• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Officer jumps in to bed of truck, shoots and kills driver fleeing DUI stop(East TN)

Status
Not open for further replies.
L

lush

Member
The investigation continued Monday into the fatal shooting of a Middle Tennessee man allegedly attempting to flee a DUI stop by a Lenoir City police officer, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

The officer, whose name has not been released, had made contact with the suspected DUI driver at Bimbos convenience store, 1204 U.S. Highway 321, in Lenoir City early Sunday, TBI spokeswoman Susan Niland said.

The officer was arresting a passenger in the pickup for public intoxication when the driver sped away.

"While the officer attempted to prevent the driver from fleeing, early reports indicate the officer jumped into the bed of the vehicle," according to Niland. "The officer remained in the bed of the truck while the driver exited the parking lot and pulled into the road.

"The officer ordered the driver to stop and fired shots into the cab of the truck, striking and killing the driver."

TBI identified the driver as Joshua Grubb, 30, of Lebanon, Tenn. The officer "did not sustain any significant injuries," Niland said.

...

Lenoir City Police Chief Don White said it was a tough situation for the officers to have to go through.

"This is the thing that you never want to happen in your career is to have to use deadly force," he said. "It's unfortunate; but everybody's managing and we're going to get through it."
Click to expand...


http://www.knoxnews.com/news/crime-courts/two-charged-after-fatal-shooting-by-officer-of-suspected-dui-driver-2e009a69-2a0a-2052-e053-0100007f-371993001.html

More details:

District Attorney General Russell Johnson says Joshua Grubb, 30, of Clinton, was shot multiple times by Officer Tyrel Lorenz, 29, around 1 a.m. Sunday at the Bimbo’s convenience store/restaurant/gas station off the Highway 321 exit on Interstate I-75.

Johnson says the incident started with a 911 call from the Ruby Tuesday across the street about three people who had just left the parking lot in a pickup truck. He says Officer Lorenz was questioning the three as they were getting gas at Bimbo’s and was in the process of handcuffing one of them when the driver, later identified as Grubb, sped off.

Lorenz ordered the driver to stop several times before he “somehow ended up in the back bed of the pickup truck,” according to Johnson. He continued to order Grubb to stop the truck and apparently shot Grubb as the truck was entering Highway 321. The truck kept going on the wrong side of the road, going over the highway overpass above I-75 and into a utility pole.

Officer Lorenz was not injured. He immediately got out of the truck and started trying to help Grubb, who was pronounced dead when emergency responders arrived.

...

Lorenz is on paid administrative leave during the investigation, which is standard procedure.
Click to expand...

http://wate.com/2016/03/13/deadly-officer-involved-shooting-in-lenoir-city/
 
B

Bluekaveli

Member
Good thing I'm on medical leave. We're probably beating this story in the ground.

Thanks for using the link at my job 😁
 
A

akira28

Member
Well good thing that officer was also a federale, otherwise that drunk person might have been driven home safely.
 
J

jackal27

Banned
Don't quite know what to think of this one... On one hand the driver could easily have harmed the officer by throwing them from the truck and harmed others by driving while intoxicated, on the other, why on earth did the officer jump into the bed of the truck!? That certainly is not standard procedure and so I'm inclined to side with the man who was shot.

I feel like if the officer got into the bed of the truck, chances are that he had the intention of using deadly force from the moment he jumped in.
 
U

UnemployedVillain

Member
Ok you're a cop, worried that a driver is potentially intoxicated and a danger to other people on the road, so your course of action is to shoot him...as he's driving?!
 
Squirrel Killer

Squirrel Killer

Member
"This is the thing that you never want to happen in your career is to have to use deadly force," he said. "It's unfortunate; but everybody's managing and we're going to get through it."
Click to expand...
Except, of course, Joshua Grubb.
 
A

Aureon

Please do not let me serve on a jury. I am actually a crazy person.
Eeeh.
I think fleeing during an arrest by driving a vehicle while intoxicated is a situation where you can reasonably expect the police to shoot at you.
And you have to be mighty intoxicated not to stop the vehicle while an armed cop in your truck bed is telling you to.
 
A

akira28

Member
tennesee is a state where if you look like you're drunk in public, they will arrest you and put your name in the paper to shame you. The police officer is on record saying he was trying to arrest the passenger of the vehicle. I'm guessing the story that the driver was potentially a dui is damage control.
 
