Pinal County Sheriff Deputy kills Manuel Longoria while Longoria's hands are raised in the air.

Police in Pinal County, Arizona, claimed that the shooting death of a suspected car thief two weeks ago came after the man had turned to reach for a weapon. But video surfaced this week from a bystander, showing that the suspect had turned his back to officers, with his hands held high in the air.

Manuel Longoria, of Mesa, led police on a 40-minute chase in Eloy, and only stopped after sheriff’s deputies crippled the stolen Toyota Corolla with a tire-popping device. Witnesses said that Longoria told police after he got out of the car, surrounded, that he wouldn’t be taken alive. Police fired Tasers and beanbags at him before he turned around.

Pinal County Sheriff Deputy kills Manuel Longoria while Longoria's hands are raised in the air.

Just had this story shared on Liveleaks and thought it waranted some coverage.

I know it's easy to just view something and shout "murder" but after viewing this a few times, I'd say it looks pretty bad for the cops.

The stabilized version really doesn't make it look much better. Am I wrong in thinking that cops in America only shot someone as a last resort or in self-defence? I don't see any of that in this video. And the cop was back on duty after a week?

So ATS what is your view? And MODS move this into a more appropriate forum if you deem it necessary.

Looks like he deserved it to me. any time you do something deemed suspicious to a police officer you are liable to be shot.
If I was a cop I would have done the same. I know all you cop haters out there think it is over aggressive, but they have no idea who you are and what you are capable of.

Getting to be that common every day occurrences like this one are desensitizing the masses as to what's normal behavior by police, what crimes they commit and what penalties they pay for those crimes...if any.

The police keep going at it and the people are just giving up the fight it seems. Not too many care anymore because "I'm doing nothing wrong so why should I be concerned?"

So what's the lesson here? Only one I can see is to not turn your back on a cop. Sad state of affairs my friend.

Peace

catt3
Looks like he deserved it to me. any time you do something deemed suspicious to a police officer you are liable to be shot.
If I was a cop I would have done the same. I know all you cop haters out there think it is over aggressive, but they have no idea who you are and what you are capable of.

That's a fair point but he had is back to them with his hands in the air. I appreciate that being a cop can't be easy, but surely there's a line somewhere? Regerdless of what the unarmed victim said, is it justifiable to shoot him in the back?

reply to post by Zcustosmorum


We were told that Taser's were brought in to save lifes, so what is the real story, why was live ammunition used when the guy was surrounded with policemen with taser's

This was a death sentence for stealing a car.

It you come into contact with an American cop and survive well done, I think you should get a medal.

Serve and protect what a joke.

reply to post by catt3


Deserve to be shot for stealing a car worth at most $10,000 are you serious.

And who decided that we want judge Dredd doing it.

Remember SUSPECTED car thieves , I suspect the banks have stole all our money but I can't just go out and shoot them.

it really does look wrong...almost as if he thought about trying to flee,then changed his mind with all the officers yelling at him,i wouldn't be surprised if he got confused......and they shot him the back while hands held high in the air....hmmmmm...

it certainly does look like another case of "shoot first and ask questions later".....

with these shootings on the increase i wonder how long until people start wearing bullet proof vests and carrying around automatic weapons and shooting first themselves...surely the mindset will change if people believe they will be shot regardless

pavmas
reply to post by Zcustosmorum

 

We were told that Taser's were brought in to save lifes, so what is the real story, why was live ammunition used when the guy was surrounded with policemen with taser's

This was a death sentence for stealing a car.

It you come into contact with an American cop and survive well done, I think you should get a medal.

Serve and protect what a joke.

serve and protect.....i think you mean punish and enslave

reply to post by hopenotfeariswhatweneed


If I was American I would avoid these nutters at all cost, If you hear of a state that is running out of cash and cutting the police force Move There you will be safer.

I have watched constantly cops killing people in America and no one bothers, you were all safer in the Wild West days.

This was shot in the back with hands in the air by a coward with a badge.

In the wild west days they would say "Draw" at least you had half a chance.

I agree with the other poster that soon people will have vests on and carry weapons to defend themselves from the Police.

reply to post by pavmas


Yea :/ I'm ready to ask someone to develop a Net rifle or something, maybe a rifle or canon that sprays a glueish foam type substance on a criminal so these police don't have to use bullets and kill people in the street like this.

catt3
Looks like he deserved it to me. any time you do something deemed suspicious to a police officer you are liable to be shot.
If I was a cop I would have done the same. I know all you cop haters out there think it is over aggressive, but they have no idea who you are and what you are capable of.

you needed a smiley or something to convey your sarcasm there.......you were being sarcastic....right??

