detroit cop arrested for shooting in road rage

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Nothing like mixing alcohol, guns and road rage.

Police: Detroit Officer Involved In Road-Rage Incident
March 15, 2007
WDIV News

Livonia police said they responded to the scene of a road-rage incident involving a Detroit police officer on Wednesday.

When police arrived at the scene on westbound Interstate 96 near Stark Road, they found a black SUV with its windows shot out, and a silver Dodge Magnum nearby.

Livonia police Lt. Greg Wynn said the incident started in the area of Fenkell Street and West Outer Drive in Detroit, but ended in Livonia.

The driver of the Magnum was hit by the SUV, and the driver of the SUV fled the scene, police said. The driver of the Magnum then followed the SUV onto westbound I-96. At that point shots were fired from the Magnum, but no one was injured, police said.

Wynn said Livonia police responded to a 911 call regarding the shooting, and officers waited for the vehicles to enter Livonia city limits, where they pulled both vehicles over.

The driver of the Magnum, a Southfield man who is also a Detroit police officer, was taken into custody, Wynn said, adding that the officer also had open intoxicants inside his vehicle. Wynn added the officer probably shot off about four or five rounds.

The officer told police he was fired at first, and was only shooting back.

The officer will not be released until an investigation by police and prosecutors is complete. He is facing charges of assault with intent to murder, and driving under the influence.

Livonia police said the Wayne County Prosecutors office has requested several items regarding the investigation.
 
Not much to say...

He's a human, and exhibits the same kind of responses that are common to humans. x% of humans behave in manner y (committing criminal acts after high-stress driving incidents), and in any subset of the population, some other percentage will do the same. Period. No matter how hard you try to train it out of that group.

It's still just as deplorable, but expecting every cop to be perfect, or every elected politician, or every judge, etc. to be perfect is living in a dream world.

Don't get me wrong - after the abuses I've seen happen with people in power, I tend not to trust EVERYONE in power until I have a REAL good reason to trust them; it's not just cops. Power seems to corrupt, but that's a different discussion. For us to collectively think that the officer involved here is "special," though, would be foolhardy.
 
Sorry Jade, your reply doesn't hold up in my book. Much as Navy seals are held to a higher standard than your ordinary seaman, or Army Rangers are held to higher standards than the ordinary soldier, the police are supposed to be held to higher standards than the roofers or landscapers etc. Much as a proffesional driver is expectred to be a better than average driver. If you can't expect a cop to be any better than anyone else, then why is it so hard to be a cop??
 
Hard to say what exactly went on, but I make the assumption all is not what it seems. Two facts stand out:

The driver of the Magnum was hit by the SUV, and the driver of the SUV fled the scene. The officer told police he was fired at first, and was only shooting back.

If that is true, the officer was totally justified in following the hit and run driver, and firing back in self defence.

And as far as "the officer also had open intoxicants inside his vehicle". That does not mean a thing until proven by a blood or breathalyzer test that the officer was impaired.
 
If you can't expect a cop to be any better than anyone else, then why is it so hard to be a cop??
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They are just as human as the next person. For the most part I think they are a superior bunch than the common man, but they have all the same imperfections you and I possess. Occasionally someone will falter. It's not indicative of anything other than their humanity and shouldn't reflect poorly on anyone but the offender.

Or do you think everyone should view all CCWers like this nut?

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070223/D8NFMJV01.html
 
"...the officer also had open intoxicants inside his vehicle." He had open intoxicants.

That aside, let me tell you all something very serious. Not a day passes that I do not witness someone enaging in road-rage in the metro Detroit area.

Erebus:

I wish I could say I was shocked...unfortunately I am not. Thanks for the link.

Doc
 
I am suprised it doesn't happen more often. People in vehicles drive so aggressively nowadays. I had a police officer tell me that she is tailgated so often she just cuts her lights on and gives them a ticket.
 
And they were worried about us CPP's, maybe the cops should have the same restriction we have........no booze, not in schools, bars, dorms, classrooms, sporting faclities....etc....
 
And as far as "the officer also had open intoxicants inside his vehicle". That does not mean a thing until proven by a blood or breathalyzer test that the officer was impaired.
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Not if you're a private citizen. "Open container" laws and all that--nothing quite like the presumption of guilt. Makes prosecution so much easier.
 
People in vehicles drive so aggressively nowadays
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AMEN to that! How many times on this very board or others have I seen thread with people asking "What should I do if I'm pulled over for speeding and I have my gun with me in the car?"

Drive the (*^& speed limit and you'll never have to worry about it! I drive the speed limit, and that's something that seems to be inhumanly impossible for 95% of the rest of the people around me. But I have time to react to traffic and I don't get pulled over for tickets. And I don't tailgate. Almost everytime I try to leave a safe distance, some jerk zips into that space, making the distance unsafe. I've gotten to the point where I seldom take the interstates at all anymore if I can avoid taking them.
I had a tire from a semi a few months ago come bouncing across in front of me and smash into a truck on my right. I had time to avoid it because I was driving the speed limit. The truck on my right that was flying past me in the slow lane flew right into it and was dented up by it. I'm amazed at the large amounts of people that are ignoring common traffic laws and common sense on the road these days.
 
I'm amazed at the large amounts of people that are ignoring common traffic laws and common sense on the road these days.
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The signs are at fault. They only say "Speed Limit xx" so people think that's a minimum limit and that it's illegal to drive any slower than the posted speed.

Obviously, we need a national campaign to change all speed limit signs to read "Maximum Speed xx"
 
Hmmm, I never thought about that. You may have a very good point there.

However, I thought about it, and it doesn't wash. If it does, that would mean everyone thinks 25 mph is the slowest you should drive past schools and you should blaze past kids at 60 mph.
 
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If that is true, the officer was totally justified in following the hit and run driver, and firing back in self defence.
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I'm not sure about shooting at someone in self defense if you are chasing them.

Certainly, anyone has a right to defend themselves if the bad guy is coming at you. I don't know about chasing someone down who is running away, and then calling it self-defense.

As a LEO or a non-LEO citizen, I can see following after a hit-and-run driver, getting their tag number, and calling it in on my cell phone. If there has been shooting involved, though, I'd say back off and let the LEOs who are SOBER and ON DUTY handle it.

Some might argue that since the guy is a LEO, he has a duty to chase down the bad guys and apprehend them. Maybe so, but if he's been drinking I would suggest he use his cell phone, call it in, and let the boys in blue who aren't drunk handle it. I don't think a LEO has a duty to engage in a high speed chase, shooting at another car, when he is impaired with alcohol.
 
TheWanderer said:
Drive the (*^& speed limit and you'll never have to worry about it!
Click to expand...

I will disagree with this statement. I got popped for doing 80 in a 70 one afternoon. Only problem was the transmission in my Crown Vic was going to pieces. It was physically, mechanically impossible to do more than 60. I took the car in the next day to have the tranny fixed. It took three days and cost $1400. Yes, you CAN get stopped AND sited without doing anything wrong.
 
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