V

Volimar

Member
Familienoberhauptvogel said:
Doesn't sound like the officer was all that trigger happy but shooting an active driver sounds reckless af.
Click to expand...

So is panicking and speeding off while drunk. I'm with others, this is a iffy situation. I'm inclined to believe it was too much force but I can definitely understand the desire to stop the situation before other lives are put in the way.
 
S

Saint Gregory

Member
This is really a tough one, a person DUI is dangerous to have on the road but I don't know if executing them is the best way to address the problem.
 
G

GaimeGuy

Volunteer Deputy Campaign Director, Obama for America '16
Why is the police chief speaking like the department has been victimized?
 
F

Fularu

Banned
Aureon said:
Eeeh.
I think fleeing during an arrest by driving a vehicle while intoxicated is a situation where you can reasonably expect the police to shoot at you.
And you have to be mighty intoxicated not to stop the vehicle while an armed cop in your truck bed is telling you to.
Click to expand...

Only in the US, because cops won't shoot at you elsewhere.

This reasoning is mindboggling

Edit : also wtf at arresting people if they're drunk and just a passenger?
 
A

andthebeatgoeson

Junior Member
Fleeing officers shouldn't be a death sentence. Especially when the officer tries to put himself in harms way. They go out of their way to put themselves in danger, than kills the guy. Why?

'I felt I was in danger.'

No shit jackass, you jumped onto a moving vehicle. It seems just like the cop who shot the 18 year old fleeing from a possible drug buy. Cops need to stop throwing themselves into danger and claiming they are under attack.
 
M

mugurumakensei

Member
As far as punishment goes, I'd say verbal reprimand, a week or leave, followed by a couple of months of desk work for not following SOP. He shouldn't be fired or prosecuted as it's an easy justified shooting.

andthebeatgoeson said:
Fleeing officers shouldn't be a death sentence. Especially when the officer tries to put himself in harms way. They go out of their way to put themselves in danger, than kills the guy. Why?
.
Click to expand...

The dude was wasted. He was a danger to more than just the officer.
 
I

ISWThunder

Member
My issue is that we dont know for sure he was drunk and neither did the cop. He probably was, and I have less sympathy for the guy if so, but as far as provable evidence of crimes at the time, the cop just shot a guy for resisting arrest. How is that acceptable?

Not to mention the fact that a truck with no driver is also pretty damn dangerous, as evident by the fact that the truck continued to cross the median and strike a pole.

Seems like the cop got too amped up by the situation and made poor choices that resulted in death.
 
F

Familienoberhauptvogel

Banned
mugurumakensei said:
On the other, the driver was drunk and already a danger. Kind of a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation.
Click to expand...

Volimar said:
So is panicking and speeding off while drunk. I'm with others, this is a iffy situation. I'm inclined to believe it was too much force but I can definitely understand the desire to stop the situation before other lives are put in the way.
Click to expand...

We don't know how much under the influence the driver was nor how quickly he was driving.
Considering he drove off and the cop still managed to get onto the truck does not make it sound he like he was particularly speeding off. The cop also was able to remain on a driving vehicle and apparently hit his target further information that don't support reckless driving.

Situation is iffy but I don't condone the deadly force there.
 
A

andthebeatgoeson

Junior Member
ISWThunder said:
My issue is, that we dont know for sure he was drunk. He probably was, and I have less sympathy for the guy if so, but as far as provable evidence of crimes at the time, the cop just shot a guy for resisting arrest. How is that acceptable?

Not to mention the fact that a truck with no driver is also pretty damn dangerous, as evident by the fact that the truck continued to cross the median and strike a pole.

Seems like the cop got too amped up by the situation and made poor choices.
Click to expand...
Why would you assume that? I suspect a drunk driver is easier to arrest first. But the cop arrests the passenger first. That makes no sense.

Who's the he bigger threat or the bigger arrest? Drunk driver or the passenger?
 
G

GaimeGuy

Volunteer Deputy Campaign Director, Obama for America '16
mugurumakensei said:
As far as punishment goes, I'd say verbal reprimand, a week or leave, followed by a couple of months of desk work for not following SOP. He shouldn't be fired or prosecuted as it's an easy justified shooting.
Click to expand...
We give cops guns to protect themselves, not to enforce the law. I see no easy justification for jumping onto a moving vehicle and then shooting the driver.
 
A

Arkeband

Banned
andthebeatgoeson said:
Fleeing officers shouldn't be a death sentence. Especially when the officer tries to put himself in harms way. They go out of their way to put themselves in danger, than kills the guy. Why?

