The Power of the Jump™: The Overaggressive Cops Who Shot the Handcuffed Guy on the Ground
(Note: “The Power of the Jump”™ is a semi-regular feature of this site, documenting examples of the Los Angeles Times’s use of its back pages to hide information that its editors don’t want you to see.)
I have not written a “The Power of the Jump”™ piece since 2010, but it’s time to resurrect it. The main page of the Los Angeles Times recently featured the following story:
“was shot when officers” . . . dot dot dot. Gee, what comes after that phrase? Here it is, complete with extra space and missing period — and relevant facts:
A man who was fatally shot by a Moreno Valley police officer while lying on the ground handcuffed has been identified as an 18-year-old Ontario resident
Authorities on Saturday said Lamon Khiry Haslip, 18, of Ontario, was shot when officers . . .
Here’s where the story broke on the front page. If you click, through, you see the rest of the sentence:
. . . noticed that he had a handgun.
There’s more:
At the time, Haslip was lying on the ground and handcuffed, but officers said that he had rolled on his side and one “officer backed away from the subject and announced that the subject had a gun,” according to a press release from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
. . .
When the officer attempted to stop the vehicle, Haslip allegedly attempted to flee on foot. The officer captured Haslip and placed him in handcuffs on the ground, police said.
A second officer arrived just before the shooting. The officers reported finding a gun in Haslip’s possession.
Studies show most people don’t click through from the Internet’s front page (or turn to the back pages from the front page of the increasingly irrelevant print edition).
This is how editors gin up outrage where none (or little) would exist — if they told you the whole story up front.
Enjoy . . . the Power of the Jump.™
It’s a revitalization of the Dog Trainer focus on the blog!!!!
Maybe. If I feel like it.
Maybe I’ll even do a Year in Review for the last two years.
If I feel like it.
Anyone want to see that? No point in doing it if people don’t care…
Patterico (038ee9) — 1/1/2013 @ 8:05 pmoh god it’s trayvon all over again
except this time our wily friend was packing
it’s like trayvon unchained really
except for the getting shot part
happyfeet (d7717b) — 1/1/2013 @ 8:18 pmI’m so confuzzled
happyfeet (d7717b) — 1/1/2013 @ 8:18 pmJust remember, the cops are always wrong, even when they are right, and it will all make sense,
narciso (3fec35) — 1/1/2013 @ 8:29 pmi don’t like cops but you can’t just wave guns at them you have to say yes sir no sir
it’s a thing
happyfeet (ae1213) — 1/1/2013 @ 8:40 pm2 things:
Note to cops: Try to notice the gun during the cuffing/patdown process and you won’t have to deal with the bad press (and big payout to the family’s lawyer) that comes after you shoot a handcuffed man
Note to criminals and anyone else: If the cops miss your gun(s) knives etc. while cuffing you… just give ’em up.
steveg (831214) — 1/1/2013 @ 9:02 pmYeah, they’re going to eat some crap for that.
Patterico (038ee9) — 1/1/2013 @ 9:10 pmBut people sometimes hide guns. Example: (warning: graphic and I can’t guarantee it’s not fake).
Patterico (038ee9) — 1/1/2013 @ 9:14 pmEven with that added detail, the story still doesn’t give me enough to know if the shooting was justified. For example, where was the gun? If it was in a shoulder holster and the guy’s hands were handcuffed behind his back, it seems to me the officers could have confiscated the gun with no danger to themselves, and the shooting would be justified. But if the gun was in a belt holster, then the suspect rolling over would have given him access to the gun and justified the shooting. (Though it still would mean the cops missed a belt holster in a patdown).
So even if the jump wasn’t used, this would still be a bad story.
Robin Munn (c20a35) — 1/2/2013 @ 12:32 amAt this point, I’m not sure the LAT is suitable for even wiping my ass.
dfbaskwill (c021f2) — 1/2/2013 @ 5:14 amIt sounds as if the police handcuffed the man but did not yet have a chance to search him for weapons. The “story” is very careful not to give details even on the back page.
Sabba Hillel (a1edae) — 1/2/2013 @ 6:33 amIf Haslip had the gun in his hand then shooting him is understandable. But if he didn’t have the gun in his hand then shooting him probably wasn’t necessary.
Which doesn’t excuse the LA Times from the charge of journalistic malpractice.
ropelight (3c811e) — 1/2/2013 @ 7:36 amIt sounds like the cops panicked. They are trained to react when another cop says gun. Little details like the man is handcuffed and (presumably) isn’t trying to do anything, (was he?) are ignored.
The man had let himself be handcuffed without reaching for his gun. Now he’s going to fire it? Possible – but do cops shoot everyone they see with gun?? Why should the cop get scared after he is handcuffed?
If anything, the man was trying to hold on to the gun for when he finds himself in a better situation.
Sammy Finkelman (d1a369) — 1/2/2013 @ 8:22 amThe mexican suicide in #8 is a well-known real case, taught to police. The people in the department office thought the arresting officer had done a full search so they weren’t in a hurry to do it; and the arresting officer left the full search for the people at the office to do.
luagha (5cbe06) — 1/2/2013 @ 11:37 amWhy not just blame the gun instead of the police?
Michael Ejercito (2e0217) — 1/2/2013 @ 4:55 pmWell holy crap Patterico isn’t lying when he says something is graphic.
I’m not surprised that hiding a firearm in the crotch is an effective way to avoid detection. Patting someone down well enough to detect a small gun, like an LCP or a flashlight zip gun, … I do not envy those who have that responsibility.
The handcuffed guy had a duty to tell the police he was armed. Hopefully the next guy who evades an effective patdown is smart enough to volunteer the information.
Dustin (73fead) — 1/2/2013 @ 5:27 pmIt should be SOP that when you put the cuffs on, you frisk the individual – not in a moment, but immediately. This means checking all the usual places, even asking them if they have anything in their pockets that could stick, stab, or cut you; plus, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to remember to just ask the guy if they have any weapons, reminding them that if they lie, that’s another charge.
askeptic (2bb434) — 1/2/2013 @ 5:56 pmThese cops got in a hurry, and it’s going to cost them, and the taxpayers of Moreno Valley.
A bsd shoot like this should mean at least 30-days off w/o pay, if not termination.
Man, I haven’t read this rag in years. Every time you run one of these nuggets I remember why.
Dirty Old Man (c726ea) — 1/2/2013 @ 8:18 pmWhen the cops stopped Haslip’s vehicle he tried to run away but he was caught and handcuffed.
However, if he was going to use a gun to facilitate an escape he most likely would have pulled it prior to getting caught and cuffed, but he didn’t, and he couldn’t have already had it in hand or it would have been detected as he was cuffed. (Presumably with his hands behind his back.)
So, unless Haslip had a concealed gun we just might be looking at a bad shoot conspiracy complete with use of a throw-down. Unless the gun can be conclusively linked to Haslip, the cops are going to have some ‘splanin to do.
ropelight (176356) — 1/3/2013 @ 7:23 amI remember a story from the some University police (I think CSU, but not positive) a few years ago, a suspect threw a gun away, and when it hit the ground, it went off. The police shot him. The department got sued since he was unarmed, and settled out of court.
MunDane (9f5b13) — 1/3/2013 @ 9:48 amSeriously? Don’t most criminals have a duty not to commit crimes? They don’t seem to be particularly inclined to observe their duties do they?
WarEagle82 (97b777) — 1/4/2013 @ 7:15 pm