Road Rage:Federal Agent Killed at Broward County FL,Post Office

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I wonder how the LEO, with all his past experiance, let it get to that point? Something doesn't sound right here.
 
Posted by jonmerritt:
I wonder how the LEO, with all his past experiance, let it get to that point? Something doesn't sound right here.
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It's not unusual for experienced officers to get killed.

Since they're human beings, some of them have lapses in judgement, bad tempers etc.

There's no evidence to suggest that there's anything "fishy" here at all. An LEO who should've known better lost his cool, underestimated an old fart with a temper and a gun, and sadly lost his life.

According to all the news sources I've seen, the LEO got out of his car UNARMED. So the accused is going to have a difficult time pleading self-defense. I'm betting he and his lawyer will happily jump on a second degree guilty plea. Time will tell if I'm right.
 
When the two men argued Pettit was officially on duty, according to his employer, US Customs and Border Protection. Chief Segarra could not say what Pettit was doing with his 12-year-old daughter in his government-issued car while he was officially on duty, and in response to reporters questions, would not detail what duties Pettit was performing, saying that is all a part of the investigation.
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Pettit passed the post office, the report said, and then turned back into the post office where Wonder had parked.
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Looks like the victim made some bad decisions, but there's never a reason to let road rage get this far. Wonder will get a long sentence and if he was at the dialysis center, he won't see the light of day again.
 
"The report went on to say both men traded insulting middle finger gestures while on the road, which ended when Wonder pulled into the post office. Pettit passed the post office, the report said, and then turned back into the post office where Wonder had parked."

Sounds like self-defense to me....Pettit should have just KEPT DRIVING!!
 
This one is bad all around--and did not need to happen. With the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, Pettit did not need to react to whatever Wonder did or did not do. Granted, it goes against the grain to ignore some jerk's behavior, but there are enough truly wierd people out there behind the wheel to where you do NOT know what you are liable to get into. Rarely is the behavior life-threatening, it's just stupid and offensive. Better to just fall back or even pull off and let the bozo go. If it makes you feel better, call it in. Probably won't help, but who knows. Better that than to have the situation go completely out of control.

Getting sucked into that situation in the first place, let along with a 12 year old daughter on board speaks to Pettit's judgement as well. He might have been everybody's federal agent of the year but he walked right into it. Even if his ego was wounded by an obscene gesture, he should have let it go for the girl's sake. Who hasn't been flipped off a thousand times before? And an LEO ought to be used to keeping his cool in spite of a lot of things. It goes with the job.

Lastly, I seriously doubt that the daughter was supposed to be in the car in the first place. The government is very touchy about using their vehicles to carry unauthorized passengers. Ask any USG employee. Just because it is violated with some frequency, it doesn't mean that people don't get in serious trouble for it.

Very bad all around, but Pettit would be alive today if he had exercised some judgement and self-control.

And I speak as a person with a short fuse. It just isn't worth it. :mad:
 
"According to all the news sources I've seen, the LEO got out of his car UNARMED. So the accused is going to have a difficult time pleading self-defense. I'm betting he and his lawyer will happily jump on a second degree guilty plea. Time will tell if I'm right."

A lean, in-shape 35-year old vs a diabetic, dialysis-bound 60-year old? The "agent" could have killed Mr. Wonder with his bare hands....easily.
 
We law-abiding and responsible CCW holders really don't need this kind of "ammunition" provided our enemies, but, honestly, the guy could have shot the Fed with a concealed illegal weapon, just as easily if not moreso.
This is not an issue of vetting CCW holders against every six sigma event of malfeasance, it's about a one-off instance of probable improper use of force, possibly murder. Let the courts sort it out and let's hope it's not tried in the media and that we're not all victims of "drive-by" media tar and feathering.
 
Sounds like self-defense to me....Pettit should have just KEPT DRIVING!!
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That's what so many here and elsewhere don't want to recognize.
Pettit,the trained 30 year+ veteran lost his cool and even with his 12 year child in the car turned around and escalated the situation into him being D.O.A.Why?
Simple.He was just a normal, average human being prone to all the vagaries,disatisfactions,aggravations and grumpiness that beset all of us at any given time.
This time he let it all boil over,didn't control it, and it cost him his life.
It could happen at any given time to any one of us.
We discussed this recently.Controlling ourselves in mind bending traffic situations with complete strangers is one of the hardest things to do.
Most of us are not living in Mayberry,RFD.
Tremendous self control and the fact the our lives might be at stake is the way to handle these combustible situations.
As several members have said on this thread ,disengage at all costs,including "losing" our dignity.
It's not worth it.
 
does federal officer training make you a leathal weapon like a professional fighter?
 