'I felt I was in danger.'

No shit jackass, you jumped onto a moving vehicle. It seems just like the cop who shot the 18 year old fleeing from a possible drug buy. Cops need to stop throwing themselves into danger and claiming they are under attack.
Click to expand...

I don't know if I can agree with this. Fleeing the scene of a crime on foot is obviously not a shoot and kill offense, you can always catch up with the person later unless they're running into a populated area and are armed and dangerous.

A drunk person driving off in a truck can kill many, many people. Especially if they're driving recklessly to evade police.

There needs to be some kind of contingency plan in place at traffic stops to actually keep vehicles stopped in cases like these where someone "getting away" is the worst case scenario.
 
I

ISWThunder

Member
andthebeatgoeson said:
Why would you assume that? I suspect a drunk driver is easier to arrest first. But the cop arrests the passenger first. That makes no sense.

Who's the he bigger threat or the bigger arrest? Drunk driver or the passenger?
Click to expand...

It was a group of drunk people hanging in a parking lot. I dont think it's wild to guess that the one who took off from the police was also drunk/high. But I didnt say that the cop should have assumed so. I'm just taking an educated guess that has no bearing on the situation.
 
M

mugurumakensei

Member
andthebeatgoeson said:
Why would you assume that? I suspect a drunk driver is easier to arrest first. But the cop arrests the passenger first. That makes no sense.

Who's the he bigger threat or the bigger arrest? Drunk driver or the passenger?
Click to expand...

The passenger was being arrested for an earlier report of PI. The driver sped off while the officer was trying to detain the passenger even though the officer had told him to stay where he was likely because the officer was going to test his sobriety after getting the passenger.
 
T

TumblingHippo

Member
Seems like people are missing an important statement in the article:

"The officer was arresting a passenger in the pickup for public intoxication when the driver sped away."
 
R

Rockandrollclown

lookwhatyou'vedone
Provided the office isn't lying at all, getting into the bed was stupid as hell, but if the driver was going into the other lanes that cop might have saved the life of a non drunk asshole. I'm now inclined to think the cop is lying though to make the situation seem better.
 
G

GaimeGuy

Volunteer Deputy Campaign Director, Obama for America '16
dab0ne said:
Sounds like he's speaking With sympathy. Taking a man's life is not an easy decision (usually) and it takes its toll on someone's mind.
Click to expand...
Certainly, but the chief doesn't even mention the deceased or his loved ones. Only his buddy in blue. So much for being a public servant.
 
M

mugurumakensei

Member
TumblingHippo said:
Seems like people are missing an important statement in the article:

"The officer was arresting a passenger in the pickup for public intoxication when the driver sped away."
Click to expand...

Full relevant quote.
The officer, whose name has not been released, had made contact with the suspected DUI driver at Bimbos convenience store, 1204 U.S. Highway 321, in Lenoir City early Sunday, TBI spokeswoman Susan Niland said.

The officer was arresting a passenger in the pickup for public intoxication when the driver sped away.
Click to expand...

Basically, the officer confirmed the passenger was drunk. The driver was next on the list to get checked and bailed before the officer could finish up.
 
T

TheRagnCajun

Member
I think this all hinges on why the officer was in the back of the vehicle. Was that where the passenger was that he was arresting? Was he searching the back? Or did he think he was Keanu Reeves and that this would be a good way to stop a bad guy?

If its the last scenario, then unfortunately he put himself in that dangerous situation. I can't imagine its proper protocal to jump into the back of a truck to stop someone fleeing an arrest.

If its the first two scenarios, he should have made the driver get out before he climbed in the back. Its normal protocal to have the driver get out before you start searching right?

I'm sure he didn't want to shoot the driver, but it seems like something went wrong to put him in that scenario.
 
A

andthebeatgoeson

Junior Member
Arkeband said:
I don't know if I can agree with this. Fleeing the scene of a crime on foot is obviously not a shoot and kill offense, you can always catch up with the person later unless they're running into a populated area and are armed and dangerous.

A drunk person driving off in a truck can kill many, many people. Especially if they're driving recklessly to evade police.

