Run And Gun, Las Vegas Police Style
BY Herschel Smith
6 years, 3 months ago
In bodycam footage so stunning it could be mistaken for a Hollywood action flick, a Las Vegas Metro police officer chasing two men in an SUV is seen speeding through Sin City’s downtown while simultaneously shooting out his car’s front windshield and trading shots from his side window during a deadly gun battle.
The two suspects allegedly fled after a July 11 traffic stop conducted by cops investigating the murder of a man near a car wash, FOX5 Vegas reported.
The suspects traded more than 60 shots with police during the harrowing pursuit. The officer behind the wheel, William Umana, can be heard on video yelling “shots fired” multiple times. The chase ended when the suspects crashed into the wall of an elementary school.
Rene Nunez, 30, got out of the vehicle and tried to run upstairs into the school, but the door was locked, Las Vegas Metro police Assistant Sheriff Tim Kelly said.
Fidel Miranda, 23, moved toward the passenger seat of the SUV and started to move it back toward the officer’s cruiser. Police fired on Miranda and he later died at the scene. Nunez, who was also wounded, was arrested and is facing several felony charges, including murder, police said.
The shooting “paints a picture of the dangers these officers dealt with that day,” Kelly said.
“In my opinion, they show a level of bravery, professionalism, heroics, that we come to expect of our officers,” Kelly said. “The officer could have backed off but he didn’t, he stuck with that individual knowing what type of individual he was dealing with.”
So he’s a hero and pistolero. But tell me after watching the video that he knew his backstop when he was shooting out the window while moving, and especially when he was shooting through the windshield of his patrol unit when the bullet could have been sent at virtually any angle.
Tell me the officer knew he wasn’t going to shoot some little girl or boy walking on the sidewalk.
On July 18, 2018 at 6:56 am, wynn said:
“Tell me the officer knew he wasn’t going to shoot some little girl or boy walking on the sidewalk.”
that was my first thought when I saw the pics.
there is no telling where those rounds went.
this was not a static situation with an attacker coming straight at a parked unit.
sigh.
On July 18, 2018 at 7:10 am, bob sykes said:
Truly irresponsible behavior by the cop in the car. Shooting through his own windshield!!??
There must be some collateral damage, maybe only to property, but a disciplinary hearing is in order.
On July 18, 2018 at 8:54 am, James said:
I will say it again,why are not ALL police put through at least a couple of days of live fire training?!
On July 18, 2018 at 9:26 am, Chris Mallory said:
James, I have to ask why cops are allowed to carry weapons at all? Citizens should be armed, not government employees.
On July 18, 2018 at 9:26 am, Jim Wiseman said:
Plus the fact that you’re either shooting or driving, but never both.
On July 18, 2018 at 11:26 am, Georgiaboy61 said:
@ Herschel
Re: “So he’s a hero and pistolero. But tell me after watching the video that he knew his backstop when he was shooting out the window while moving, and especially when he was shooting through the windshield of his patrol unit when the bullet could have been sent at virtually any angle.”
“Tell me the officer knew he wasn’t going to shoot some little girl or boy walking on the sidewalk.”
Poor and/or inadequate training, poor fire discipline, irresponsible use of his service weapon, irresponsible decision to conduct a high-speed chase in a built-up area. What else? This “officer” ought to go before a disciplinary board.
I also blame Hollywood, which has tainted the perception of so many people, both inside and outside of the LE field. Again, a failure of training, and our educational system as well – since any individual with an adequate grounding in basic science and technology would grasp the safety and endangerment issues involved in this incident.
Someone ought to remind this officer that his cruiser has a two-way radio for a reason. Call the incident in and have other units set up a roadblock or converge upon the suspect and defuse the incident that way. There’s strength in numbers and cooperation, and just as importantly, such an approach would be safer for all concerned as well as more-effective than imitating one of those countless Hollywood rolling gun-battles.
On July 18, 2018 at 11:57 am, BRVTVS said:
@ Chris Mallory
In some countries, police partner up with one partner carrying the unloaded gun and the other with the ammo. They only load it when both agree upon the clear need. That prevents a lot of impulsive idiocy from the cops.
On July 18, 2018 at 6:50 pm, Gryphon said:
But this Always Works in the Movies…
Wait, Wut?
On July 21, 2018 at 4:03 am, Dan said:
We see this type of hollyweed bravado from LEO for one simple reason.
NO ACCOUNTABILITY. In this particular instance nobody was harmed except the people in the SUV who were running and gunning. And that
fact can essentially be attributed to luck. But if perchance some innocent
kid HAD caught a round from Sgt. Stadanko firing from a moving vehicle THROUGH a windshield at another moving vehicle the ONLY people who would have suffered due to that indiscretion is the taxpayer….who ALWAYS takes it in the shorts when a badgemonkey fucks up. Till we end the insanity of “qualified immunity” AND hold cops to the EXACT SAME STANDARDS of the law that NON cops are held to this ridiculous, dangerous and negligent misconduct will continue unabated.
On July 21, 2018 at 8:33 am, Ben338 said:
Shooting through the windshield may just be the right thing to do:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YENzsMCSYcw
That said, the police should not have been slinging rounds around in a populated area, unless there was a clear need to do so. I believe we need more information to determine whether that need existed here. Among other things, we need an understanding of what was known about the perpetrators and their intentions at the time of the incident. IMHO, we should not be making judgments about these sorts of incidents until they have been thoroughly investigated.
On July 21, 2018 at 9:29 am, Fred said:
Well @Ben, all is well because an internal investigation is underway and the po po will find that the barely peaking above 100 IQ (if that) office acted with complete qualified immunity and the system will self affirm its grip on power by confirming it’s right to shoot at us whenever it wants to. You don’t seriously think the tax slaves have any say in this matter do you?
We shouldn’t be making judgments about these things? You sound like a criminal bench judge instructing a jury. Everybody knows that the jury pool must never think for themselves and judge anything. This is purely the States domain. I mean the people on the king’s sidewalks in Vegas are lucky that the crown let’s them walk there at all so what are a few bullets whizzing by their heads.
On July 21, 2018 at 10:33 am, Ben338 said:
@Fred: You are imputing motives to me that go way beyond what I said. I stand behind what I said, but I don’t stand behind the motives you attribute to me, because those are not my motives. My point is that shooting on public streets is risky. Sometimes the risk is worth taking, and sometimes it isn’t. Before we assume that the police officer took a risk he shouldn’t have taken, it would be worthwhile to know why he did what he did. In other words, it’s best if we have the facts before we set our opinions in stone.
As for any “internal investigation,” I am not in any way saying it should be the be all and end all of the matter. It will develop facts, but any opinions it states are merely that: opinions.