"According to all the news sources I've seen, the LEO got out of his car UNARMED. So the accused is going to have a difficult time pleading self-defense. I'm betting he and his lawyer will happily jump on a second degree guilty plea. Time will tell if I'm right."
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A lean, in-shape 35-year old vs a diabetic, dialysis-bound 60-year old? The "agent" could have killed Mr. Wonder with his bare hands....easily.
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Rich.......what are you talking about?

He also worked a security detail on Weinberger's trip to Thailand in April 1986, Rodriguez said.
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Are you saying Pettit was 13 years old when he was working security of the Secretary of Defense? Tack 17 years onto your guessed age and now you've got it. A lot happens to the human body between 35 and 52.
 
Too many unknowns here to make ANY kind of judgement of EITHER participant.

Was the victim also armed? If so, did he draw a weapon? Was he driving into the PO on business, or just stopping so his killer could approach him?

If the victim was NOT armed, did the killer feel threatened by a younger, healthier man regardless of that fact? In other words, was he acting in self-defense? Just because your attacker is NOT armed does NOT mean you don't believe your life is in immediate danger.

Were other factors involved here? Was the vicitim in a well-marked government vehicle, or in his own private vehicle (his daughter was in there)?

Well, tomorrow I'll check my Orlando Sentinel and hopefully the whole story will be there. Regardless, I'm still happy I have my Florida personal carry license.

Best regards ~ ~ ~ 45Broomhandle
 
The deceased was FIFTY TWO years old. Not exactly a spring chicken in my book! :rolleyes:

According to ALL accounts of the story, he was UNARMED when shot. According to the police, he was shot in the BACK of the head after a heated argument.

Doesn't sound like any case of self-defense I've ever heard of. Even though the deceased DID apparently help escalate the situation, he was still unarmed, so there's NO justification for homicide.

If the accused had belted him in the mouth, that would be understandable, though still assault and battery. But there's simply NO excuse for murdering the officer, regardless of whether he was being a total a$$ or not.
 
After a couple run-ins with semi-psychotic seniors on the road, I've given up any kind of communication with poor drivers, aggressive drivers, etc. My only goal is to get away from them ASAP, whether this means turning off before I had intended and taking a different route or asking for help from my Mother of Blessed Acceleration. There are some scary characters out there.
 
Posted by sig228:
Based on the report, it does look like the agent was the agressor.
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I hesitate to use the word "aggressor". Based on what we know now, the victim apparently just wanted to give the defendant a piece of his mind, and they undoubtedly had a heated argument in the parking lot.

As of this time, there's no evidence that the victim actually attacked the defendant or tried to attack him. There's also still no "self-defense" plea from the defendant.

If the victim had "completely lost it", he would've had his gun when he exited the car. But he did have the presence of mind to leave his gun in the car, which clearly indicates to me that he was in control of his mental faculties, though obviously angry, and had no intention of "attacking" the defendant.

Based on the information we have now, I'm predicting the defendant gets nailed for second degree murder. I sincerely doubt a claim of "self-defense" will float with a jury.
 
Interesting that the arrest report first calls the charge "First Degree" Murder, then crosses out 'First Degree" and substitutes "Premeditated."

From all accounts I've seen so far, it certainly does not sound like there was any "premeditation."

Why oh why can't authorities just charge people appropriately? Is it all part of the game? Charge 'em with something much more drastic in the hope they'll be overjoyed to cop a plea to what the charge should have been in the first place?
 
Why oh why can't authorities just charge people appropriately? Is it all part of the game? Charge 'em with something much more drastic in the hope they'll be overjoyed to cop a plea to what the charge should have been in the first place?
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That's just the charge he was arrested on. The prosecuting attorney will decide the actual charges when the case is filed. The police don't charge anyone, they arrest for a violation, and they have to say what law they feel was violated and what the suspect did that violated the law.

Jeff
 
Based on the information we have now, he should get charged with second degree murder. The defendant would be smart to try and make a deal regarding a guilty plea to that charge, hoping for a lighter sentence.

In light of his kidney problems requiring dialysis, he'll probably die in prison either way though. I'd be VERY surprised if he was able to convince a jury it was self-defense.
 
If the victim had "completely lost it", he would've had his gun when he exited the car. But he did have the presence of mind to leave his gun in the car,
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This presence of mind has him lying in the morgue as we speak.
 
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