Man Suspected Of Shooting Officer Released

[starfuryzeta]

Search-fu didn't turn this up previously....

http://wcco.com/topstories/local_story_159164139.html

Anoka, Minn. Anoka County authorities have released without charges a man suspected of shooting and wounding an undercover Robbinsdale police officer.

Martin Treptow,35, says he fired to protect his wife and two toddlers inside the family SUV.

The Anoka County attorney's office says Treptow was released after Thursday's incident in Coon Rapids, but the investigation was ongoing.

Coon Rapids police say Treptow and a 27-year old officer in an unmarked car got into a dispute on the road. After angry words and gestures, Treptow pulled his SUV up to the driver side of the other car, stopped at a light. Treptow says as the driver got out of his, he pulled out a weapon.

"We're about three feet away from each other and he's pointing the gun at my wife, so it was a tough situation, where I couldn't drive away at that particular moment, I had to defend my family," Treptow said.

Treptow says the man was in street clothes and never identified himself as a police officer. With his wife in the passenger seat, Treptow fired three shots at the officer, hitting him in both legs and grazing his arm.

The 27-year-old officer was treated and released at a Minneapolis hospital for wounds to his legs and arm.

The man's two children were also in the vehicle at the time. He had a permit to carry a weapon.

[CountGlockula]

Treptow says the man was in street clothes and never identified himself as a police officer.

4 words could've prevent embarrassment, lawyers fees and hospital fees: "I'm a police officer".

[Deanimator]

4 words could've prevent embarrassment, lawyers fees and hospital fees: "I'm a police officer".

How about just not pulling his gun?

Nowhere in that story does there appear ANY justification for the use of deadly force UNTIL he pulled the gun.

[lacoochee]

Even had he said he was a police officer, I for one would not have believed him given the circumstances. In fact, had the roles been reversed the gentlemen (use loosely) that was sent to the hospital would still be held. So in fact, this story reeks of favoritism based solely on the fact that one of the participants is a boy in blue.

[glock+ipod]

There has been some discussion of this incident on our local Twin Cities Carry forum:

http://www.twincitiescarry.com/forum...er=asc&start=0

[RNB65]

4 words could've prevent embarrassment, lawyers fees and hospital fees: "I'm a police officer"

Bull feathers. Some road raging jackass charges me with a gun in hand, it's going to take more than words to stop me from pulling the trigger. Dude acted like a damn fool and got exactly what he deserved.

[MechAg94]

I agree. An undercover officer in an unmarked car has no business getting involved in traffic enforcement; assuming it wasn't just road rage. Call it in if there is a serious safety concern.

Also, he is undercover. Now it is public info that an officer got shot in both legs. How the hell does he maintain cover?

[scott5]

Shades of "I'm the only one here qualified to have a weapon."

[44AMP]

Just saying they are a police officer doesn't prove anything. A badge would be the minimum for me to begin to take them seriously. Uniforms and squad cars are a pretty safe bet, but an "undercover" individual is the same as anyone, and badges can be faked. It happens.

Someone getting in an argument in traffic and pulling a gun is not acting as a professional LEO. They are a deadly threat and cannot be considered anything else.

We had an incident locally where an (off duty) officer pulled a gun during a road rage incident (his rage). No one was injured, fortunately, and that officer is now looking for an alternate field of employment, after he finishes serving his punishment.

LEOs are human, just like the rest of us, and a small percentage of them are as fallible as the rest of us. The stress of their jobs, and the authority they become accustomed to wielding can cause them problems when outside their official roles. Not everyone is suited to that kind of work, and there is a burnout factor which is different for every individual. When cops loose it there are few winners.

Police are trained, tested, and examined on a periodic basis, in order that idividuals with potential problems can be identified before an actual problem exists. Like everything else men do, it is not a perfect system, and some people slip through when they shouldn't. This incident appears to be one of those.

[Alex45ACP]

Who cares if he is a cop? He still deserved to be shot for pointing a gun at someone.

[Mr Weebles]

Here's an article from before this man's release (bold mine):

Officer Shot During 'Road Rage' Incident
(AP) Coon Rapids, Minn. An undercover Robbinsdale police officer was shot during an incident in Coon Rapids on Thursday afternoon, authorities said.

The on-duty plainclothes officer was outside his unmarked vehicle when he was wounded after becoming involved in an altercation with a man driving an SUV near the intersection of Foley Boulevard and 99th Avenue around 2:30 p.m.

