army > tank. The tank > > had killed no one, just caused massive destruction. The tank was > > stopped, it had driven onto a concrete wall and broken it's > track. The > > police rushed the tank, popped the top, and told the guy to get out. > > When he didn't....bang. No tear gas, no wounding shot. > > Sounds like excessive force to me. Tear gas would almost > certainly have > forced him out of the tank. > Have also seen the video of this tank "chase", I don't believe it was excessive force. The fact that this idiot had not killed someone was a complete accident. He was driving around in a huge tank, clearly deliberately hitting parked cars, etc. to try to throw off pursuit. After hitting the concrete median, the tank got stuck. As the cops jumped on top, the driver was still trying free the tank. The cops ordered him out and then fired. Tear Gas might have forced him out, but not before he drove off again and possibly hit someone else and killed them. (I don't recall the tank's track being broken, but it could have been. But that tank sure looked like it could keep moving...)
Egads! I'm defending the LAPD too! - John H
