L.A. man shoots car thief, charged with murder

Yahoo News ^ | Wed Apr 7, '04 | unknown

[RonHolzwarth]

And someday, every one of us will have to justify our actions to: The Ultimate Judge.

[SJackson]

Thanks for the post, and the interesting comments.

Texas and a few other states aside, Mr. Song goes to jail most everywhere. My guess he pleads to something, but even an acquittal at trial will cost Mr. Song dearly.

It seems to me that, along with firearm proficiency, gunowners should be know the laws where they reside and travel, and have worked out plans, even practiced them, for circumstances like this.

[TigersEye]

A car is just a car, no matter how much you may care about it.

To some people feelings are everything.

You've got it right. No matter how offended I feel about theft killing a man for it means that my feelings are more important than his life not that my property is more important. A rather perverted order of priorities.

[SJackson]

"The fact that your car is being stolen isn't a legal justification for killing somebody,"...Whether one agrees with it or not, anyone who owns a firearm in Ca should realize this,

Anyone living in any state needs to know their gunlaws.

[MineralMan]

"Someone did pass "a law saying that anyone could slap you in the face, and you couldn't retaliate."

His name was Jesus of Nazareth.
"

Very good point. I wonder how many of those advocating shooting car thieves consider themselves to be Christians?

[joesnuffy]

If all honest citizens were allowed to protect their familie's lives, liberty, and property the way the founders had envisioned..there would be a lot less people making their livelihood as thieves. The incidence of assault, rape and armed robbery would also be substantially lower...

Of course when free men are allowed to protect their lives, liberty and property...the govt
thugs cant collect as much protection money...and THEY are very jealous of their power and mean to keep it.... Mr Song will be made an example of...an object lesson for the sheep and an encouragement to the professional and up and coming criminal class....

Especially those imported from South of the border...

I am only sorry that Mr. Song will be punished for something he deserves a medal for and that the other professional criminal got away.....

And it isn't a matter of killing a human being over a car....its a matter of killing a criminal as an example to other criminals of every persuasion..A clear message to all criminals that the sheep aren't going to take it anymore

Which is why the DA and the professional politicans will go after Mr Song harder than they will the car thieves, rapists, and real murderers..they have a vested interest in keeping 'we the people' down...and an interest in allowing criminals to ply their trades with impunity...and at the same time keeping up the illusion that they care about crime and are not only fighting it successfully ..but the only ones capable of fighting it successfully..

Its just another tax payer funded...govt. protection racket scam...

imo

[MrB]

That's hilarious. They stole your car, put a bunch of work and money in it, and then you recovered it.

Cosmic justice.

[boris]

See my #13 here.

[TigersEye]

And it isn't a matter of killing a human being over a car....its a matter of killing a criminal as an example to other criminals of every persuasion..A clear message to all criminals that the sheep aren't going to take it anymore.

And people who think that is too harsh can go live with people who take a more measured view of justice ... like the Taliban. /sarcasm

[tomball]

The cops should not have said much about this at all. If carjackers and car theives knew that their lives would be in jeopardy every time they threatend someone or stole from someone, there would be a whole lot less car thefts - or any other thefts in this country, let alone in LA.

You steal someone's car - you steal their means of livelyhood. Time lost at work is not something employers take lightly. Cops treating car theives lightly, and throwing the book at someone who takes the iniative to protect their property is something that the taxpayers should not take lightly, either.

Neither the thief nor the guy who was forced to protect his property with a gun were doing the right things. However, if the LA cops were doing their jobs and patrolling the streets on a regular basis - "TO SERVE AND PROTECT" - like they are being paid to do by their employers (the taxpayers), none of this would have occurred, and none of this would be an issue.

[Mr. Mojo]

Shooting someone for stealing a car is just stupid. It's just a darned car...not worth anyone's life.

A broken-down MG may not be worth anyone's life, but my '56 Chrysler 300-B is another story entirely ;)

[MineralMan]

"A lawfully owned automobile is worth more than the life of a thief because the thief's life has NEGATIVE value. Society is better off if he is DEAD. Killing a thief is not a cost to offset against protecting property, but a benefit to be added to it. "

Well, that's an interesting point of view. I wonder how many prominent and productive folks out there once stole a car as a teenager and went joy-riding. It happens. Do each of them deserve the death penalty? Are all of them of negative value?

We live in a nation of laws, here in the USA. In most jurisdictions, the law provides that one may use deadly force only to protect lives, not property. That is a fact. If someone shoots a car thief, then they break the law, and will be charged. In California, that is the case, and in most other jurisdictions.

Apparently, some here feel that their vehicle is so valuable that the loss of it is worth killing another human being. So be it. However, if they take that step, then they will have to face the consequences of that action.

Let's look at a hypothetical example. Joe Blow lives in the suburbs, has a wife and kids, a house with a big mortgage, and a nice, shiny, new Miata, also with a big loan attached to it. That seems a typical scenario.

So, Joe hears a noise outside his house and finds some 18-year-old kid swiping his nice new Miata. He gets ticked off, as naturally he would. He considers calling the cops, but knows they won't arrive in time to prevent the theft. So, he kills the kid by shooting him.

What happens next? He gets arrested, and convicted, if past cases are any example. He gets 15-25 for Murder II. His wife and kids lose the house and end up on welfare.

Theory aside, this is the reality, at least in the vast majority of states. Juries frequently convict folks for killing to protect personal property.

Maybe it's not such a good idea to kill someone to protect something as trivial as an automobile. But, those who do are going to spend some time in the slammer and their families will suffer. How stupid is that? And over a car? Feh!

[boris]

"Someone did pass "a law saying that anyone could slap you in the face, and you couldn't retaliate."
His name was Jesus of Nazareth."

If someone drives two airliners into skyscrapers, killing 3,000 people, what is the correct response? Offer them more planes and directions to the Empire State Building?

[Heyworth]

Please repphrase that to: "Is the car more valuable than a CAR THIEF's life?"

I've re-examined my priorities, and have found myself comfortable with them.

Okay, so you'll kill a guy for your car. What about shooting a ten year old in the back for stealing your Halloween pumpkin? Where's the line?

[MineralMan]

"You steal someone's car - you steal their means of livelyhood. Time lost at work is not something employers take lightly."

Silliness. Enterprise will come and pick you up and rent you a car while you replace the stolen one. If you have insurance, you'll have a replacement shortly. If your car is not worth insuring, then you can replace it in another way.

Cars can be replaced. A human life, once ended, cannot.

[BlazingArizona]

Shooting someone for stealing a car is just stupid. It's just a darned car...not worth anyone's life.

This is the very first time I have heard of someone getting a stolen car back in better condition. Usually it's chopped up and in Mexico by the time you report it.

The problem with the old "just give them the money, and they'll go away..." argument is that today's criminal can no longer be counted on to be rational. Remember Wichita? They will interpret cooperation from the victim as being weakness, and not hesitate to rape and butcher every 'cooperating' person in the house at the slightest opportunity.

As with terrorists, our only hope is deterrence: kill at once, and keep killing them in as large numbers as possible, until either they leave you alone or there are none left.

[junta]

How much you wanna bet he is also angling for the "Hispanic" vote?

[SJackson]

Please repphrase that to: "Is the car more valuable than a CAR THIEF's life?"

In most states you're still misphrasing the question. Before shooting a thief in the back, in the absence of a physical threat, you need to ask youself whether the car is more valuable than your freedom, because you're likely going to jail.

[international american]

If the jury is hispanic he might fry.

[BJClinton]

Heh, thackney was quicker on the draw...