Re: A Medal -- Or A Prison Cell?

[Tim May <tcmay@got.net>]

At 1:00 PM -0700 12/6/97, Brian B. Riley wrote:

>   Larry Gates, a 54-year-old ex-Marine, operates a convenience store in
>   rural Iconium, Missouri. He's also a volunteer fireman. Last Christmas
>   Eve he was listening to a licensed fire department radio when he heard
>   a report that police were chasing two suspected murderers. Police had
>   lost track of the suspects. From his knowledge of the area, Gates was
>   aware that the car would pass directly in front of his store.


>   Gates grabbed a shotgun and sidearm, and along with his three adult
>   sons pulled two vehicles into the intersection, blocking it. Both
>   vehicles had fire emergency lights flashing.
>
>   A few seconds later the suspects' car approached the roadblock. Gates'
>   son Carey motioned for the car to stop. Instead, the car suddenly
>   accelerated directly at Carey. Gates fired his shotgun once at the
>   car. The car swerved away from his sons, went around the roadblock,
>   and continued down the road.

Also, how did Gates and his sons know the car was in fact the suspect's car?

I doubt they could read a license plate of an approaching car, if in fact
the cops even knew the license plate number and had broadcast it.

If it turns out that  the Gates family merely set up their own roadblock
and tried to stop a car matching the general description (e.g., "a late
model white Ford sedan," which might well be the case for a police chase),
then they were truly reckless.

If I were driving my late model white Ford sedan through the backroads of
rural Missouri and some potential rednecks up ahead had their vehicles
blocking the road, I'd for damn sure not stop so they could rob and maybe
kill me. I'd gun the accelerator and try to get around this roadblock.


As they weren't cops and the vehicles weren't police cars, why should a
driver be fool enough to stop for some rednecks blocking the road?

(If this example is not clear, ask yourself if you would stop your car for
some blacks in Miami who blocked the road with their vehicles....)


This is precisely why we don't want helpful do-gooders setting up their own
road blocks and firing shots at cars that don't stop.

--Tim May

(P.S. If it turns out the Gates family knew _with certainty_ that the
approaching car was in fact exactly the one being chased, and if their
vehicles were painted fire engine red (not typical for volunteer fire
deparment folks and their private vehicles), then this slightly ameliorates
the recklessness of their actions. But I'd be surprised if this is the
case. And I know that if some rural yahoos tried to stop me by blocking the
road, I'd shoot first and ask questions later, as *I* would be the party
actually defending myself against a threat.)


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