My thing is shooting people who are unarmed. Doesn't sit well. I could understand a little better if your life is in actual danger but in this video you got 5 policemen and one guy with his hands up.

You want the cops safe but you also want them to be able to subdue the person. It doesn't do anyone any good to die really. Criminal gets no trial, the police look bad. People are stuck knowing they made the decision to use force.

Im thinking with that rifle up there, even if you miss assuming the person is unarmed you can still bum rush while the net flies.

reply to post by Zcustosmorum


Where's the "danger" in being a cop today? You're pretty much allowed to kill anyone that you *believe* may be threatening to kill you.

Think about that for a second. Everyone clamors on about how cops risk their lives etc etc, but where is the risk again? A cop could perceive anyone as a potential threat to their life, whip out the 'ol pistol, and BAM, there goes your life. Snuffed out at the whim of an officer who was sworn to protect you. Yes, you, the person who the cop felt threatened by.

Should police change their swearing in to "serve and protect ourselves"? Because that's pretty much all they do today. Protect themselves, with lethal force. I've never in almost 40 years of life, witnessed an officer protect another person. But you see cops protect themselves plenty, against anyone and anything, and walk away without a smudge on their uniform.

The cold truth is today you could be shot by a poorly trained cop and killed, for just a case of mistaken identity. No questions asked. Summary execution. Whoops! The judge will scold the cop and let him walk. Why? Because he was doing his job. His job to enforce law and order, and the legal ability to kill virtually anyone deemed a threat to his personal body.

So again, I'll ask, where is the danger again in being a cop? They get paid pretty decently, decent pensions, benefits, job security. And a gun that can take your life faster than you can say "I'm unarmed, don't shoot!". Because have no doubt, you won't get that chance to protest. You will get a hot piece of lead, right into your head or chest, by a cop who gets paid far too much, at no risk to himself apparently.

Oh no, the officer might get shot or stabbed!

Did they not know what they were signing up for when they joined the force? We all do, apparently. That's why they make a decent wage, and why their families are taken care of if they are killed on duty. But I guess police lives are more valuable than ours, right? Are we allowed to kill police that we think might harm us in any way? Is the line between civilian and officer so wide that a cop can act as judge jury and executioner, based solely on their discretionary judgement?

Apparently the value of our lives has been lost by the justice system, if officers are so poorly trained and so lightly punished for committing murder, that we see no action from the state to correct this glaring issue.

Let's look closer at the average police officer. A few years of mediocre study in college, could be any subject, no apparent priority is given consideration for the average patrol officer. A few months of basic training, very underwhelming gun control training and, poof! You have an individual whose life is now worth more than a civilian who may have studied for close to a decade in college, may have a family to support, might operate a business with many employees to take care of, the possibilities are endless. But an officer's life is more important than anyone else? The fact that he carries a gun says as much, does it not? You, gentle reader, having spent many long years studying, working hard to better yourself, could be put down at any moment, for disobeying or even misunderstanding a "direct order", which could be anything really.

Police are not here to protect you. They protect themselves first, and you are a second thought. So no danger truly exists for the officer of today, because protecting the public is No. 2. They are priority No. 1. They exist to protect themselves first, and the public second. "Danger" only exists when anyone does not do exactly as they tell them, and killing you is the first solution that comes to their mind, never mind why, you either do as your told or you die.

Pretty cool, huh? If I was a foreign national looking for a vacation spot, the USA would be the LAST place I would look. The so-called security of this nation has no qualms with ending your life for so much as an angry glare.

Depu ty kills Eloy man after car chase

A 45-minute police pursuit of a car through the city Tuesday afternoon ended with a sheriff’s deputy’s shooting and killing the driver.

Manuel Orosco Longoria, 40, of Eloy, was shot fatally.

Police said Longoria stole a Toyota Corolla in Casa Grande Monday night. That is the auto he drove around Eloy.

Longoria failed to stop when Eloy police officers tried to pull him over for a traffic stop and a pursuit ensued. Eloy police engaged in a slow-speed chase throughout Eloy as Longoria drove the car back and forth down Main Street from Battaglia Road to Frontier Street and down several side streets.

