tomtexan wrote:I keep wondering why they didn't shoot him. Was it because they were inside the store and didn't want to take a chance on hitting innocent bystanders?
Nowadays it seems pretty standard that if you pull a gun on the police you better get ready for a lot of lead headed your way.
Despite the media narrative, most officers work really hard to find ways to resolve situations without shooting people.
The officers in this case went far above and beyond in taking risks to avoid shooting this subject.
Many would not have used a taser when confronted with a gun, but the Lufkin officers clearly made the right decision in this case because the final result was the best one possible.
My guess is this:
"Haak fell backward to the ground, taking Edwards with him..."
When Edwards tazed Haak, both fell. I'm not a LEO, but if I've got a suspect on the ground and another LEO on him, am I really going to try to shoot the suspect and risk hitting my fellow LEO?
What may have happened is that the officer who was already holding the taser fired that because it was already in his hand and drawing on an already drawn gun is usually a losing proposition. When both the suspect and the other officer went down to the ground and struggled, using a firearm would have risked hitting the officer as well so the taser was the best solution.
I'm just glad that both officers survived what could easily have been a very tragic situation.
Abraham wrote:Reminds me of another "monstrously large" criminal who while being hailed as innocent by the fawning media, was a bully who'd gotten away with bullying crimes for quite some time (like not paying for his goods and simply walking away without paying, because who'd challenge him...) and finally paid for his his criminal actions by L.E.
L.E. who then unfairly suffered for doing his job...
But that person was a "gentle giant" worthy of a Presidential delegation at his funeral.
Officer Jaime Padron was killed in an Austin Walmart with a Jiminez .380. Unfortunately for him, he was alone and there was no one to control the suspect's hands when they ended up on the floor. viewtopic.php?f=108&t=71770&hilit=jaime+padron
Hardly a 'mountain of a man' IMO. Photo seems to show a really out of shape guy who happens to stand over 6'. I'm 6'-5", 260 lbs and 62 years old, but in MUCH better shape than that guy!
That doesn't mean he couldn't represent a threat, but the video shows pretty much what you'd expect. I don't see at any time that the suspect ever had the 'upper hand'. One officer had trouble getting his 'footing' on the highly polished tile floor, but it was not the result of struggling with the suspect.
Three officers against one guy already on the ground with civilians in close proximity= Don't shoot if there is anyway not to. The presentation of a pistol (from what we can see in the video) was done in a slow and clumsy fashion. The officers exercised good judgement and simply continued with the efforts that were already working for them.
flintknapper wrote:Hardly a 'mountain of a man' IMO. Photo seems to show a really out of shape guy who happens to stand over 6'. I'm 6'-5", 260 lbs and 62 years old, but in MUCH better shape than that guy!
That doesn't mean he couldn't represent a threat, but the video shows pretty much what you'd expect. I don't see at any time that the suspect ever had the 'upper hand'. One officer had trouble getting his 'footing' on the highly polished tile floor, but it was not the result of struggling with the suspect.
Three officers against one guy already on the ground with civilians in close proximity= Don't shoot if there is anyway not to. The presentation of a pistol (from what we can see in the video) was done in a slow and clumsy fashion. The officers exercised good judgement and simply continued with the efforts that were already working for them.
Good job Lufkin PD.
The video shows that one officer did draw his firearm but quickly reholstered as two other officers got the suspect under control.
Excaliber
"An unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not overcome by fleeing from it." - Jeff Cooper
I am not a lawyer. Nothing in any of my posts should be construed as legal or professional advice.
