I don't know. I know it's easy to armchair qb something like this without fully putting yourself in the situation. I also think there was some history with this person as she was following them around. We don't know what exchanges took place before and things that were said or even the look in her eyes. I heard that many people are using their vehicles as weapons against ice agents so they are likely very aware of the dangers and probably get briefed and/or trained on the dangers of vehicles. I heard the officer that shot was previously knocked down and dragged by a "protestor" last year.
It's easy to critique the situation and the steering wheel was mostly turned away where I don't think she was intentionally going for the officer. But from the officer perspective you are standing in front of a vehicle and you see they go from reverse to drive and then the sudden acceleration and engine roar while the vehicle is pointed directly at you. You have literally a split second to make that decision, you don't have the luxury of watching slow no replays from a couch, you don't know what the intentions are at that point or what direction the wheels are turned.
I give a lot of grace to people in these high intensity high risk split second decisions. Most people would shit themselves. This guy has already been hit and dragged with a vehicle.
That's why it's so incredibly stupid to get up in these guys' business. Protesting from a safe distance is totally ok. That is not what these people are doing. Ice actually takes way more shit than any other PD would as far as this goes. Go walk up on a scene of your local town pd and get right up in the mix and be screaming and not giving them their space and even putting hands on them or throw things at them, see what happens. Ice deals with that every day every where they go and they don't even arrest these people mostly. I think they should arrest every single one who is obstructing because if you don't then you're allowing it and they keep doing it and then something like this happens.
By
mnstang ·