“He was making statements that he had a weapon to members of the public as well as to officers,” Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu said of Longoria. “And so it was believed by all law enforcement that this is an armed and dangerous person driving a stolen vehicle.”

After 25 minutes it appeared police finally stopped Longoria at Main and 10th streets. Police surrounded the Toyota with guns drawn and demanded Longoria turn off the car and step out.

Officers began setting up tire deflation devices to deter Longoria from driving away, but he slowly backed up and fled from police. The slow-speed chase continued throughout the then-busy area as onlookers began gathering on sidewalks to watch.

Click link for remainder of article.

According to Babeu, Longoria hit one Eloy police vehicle and two sheriff’s vehicles during the final stages of the chase.

Officers used Stop Sticks again and finally were able to stop Longoria on Main Street between Battaglia and 11th Street with a precision immobilization technique, in which a pursuing car forces a fleeing car to abruptly turn sideways, Babeu said. Longoria stepped out of the car and did not move far from it.

“Numerous times law enforcement officers gave verbal commands to surrender and show them his hands, the suspect’s hands,” Babeu said. “Less lethal force was used at that time, bean bags were used to try to get the suspect to surrender, a Taser was even deployed, every means necessary including verbal commands.”

Babeu said Longoria dropped to the ground near the deployed stun gun reaching for something, had one hand behind his back as if grabbing for something, and did not listen to any police commands.

At this point a sheriff’s deputy shot Longoria twice, killing him.

Initial reports did not include finding a weapon.

The deputy who shot Longoria is a 51⁄2-year veteran of the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office.

Babeu added that initial speculation is that the incident fit a “suicide by cop” scenario. Longoria also reportedly threw money out of the car in front of his house and yelled that he would not be getting out of the situation alive.

Longoria had a long criminal history dating back to 2001, according to Babeu. He was previously charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in 2001 in Phoenix and assault in 2012 in Mesa. Babeu said he is also a suspect in a felony stabbing case.

Here's what's scary. There are cops out there that know these killer cops should go to jail, but they see yhem go free. Because of that there are cops that will and do kill because they know the odds of them going to jail are almost zero percent. There are sociopath cops out there carrying a free murder card or two around in their pocket and it could have your name on it.
We need to address that we are sending a message of its alright to kill civilians to other cops.

Regardless of the guys record or statements....i counted the shots....he was shot then a pause and two shots fired to finish him off by the sounds of it....
With all due respect.....cops are NOT what they used to be.....

reply to post by Xcathdra


Not justified. When you are being teased, many of your movements are unconscious and also instinctively you will reach to pull out the taser barbs if you are able. I imagine thats what he was doing. I also know the cops knew there was no threat to their lives by this beaten man on the ground. Shoot him if he gets a weapon and tries to aim it. They dont even list a real reason of shooting him. He was unarmed.

It seems that these days cops will fire at just about anything they deem even the slightest risk. I remember back in the 70s and 80s PCP was a popular drug that would make a person crazy and 5x stronger than the average guy. Even in those cases the people were ganged rushed and taken down without firing a shot.

Today, cops treat cars as deadly weapons and when a person is near one or in one they will fire at the slightest sign of disobedience to their orders. Whether the person is deaf, on drugs, having a nervous breakdown or whatever, you get basically one chance and then it will be bullets flying. I really believe in most of these cases people think the cops will not fire. I'll bet you the guy in this video sure didn't think they would fire on him. He was most likely thinking, hey I'm not armed so I know they will not shoot.....

And boy did they....I would say they once they shoot it is a take no prisoners attitude. There was nothing he could do after that first shot, even turning his back on them and raising his hands he was dead no matter what.

reply to post by stirling


The first shots are the bean bags being shot at him. It looks like they hurt him and he panicked, and then tried to find protection in the car. He realized his mistake, and stepped back, and was shot a couple more time with the bean bags. He shouted, "Ow! Allright! [?]" and turned with his hands in the air...and was shot for real.

Dapaga
reply to post by stirling

 

The first shots are the bean bags being shot at him. It looks like they hurt him and he panicked, and then tried to find protection in the car. He realized his mistake, and stepped back with his hands in the air, turning around, and was shot for real.

The last two shots sounded much different then the first volley, most likely a .45.