Coon Rapids Deputy Police Chief Tim Snell said it wasn't immediately clear why the Robbinsdale officer was in Coon Rapids. He said a driving dispute led to the shooting, and the suspect didn't know he was shooting at an officer.

The man and woman who were in the SUV were taken into custody at a nearby gas station across Highway 10 where they went to phone authorities to report the incident, police said.

Snell said the officer was armed, but didn't shoot.

The 27-year-old officer was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis. He was shot in both legs and his arm was also grazed. He was treated and released, hospital officials said.

Coon Rapids police identified the suspect as a 35-year-old Coon Rapids man. His wife and two children were in the vehicle with him at the time. They were interviewed and released.

Police found a handgun when the suspect was arrested, and said he had a permit to carry a gun.

"I don't know if he carries it all the time or if he had it for a special occasion today," Snell said.

Robbinsdale Police Chief Wayne Shellum said outside the hospital that his officer, who's name was not released because he works undercover, was doing well.

"He's in good spirits and he looked at me and said, 'Geez,' he says 'I'm sorry chief.' And I went 'Hey, it's not your fault, you're doing your job, you're doing what you're paid to do."'

Special occasion? What kind of statement is that? Ridiculous.

And according to this Chief, the undercover cop's job is to get into road rage incidents, pull his weapon and point it at civilians?

Pathetic.

If that were anyone else, they'd be in jail.

[10 Ring Tao]

I expect all charges to be dropped, but only after a vindictive prosecution, fueled by 'professional courtesy'. I just don't see a politically motivated local prosecutor letting the chance go, to prosecute someone who shot a cop, justified or not. Then a dismissive attitude from the PD, along with every attempt to just make it go away, bordering on a cover up.

I'm just not convinced that it can happen without political interference, or without decisions made based on the cop's vocation, rather than his actions.

After such a significant event, will a civilian be given a fair shake in the system, when pitted against someone who works for the system?

[/LE cynic]

[ilbob]

After such a significant event, will a civilian be given a fair shake in the system, when pitted against someone who works for the system?

You never know. Maybe the facts got out before the police spin meisters had a chance to concoct a plausible story. Most probably because he was out of his jurisdiction. Even so you have to give a lot of credit to investigators who chose the truth over the blue line. Its not all that common. We will just have to see.

[Speer]

Dude acted like a damn fool and got exactly what he deserved.

Damn straight.

[HiroProX]

I think undercover Officer Nincompoop had best just consider himself lucky that his stupidity wasn't fatal.

[Glockman17366]

I'd like to know if the cop's vehicle had a police radio. And, if it did, did he call the stop in...

If he did...he may have been legit...none of us were there, so we don't really know what went on.
If he didn't...he screwed up...and this might cost him his badge.

[ebd10]

I think undercover Officer Nincompoop had best just consider himself lucky that his stupidity wasn't fatal.

THIS time!

[straightShot]

We're about three feet away from each other and he's pointing the gun at my wife...

fired three shots at the officer, hitting him in both legs and grazing his arm.

Both legs? Arm? Three feet away? Something is goofy here.

[budder]

Quote:
We're about three feet away from each other and he's pointing the gun at my wife...

fired three shots at the officer, hitting him in both legs and grazing his arm.
Both legs? Arm? Three feet away? Something is goofy here.

Why? If you look at shoot data, the first shots are almost always low. And if the arm got in the way of the officer's COM, there's no reason to suspect anything odd. You also need to consider that he was in his car and was probably at least a little contorted since he had to draw.

[fireflyfather]

Not to mention that there might have been some deflection involved, depending on what the bullet hit BEFORE it hit the officer (the shooter's car door/window/body, plus officer airhead's). Also, the way it sounded, the shooter was basically shooting ACROSS the passenger space into the driver side of the other car. I'd say the guy did damn well to hit his target at all, what with a possibly hysterical wife, seatbelt, firing at an akward angle for a right-hander (was he right-handed?), multiple barriers between them, possible height difference in vehicles, and being scared *****less that his wife was about to get shot.

Seems like all is kosher here except for the initial officer's road rage, and possibly the chief's comments to reporters (but honestly, maybe the chief didn't have all the information at the time...maybe the meathead told his boss some lies...and the chief didn't have a chance to fact-check...).

Hard to know until we get all the facts, though. I am suspecting the guy didn't call in the stop, however, as it sounds like dispatch found out about the shooting from the guy that defended himself/turned himself in.

[TheOld Man]

Around here, we've had a couple of incidents like that, (without the gunplay, but close) only it turned out later the guy who claimed to be a cop, wasn't.

