Police chase armed robbers who highjacked an UPS truck including its driver to escape. The chase ends in stop-and-go traffic and a HEAT style shootout starts, killing not only the two armed robbers - but also the kidnapped UPS driver and a person in a nearby car.
Watching that footage it’s a miracle they didn’t kill more bystanders.
I have seen a lot of disturbing videos from the US of cops killing mostly black or latinx people for pretty much being black or latinx, but this is some over the top unhinged hollywoodesque mayhem.
There probably will be an investigation affirming that opening fire in the middle of a crowded highway and with a hostage in the targeted truck, was the only reasonable thing to do.
That does a likely outcome of an “investigation.” But it’s not at all clear to me (as it doesn’t seem to be to you either) that such a massive shoot em up was the only reasonable thing to do. Even if, as the news guy emphasizes, the suspects fired first. Maybe wait a bit and get a sniper in place?
Evidence for such doubt: two innocent people were killed.
If you watch the videos, there seem to habe been moments almost free of traffic where they could have done a PIT maneuver or they could have just let them get away (or just fall back…).
Yes, violent criminals wanted to escape but sacrificing two lives to get them doesn’t seem like a reasonable deal.
You are right: This is too far removed from my experience to make a definitive judgement and my “knowledge” of “police tactics” is 100% movie/series based.
But on some primal, profound level just watching those scenes everything inside of me says: This is wrong, no matter what.
