I think they are more scared of what this guy represents than what he can physically do. They are shaking in their boots thinking about what will happen if such defiance catches on.
You mean like murdering three people by ambushing them and killing them in cold blood?
but i am willing to allow that investigation to play out.
with cops and soldiers i apply a test. in their shoes might i have done what they did
Indeed.
Let me take ya'll though a VERY possible scenario here of what might just have occured that night.
It's the dark of the early, early morning. The Dorner thing has just kicked off and you have been warned at your briefing that he's out there, has murdered two people, and has some significant firepower and capabilities. Many, many suspects are found through traffic stops, by the way, so that's in the back of your mind.
You're part of the protective watch over one of the named targets in his manifesto. You've been issued information about a vehicle he is likely to be driving and the information that he may have accomplices.
Near the house of one of the people you are helping you meet an oncoming vehicle without it's lights on and in the fleeting glimpse of your headlights a truck that looks like what the suspect drives. You swing round and flip on your lightbar. You can't really tell the color that well in the bright ass strobing of the blue lights but you call in what you can tell to your dispatcher. The truck doesn't stop, it keeps on going.
Finally it stops. You've got the spotlight shined at the back window, trying to see inside and make sure one of the occupant(s) isn't fumbling around for a gun. You're up and out of the car right after you stop, either shouting commands or you or your partner is calling commands over the PA. "Show your hands!". Nothing happens. Movement in the vehicle. "Stop Moving!" Movement continues. Maybe one of the occupants reaches back, fumbling around in the truck. Oh *expletive deleted*, you think, they're reaching for a rifle and about to smoke your ass. You scream one more time for them to Stop MOVING! It's the nightmare scenario you've feared your entire life. STILL No response to your commands. Your partner shoots. You shoot. You approach the vehicle. In it you make a horrible discovery. You find two injured women who turns out, don't really understand English that well and having never really dealt with LE that much, don't understand the protocols of a traffic stop (i.e., keep your hands on the steering wheel and don't move around and wait for the officer to make contact either verbally or at your window). Where one of the occupants was reaching back for something? Turns out they were delivering newspapers and she was reaching back for a fresh bundle and pulling it over the front of the seat.
It's one of those awful times when you did the right thing according to your perception of the incident and according to the use of force guidelines but it turned out to be to the wrong people. Unfortunately, these kinds of incidents happen sometimes, much like friendly fire. A perfect storm of factors can make for a situation such as this.
In addition, cops do in certain situations have much different use of force rules. I recommend an in-depth discussion with an experienced, knowledgeable LEO on how all this works, you'll find some surprising information...it does not work like military ROE or CCW defense guidelines.
Again, once more, we don't know a lot of stuff. So chill and let's see what the investigation turns up. I highly doubt that one of the cops looked at another and went "Hey man there goes one of them Japanese trucks like the shitbag drives. Let's shoot it up and ask questions later! We'll get some paid time off either way"
Now, if the investigation turns out they did wrong? BURN THEM. But I'm going to wait and see what the hell is really going on before condemning them. Or otherwise we are no better than the people who judged Zimmerman a murderer or any number of other incidents that aren't cut and dried from the start.