[Richmond]

The latest from the Mpls Star-Tribune:

http://www.startribune.com/crime/story/1236374.html

StarTribune.com
Shooter feared for his family, lawyer says

The man who shot an undercover police officer in an apparent road rage incident in Coon Rapids said the other man pointed a gun at his wife, his attorney says.

By Tom Ford, Star Tribune

Last update: June 09, 2007 – 7:05 PM
Nearly 72 hours since he was involved in a rolling argument in Coon Rapids that led him to shoot an undercover police officer, Martin S. Treptow still believes he had little choice but to act as he did, his attorney Marc Berris said Saturday.

Endangered first by the officer's "extremely aggressive" driving, and then stunned to see the officer point a gun at his wife, Treptow, 35, was simply trying to protect his family and himself, Berris said.

He added: "When all the facts come out, it'll show he had absolutely no opportunity to de-escalate the situation."

But for Coon Rapids police officials, such conclusions regarding the Thursday afternoon shooting are premature.

Sgt. Tom Hawley said Saturday that investigators are still analyzing evidence and trying to compile and sort through conflicting accounts from the parties involved and several witnesses. He said it could be several days to weeks before their work is complete.

A decision to charge Treptow or the 27-year-old Robbinsdale police officer, both of whom live in Coon Rapids near the shooting scene, probably will await the investigation results. The men were strangers until the encounter.

Police have yet to release the name of the officer, citing his role as an undercover officer as the reason.

On Friday, a woman who described herself as his fiancee declined to comment about the case when reached at his home.

Treptow, released from the Anoka County jail Friday after being held there overnight on suspicion of aggravated assault, has referred requests for comment to Berris.

Berris said he is in the midst of his own investigation of the incident, but offered this account of the Thursday altercation:

Treptow, his wife and their two children were heading to St. Paul when they were confronted by a man driving erratically, including pulling alongside Treptow's SUV and yelling at him and his wife.

At one point, Treptow honked, but the feud continued. It came to a head along 99th Avenue NW. near Foley Blvd. NW. as the two vehicles were stopped behind other cars at a stop light.

According to Berris, the man, who Treptow did not know was a police officer, reached out his window and pointed a gun at Treptow's wife. Treptow, who had been working as a security officer until last month and who has a permit to carry his gun, quickly reached across his wife and fired at the car. The officer was hit in the legs and an arm.

Still fearing for their safety, Treptow drove away from the scene while his wife called 911, Berris said.

They stopped at a nearby gas station, where police took them into custody. Treptow's wife, who Berris said suffered some injury to her ears because of the gunshot noise, was released hours later.

"I can hardly imagine a scenario that would be more traumatic for a young family," Berris said.

Police are asking witnesses to call the Anoka County Sheriff's Office at 763-427-1212.

Tom Ford • 612-673-4921 • tford@startribune.com

© 2007 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.

This happened in the northern suburbs of Minneapolis - which is in Anoka County. The city of Minneapolis itself and many of the inner suburbs are Hennepin County. I rarely get up there any more in any cases, but generally Anoka County Attorney's office has had a good reputation for professionalism - hopefully, that will be true in this case. Based simply on what is in the news (always a dangerous practice) it sound like the shooter was clearly protecting himself and his family.

[bsf]

Originally Posted by straightShot

Both legs? Arm? Three feet away? Something is goofy here.

Slightly off topic. Assuming there was not pass-through from one limb to another, 100% of shots hit the targeted individual. Granted, your super-dooper mall ninja would have put two COM and one in the head. Ever hear statistics about the percentage of shots by cops that hit the targeted individual?

Back on topic. The moral of the story is "avoid incidents of road rage". If someone else is pissed off, do not allow them to draw you in. Keep your cool. Get away if possible. Do not let your vehicle get boxed in!

In the incident mentioned, how is it that Treptow allowed his vehicle and the other guy's vehicle to be side by side with no place to go? I am assuming Treptow was boxed in, because otherwise the best option would have been to skedaddle.

I hope neither the wife nor kids have permanent hearing damage.

[jeepmor]

"avoid incidents of road rage".

And, slower traffic keep left. This helps immensely with the hotheads.

Still sounds clean to me. "I'm a cop" is said with a badge displayed, not a gun.

[jselvy]

He still would have had no authority to stop and question them, if he was acting out of anger.
He's a Bad Cop and should be looking for other employment after he gets out for serving 5+ years for Assault With A Deadly Weapon.

Jefferson