Deadly force used against bacon, egg and cheese sandwich thief

[MrScorpio]

PALM HARBOR — Last fall, authorities said, a Florida Highway Patrol trooper fired his gun nine times at a man suspected of stealing two bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches from a Palm Harbor gas station.

None of the bullets struck Magdi Kanaan, but Trooper Timothy E. Nichols will begin a one-week suspension without pay today.

"You deployed more force than necessary by shooting at a fleeing suspect," agency director John T. Czernis wrote in a Sept. 7 memo to Nichols.

The Oct. 10 shooting and subsequent car chase were captured on the trooper's dashboard camera. The Highway Patrol on Thursday released that footage and a narrative of the events that led to the shots being fired.

The 71/2-minute video opens with Nichols, a nine-year veteran of the department, driving at a high speed through a retirement center parking lot.

He'd just come from the Hess gas station on Nebraska Avenue, where a cashier reported that Kanaan had stolen sandwiches and fled.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/fhp-trooper-who-shot-nine-times-at-fleeing-suspect-is-suspended-for-a-week/1122083

[FiveGoodMen]

1. Fuck!

Just fuck!

[slackmaster]

2. I wonder what kind of "penalty" a non-LEO would get for doing exactly the same thing

I'm thinking 1-2 years in prison.

[sharp_stick]

4. I'm thinking a non-cop

would have probably been able to hit the target so at least 5 to 10 years.

[louis-t]

8. Exactly. Jeez, I thought these guys had to set foot in

the range once in a while.

[TheWraith]

32. Most police practice the minimum required by the department.

Not without reason--most police officers never have the need to discharge their weapon, so practicing marksmanship comes in far down the list of priorities compared to, say, catching up on paperwork. But it makes the situation more dangerous than it needs to be when they actually have to draw their weapon. Not that this is one of those times.

[slackmaster]

13. LOL! You may be right about that.

But by the same token a properly trained non-cop would recognize the situation as "no shoot".

[spin]

20. As a Florida concealed weapons permit holder ...

I would never think of shooting a running burger burglar.

[slackmaster]

25. What if he looked like this?

[spin]

28. He reminds me of someone trying to look like Zorro on Halloween ...

[Fumesucker]

3. Steal billions and you might possibly get slapped on the wrist..

Steal a couple of bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches and you are attacked with deadly force.

A perfect commentary on just how whacked the justice system is in our country these days.

[ixion]

10. Indeed.

Spot on, that.

[Mimosa]

12. Les Miserables came to mind

Hmm, wonder when the Revolution starts.

[1monster]

26. The French Revolution of LE MISERABLES was a failure. Not something

to emulate...

[Shell Beau]

33. Or how wacked up some cops are. This dude had no

business being a cop if he thought it was appropriate to even pull out his gun for this, much less shoot the thing 9 times.

And notice I said SOME cops.

[Fumesucker]

38. This was a state trooper..

Hardly scraping the bottom of the barrel, cop wise.]


State troopers are close to if not an outright elite in uniformed law enforcement.

[Shell Beau]

40. Oh I know. My brother is one. Used to be a cop though.

Graduated top of his class. I am proud of what he does. He risks his life daily, and I'll be damned if some assholes (the bad ones, not the people posting in this thread) change my opinion of him.

[superduperfarleft]

5. "You deployed more force than necessary by shooting at a fleeing suspect,"

Well duh.

[dixiegrrrrl]

30. How about speeding thru the retirement center parking lot?

THAT was not too bright either.

Was the cop named Barney?

[RKP5637]

6. Sad commentary on what is considered outrageous crime and the pursuit...

[frylock]

7. fucking coward

[Xipe Totec]

9. Run, Jean Valjean! nt

[K8-EEE]

11. Bacon, Egg AND Cheese??

Does "three strikes" kick in with the cheese?

[slackmaster]

14. It was probably "cheese food" or "cheese food product" rather than real cheese

Foul ball on a three-and-two pitch.

[jberryhill]

15. Definitely it was the bacon

If it was just an egg & cheese, the force would be excessive.

But, there was bacon involved.

[unblock]

16. that'll teach him not to keep kosher!

[COLGATE4]

17. The moral of that is not to fuck with Florida troopers - it's getting

real tense out there.

[flvegan]

18. What? A full hour and no pig/bacon jokes?

Man, you guys are seriously slipping.

[JVS]

21. See 15

[1monster]

27. Most of us have decided that calling a cop a pig is an insult to the piggies.

[JVS]

19. Jesus.

[spin]

22. Yes. my son?

[damntexdem]

23. Les Miserables.

nuff said

[MadHound]

24. A modern day Javert

Fortunately one who can't shoot straight.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

29. A week suspension?

He should have gotten fired over that. Discharging his weapon like that when there was no need is unprofessional and dangerous.

[superduperfarleft]

31. He should've gone to fucking jail.

You know, like us normals would if we were to open fire in a public area without cause.

[Shell Beau]

34. Agreed. He should be gone. This is not the job for him.

[superduperfarleft]

37. But he won't be. And that's why people hate cops. n/t

[Shell Beau]

39. Well people shouldn't hate all cops. And people should

let it be known this guy should lose his job and face charges. I hope the person he shot at gets loud about it.

[thelordofhell]

35. I'll be takin' these Huggies, plus whatever cash ya got

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8xsYKrx5eE

[HopeHoops]

36. Hell, if he had stolen DOUGHNUTS, they yeah, I could see that.

But Egg McMuffins?