There needs to be some kind of contingency plan in place at traffic stops to actually keep vehicles stopped in cases like these where someone "getting away" is the worst case scenario.
Click to expand...
You shoot to ensure the safety of others. At the time of fleeing, the driver is not convicted of drunk driving. The police can't be the police, judge and jury. We separate these things for a reason.
ISWThunder said:
It was a group of drunk people hanging in a parking lot. I dont think it's wild to guess that the one who took off from the police was also drunk/high. But I didnt say that the cop should have assumed so. I'm just taking an educated guess that has no bearing on the situation.
Click to expand...
But it's still a guess. You agree it's a guess? He was shot over a guess?
mugurumakensei said:
The passenger was being arrested for an earlier report of PI. The driver sped off while the officer was trying to detain the passenger even though the officer had told him to stay where he was likely because the officer was going to test his sobriety after getting the passenger.
Click to expand...
Why would you leave the driver in the vehicle if you suspect the driver is drunk? Why? Why not secure the vehicle? Drunk driving is a serious offense. And you have the driver behind the wheel. Drunk driving is worse than public intoxication. Why not secure the more serious offense? Jay walking vs murder and they arrest the jay walker?

It's not really adding up.
 
entremet

entremet

Member
LuigiL said:
There were so many other choices to make here. Why not shoot out the tires? Try something less lethal like a tazer? Take the license plate number call it in and request back up? Follow the driver in a cop car? I support law enforcement but this was excessive force.
Click to expand...

That's a very hard shot to make.
 
I

ISWThunder

Member
andthebeatgoeson said:
But it's still a guess. You agree it's a guess? He was shot over a guess?
Click to expand...

Go back and read what I wrote. You're just looking for people to argue with, when I very clearly said the cop isn't justified simply because he assumed he was drunk.

I just also added that I'd guess he was drunk.
 
T

Tangeroo

Member
Wait, are people in this thread really okay with immediate execution by gunfire of people who drive while drunk?

Drunk drivers are definitely assholes and should have their licenses revoked and jail time/significant fines for sure. But I can't believe people are okay with this guy getting executed on the spot.
 
D

dab0ne

Member
GaimeGuy said:
Certainly, but the chief doesn't even mention the deceased or his loved ones. Only his buddy in blue. So much for being a public servant.
Click to expand...
I think he had to generalize it and try to make a neutral statement. Of course he's going to show concern for the police officer who made the call. He's not making a statement of the officers judgement just his moving on after the fact.
 
W

What did he mean by this?

Member
Another cop who thinks he's the hero of an action movie

Jumping in the bed of a speeding truck and shooting the driver? What a fucking clown.

But hey there was a chance he would have murdered someone, so the cop took on the responsibility to do that himself
 
T

TAJ

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Being a drunk in the passenger seat of a vehicle is considered public intoxication? Whaaaaaaaaaaat?
Also, isn't it suicidal to kill the driver of a moving vehicle that you're in when you have no access to the controls?
Wait, the cop "somehow ended up in the back of the truck"? He doesn't know how? Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?
 
A

Arkeband

Banned
I didn't realize the guy hadn't even had a sobriety test. Could have just been a high-strung individual who panicked.

Guy jumps into car "fak u pig!" *speeds off*
Officer radios for backup, describing car and giving license plate.
Officer continues arresting drunk passenger.
Probably no one dies.

OR

Officer jumps into bed of truck like a maniac, putting himself at risk.
Officer orders the man to stop.
Driver at this point probably doesn't even have time to stop appropriately
Officer executes driver.
 
T

TheJLC

Member
It will ultimately come to this: When the officer was on the bed of the truck, should the driver have sped off? During the fleeing attempt was the officer in risk of receiving injury or death? Can an officer defend his or her life when placed in risk of receiving injury or death?
 
S

Skeyser

Member
LuigiL said:
There were so many other choices to make here. Why not shoot out the tires? Try something less lethal like a tazer? Take the license plate number call it in and request back up? Follow the driver in a cop car? I support law enforcement but this was excessive force.
Click to expand...

Taking pot shots at a moving vehicle, tazing a vehicle? Yeah ok
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

  • Locked
Police officer shoots unarmed man to death in Cincinnati traffic stop
2 3 4
176
17K
akira28 replied
  • Locked
Gun Violence |OT| - Too sad and shameful to snark about
19
3K
Jacksinthe replied
  • Locked
2011: Gunman hit the White House 7 times, the Secret Service didn't know for 5 days.
42
6K
kehs replied
  • Locked
Mentally disabled woman held as a sex slave (and other tales of Kirkwood, MO)
2
95
19K
Manos: The Hans of Fate replied
  • Locked
The 365 mistakes of WCW
46
5K
Raw64life replied
Top Bottom