Man protects his family from undercover officer

[phobos512]

Saw this over @ Fark...

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

clock Jun 8, 2007 3:39 pm US/Central
Man Suspected Of Shooting Officer Released

(AP) 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.

Yes, you read that right, an armed citizen defended himself from a road-raging undercover police officer who failed to declare himself and PULLED A GUN BECAUSE HE WAS MAD.

[ETD1010]

Holy Crap, that's terrible. -1 for those gun grabbers who believe only LEO should have guns.... I'm just very greatful that the agency conducted a fair investigation (thus far) and released him without charges. Road rage is a nasty demon. I can't believe the cop did that. . .

[Dont Tread on Me]

Cops should know better than to get tied up in road rage.

CCW holders should know better than to get tied up in road rage. This goes double for when your family is in the car!

Both guys ***ed up and make gun owners and law enforcement look bad. We have the Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie of the gun world meeting here.

[Piper]

The road rage is bad enough, but what about charging the cop with brandishing a firearm? He had no legal reason to draw his firearm. He deserves what he got. Aw crap, someone is going to call me a cop hater again.

[Fjold]

They were both idiots to get involved in a road rage incident.

From how the article reads:

The CCW holder was stupid to pull up alongside the other driver at the light and the second the door opened in the other car he should have blown the light and left.

The cop was an idiot for getting involved in the incident and for getting out of his car at the light. He was felony stupid for pulling his gun.

No one wins here.

[Piper]

They were both idiots to get involved in a road rage incident.

From how the article reads:

The CCW holder was stupid to pull up alongside the other driver at the light and the second the door opened in the other car he should have blown the light and left.

The cop was an idiot for getting involved in the incident and for getting out of his car at the light. He was felony stupid for pulling his gun.

No one wins here.

[Scarecrow Repair]

Devil's advocate here

I am not one to think cops are all nice sweet fellows, but here I wonder if the very act of pulling up next to the undercover cop might have seemed threatening to the cop, and when the door opened, he got out with his gun intentionally. The article is very vague about who was road raging. I could also imagine the cop not expecting a CCW gun in return and even if he had tried to say something as he got out with his gun, it might not have been heard in the shuffle.

[biff]

Regardless of right or wrong and I'm not taking sides but - three shots with two and a half hits is pretty good shooting considering the circumstances.

[kantstudien]

Who taught this guy to shoot, Murtaugh? Legs and arm?

Just remember there are three sides to every story, his side, her side, and then reality.

[Jicko]

If the cop is stupid enough to draw a weapon on a road rage... I wondered why he didn't say that he drew after ID'ing himself and said that the driver made threatening comments..... then the driver probably won't walk out like this.....

[socalguns]

Lets not forget who has more training

[aplinker]

Lets not forget who has more training

Forget? I don't even know who has more training. I know quite a few people who are exceptional shooters under all conditions -- from practical pistol competitors to private contractors to serious hobbyists -- and many of them are very competent and train frequently.

The LEO I know also train, but they are exceptions in their units. One is on several advanced tactics squads and does some Entry team work for OPD. The impression I get from him is that, unless you're in a seriously intense town where there are daily high-risk incidents, most LEOs aren't kept up on training and probably wouldn't be ready to handle themselves.

That's not to say they're not better than most, but we're talking about a CCW holder who could be very good about maintaining his carry responsibilites by becoming very proficient.

So, what should I not forget?

[diegojosh]

Forget? I don't even know who has more training. I know quite a few people who are exceptional shooters under all conditions -- from practical pistol competitors to private contractors to serious hobbyists -- and many of them are very competent and train frequently.

The LEO I know also train, but they are exceptions in their units. One is on several advanced tactics squads and does some Entry team work for OPD. The impression I get from him is that, unless you're in a seriously intense town where there are daily high-risk incidents, most LEOs aren't kept up on training and probably wouldn't be ready to handle themselves.

That's not to say they're not better than most, but we're talking about a CCW holder who could be very good about maintaining his carry responsibilites by becoming very proficient.

So, what should I not forget?

lets not forget about serious video game players!

[Piper]

This incident certainly puts a kink in the antigun viewpoint that only cops and military should have guns.

The Bradey's say that blood will be running in the street because "civilians" will draw their weapons and shoot each other in road rage incidents. They never mention pissed off undercover cops drawing their weapons in road rage incidents.

This cop should be held to a higher standard than the civilian because he is given power an authority by the state that the average citizen doesn't have.

With power and authority, comes more responsibility and accountability. If a person disagrees with that then they should be removed from that authoritative position. Authority can corupt if it goes unchecked.

[gunrun45]

We had a very junior officer in my department do something similar here in northern CA. He brandished a handgun in an act of road rage while driving on the freeway. He was imediately put on administrative leave, charges were filed in the county of the incident and he was fired.

Behavior like this has no place in our society, especially by law enforcement. We know better. So does everybody else.