The officer in the video below had to make a split-second decision, but made the right call in my opinion. I only wish the AL detective, who was whipped on the head with his service weapon, had been as decisive and engaged the suspect at the onset.
Good lord, it almost looked like a training film.
The decision to use force is rarely a conscious one, and that AL detective needs heaps more training on officer safety. The cop in video did a great job and acted reasonably and appropriately.
Thread title is spot on.
So what was the guy’s problem? Just being ornery, or did he turn out to be a criminal? Not criticizing the officer’s actions either way, just wondering.
Sorry, I don’t think the guy should have been tazed. You have time to pull a tazer but not issue a verbal warning?
What exactly was the guy charged with? Why was he yelling at traffic?
I am curious when this incident happened. When Tasers first came out, they were pretty low on the continuum. Back then, if you told someone to stop and they didn’t, they got a ride.
My suspicion is that this is only coming to light now with the whole MSM attack on law enforcement. Kind of like how all the anti Jade Helm freakshows are recycling old troop movement videos to “prove” how evil the military is. The same clowns are using LEO videos for the same purpose.
This reminds me of the “shoot, dont shoot” training films with the training laser we use to use. I jumped when the guy got out of the car and had his hand pointed back towards the officer. It could have turned out a lot worse for the guy.
After watching that a second time I am surprised the LEO did not engage the guy from his driver seat by shooting through his windshield at the suspect. Dumb ass mother****er. He should not be making fast movement and pointing his hands at the LEO. Ive see too many things go south in a hurry.
He deserved ever one of those volts.
Jumping out of the car pointing his finger he’s pretty lucky that’s all he got.
That’s an idea, not a very good one.
I wonder if that man was suicidal? Sure looked like a “suicide by cop” attempt to me.
The law has no requirement to issue a verbal warning before using force. The time he would have wasted issuing verbal warnings could have been time the driver used to:
A. retrieve a weapon from his person or vehicle to use on the officer
B. Physically assault the officer
C. Plan and effect an escape from the officer’s detention
Really the guy got off pretty easy…if the officer hadn’t been carrying a taser, he likely would have gone hands on with the guy, which carries a substantially larger risk of injurt for both parties involved.
As far as what the guy was charged with, it doesn’t matter that much to the use of force scenario. This guy was coming in hot and angry - not acting like a rational person does on a traffic stop. The reason for stopping him in the first place has little to do with the officer’s decision making, unless he had prior knowldege that this individual was armed and dangerous (which I’m guessing he didn’t, since he didnt use deadly force on the guy).
FWIW, you give me the choice between a taser ride and an ass beating, I’ll take the taser ride every time!
If someone approaches you in an aggressive manner at the outset of a stop for assistance or enforcement, you have only a second or two to make a decision. If the officer waited for the subject to get a few steps closer, I believe the encounter would have been a lot more physical. Waiting even a second or two not only would show indecision on the officer’s part, but would have exposed both the subject and the officer to greater harm or injury.
Indecision kills. I believe the officer did a good job.
What short memories people have around here…
Freezing up and not nipping it in the bud gets you this.
Seems like most people supported that officers actions last week
I have noticed, and several of my friends have independently noticed, a lot of rather angry and aggressive men in the 50-70+ age range, including lots of white men who seem relatively well off (as this guy did based on his vehicle, clothes, and appearance). A friend of mine attributes this to a mix of “hormone replacement therapy” (essentially legal Rx steroids) and Viagra. I think that may be a factor, but it probably also ties in with the “gimme gimme” entitlement mentality of some of the Baby Boomer generation, along with typical life stresses from getting older, not having as much money as you want, and modern work environments.
Anyway, I didn’t see anything making me think this guy is suicidal or confused, just making me think he was aggressive here, without apparent reason. I would have been afraid in the officer’s situation. And just a year or so ago a 40ish guy in my state was shot and killed by a 70ish driver over the stupidest “road rage” emotions.
It’s not an easy time to be retired or to approach that age. The idea that after working all of your life you’re now likely to be on a fixed income or take some crappy job where your years of experience are marginalized and that isn’t easy for most men.
I’m not that age yet, but I have a few friends that are, some have planned ahead and some others are at their wits end with the choice of work until you die, or retire to poverty.
Who knows what was stressing this guy out, he is however lucky to be alive. Had this been a non LEO he had a temper tantrum with, they well may have shot him the minute the guy decided to fight.
If that guy didn’t get out of that car looking for a fight, well I’m surprised. I haven’t seen anyone that mad not looking for a fight before.
Yeah, I totally understand that. My father, who intended to retire between 65 and 67 and was saving for it, was laid off from his professional-career job at 62, and not surprisingly found no one would hire him at that age, despite excellent credentials and experience. Fortunately he had planned fairly well and it didn’t hurt him too much, but it was definitely stressful and depressing.
I can’t get in the mind of the guy here. He may have had some reason to be angry. But no apparent reason to be angry at the officer, and I think you and I and most others here see the officer’s actions as reasonable (if possibly unfortunate) given what he was confronted with.
While I don’t think this guy was in a “jump off a ledge” type of suicidal state, one has to know that being aggressive in a manner such as he was toward the police may very well leave you deceased. I’m curious as to why he was pulled over where he was, with the door open, and no hazard lights on. None of those actions seem rational, along with his behavior towards the officer. The way that the officer approached the driver gives me the feeling that the driver was reported by other drivers. So, who knows.
The use of hormone therapy and male enhancements products effecting rational behavior in older males is an interesting theory that I had not considered.
“Recently, Lawtey Police Officer, Jay Raulerson, was confronted with a dangerous situation during a call to assist a motorist. Officer Raulerson was notified by passing motorists about a silver Toyota stopped in the median with the driver attempting to wave down vehicles. As he pulled up to render assistance, the subject suddenly exited his vehicle and aggressively approached Officer Raulerson. With literally seconds to decide his response, Officer Raulerson used a less than lethal tactic to bring the situation under control. After further investigation, the subject was taken into custody for a medical evaluation prior to pursuing any criminal charges.”
Listen to the driver’s words as he approaches the cruiser. I can vividly hear “…you better cut them goddamn lights off or im gonna…” but I can’t make out anything else before or after that.
That sure is strange. Hopefully, the driver gets the help that he needs, and is able to thank Officer Raulerson, at some point, for not ending his life.
Indeed. Just out of curiosity, I would love to know what those two bumper stickers say. I can’t make out the text, but I know from the design they often have some fairly provocative messages…