Crowd cheers as cop is beaten

Gary Post-Tribune ^ | May 20, 2005 | Lori Caldwell

[2Am4Sure]

As a group of residents cheered, a Glen Park man tackled Gary Patrolman Carl Cochran, choking the officer and threatening to kill him in an unprovoked attack Wednesday night, Lt. Roger Smith said.

Cochran, a five-year veteran and member of the department’s elite S.W.A.T. team, suffered cuts to his face and injuries to his arm and back as a result of the protracted struggle with Kelvin D. Banks, 40.

Cmdr. Jerome Krebes said Thursday he ordered additional patrols in the area in response to the incident.

A small group of people — ten or less — surrounded the officer during the struggle as Banks wrestled with the officer and tried to grab Cochran’s gun.

“Cochran grabbed his wrist to stop him while Banks kept one hand on his throat and Banks said, 'I could kill you right now if I wanted to!’ . . . Cochran reported he could not reach his portable radio,” the police report states.

Banks was charged Thursday in Lake Superior Court in Crown Point with battery, resisting law enforcement, intimidation and disorderly conduct and faces up to three years in prison if convicted of the charges, Diane Poulton, spokeswoman for Prosecutor Bernard Carter, said.

Patrolman Richard Knight arrived at 5000 Washington St. to assist Cochran at a domestic dispute and saw his partner struggling with Banks.

Both men were on the ground and a group of residents were crowded around urging Banks to keep up the attack, Smith said. Eventually, Knight and Cochran subdued Banks, who continued to defy officers after he was handcuffed and being led to the squad car, police said

[SerpentDove]

Reminds me of in the late 80s here in Dallas (downtown).

A Dallas officer, John Chase, was giving a verbal warning to a homeless bum for something or other.

Somehow the bum got Chase's gun. He pointed it at Chase's head, and as the officer dropped to his knees and begged for his life, a crowd of maggots at the bus stop all cheered and shouted "shoot him".

He did, and the officer died at the scene.

[Dutch Boy]

"No more patrols in that area...In fact, direct every prostitute, drug dealer, gang member and sex offender to that street."

I was thinking something very similar. If the neighborhood will not act in a civilized manner let them suffer the fruits of their labor.

[womcg]

Sorry. Doesn't wash. I've seen many incidents when cops, oft times trying to take care of calls/reports made by residents, are attacked just because they are cops. In some areas, cop hating is a community sport. Most intercity areas have hosts of activists primed to go after cops in court and city hall. Jumping a cop, beating him and trying to take his gun is kinda draconian,..even if he is a "jerk". I've had a couple of similar incidents happen to me when making an arrest. I was lucky. Plus, my "situational awareness" in police work always seemed to benefit from my combat background. Like the man said: "Everybody hates cops,..if you want to be loved, be a fireman."

[tiamat]

Not everybody hates cops!

I usually get along with them quite well, and I like having them in my neeighborhood.

Samee for firefighters and military.

[jwh_Denver]

Thanks for your service.

Would you convict the perp knowing what you know now? That is strictly my point.

[chgomac]

Yep...and so was Marian the librarian in The Music man.

[womcg]

Agreed. An ex-con who just spent 3-6 years pumping iron and practicing disarming moves is not unusual. Same for big, violent street crazies. Worked a case once where the lone cop was distracted by a crowd, and got taken down from behind in a surprise attack. Only thing that saved him was an unmarked car and two detectives with Remington 870's. Sad fact is that most cops are not experinced street fighters, nor gun fighters, for that matter.

[Gunrunner2]

Agreed.

When I was a patrolman back in the late 70’s, I pulled over a guy for several traffic violations. I approached the vehicle and he exited his (we were in an apartment parking lot, about 6:30 in the am). Just as I got close and started the drill, WHAM a fist came flying out of nowhere. I was, at that time, recently out of university, a 5’ 7” gymnast (Rings specialty) and was fairly muscular. The bad guy was 6’ 3” and 250 lbs. Hurt like hell.

The hit knocked me over the back of his car and the fight was on. We scrapped and rolled and I kept rolling over onto my gun because he was constantly trying to get the gun. A crowd gathered during the fight and cheered on the bad guy. I recall clearly to this day “Get his gun, shoot him!” being said over and over and over.

Finally I prevailed (nothing fights like a scared man). Hurting, out of breath and totally spent.

(Side comment: I wish I was some 120lb Reebok-wearing kick-boxing girl. . .then things would have turned out differently. . .I mean, come on. . .on TV the 120lb Reebok-wearing kick-boxing girl quickly knocks the doo outta big bad guys all the time. Anyway. . .I digress.)

As I was on top of his prone body, the crowd began to approach us and made comments about “save the brother.” It was at this time I was in enough control that I drew my weapon and pointed it at the crowd. I was fully prepared to shoot anyone that came close. Period. No question. I was going to kill anyone that tried to approach, and told the crowd that. Crowd eventually backed off.

This was one simple traffic stop turned bad. Who knew the guy was recently out of prison, on parole. He had murdered a neighbor in an argument over a stereo. He had been ticketed several times since his recent release and thought the police were hassling him.

Thing is, I didn’t know him, he didn’t know me, the crowd didn’t know me either. All they saw was Blue and that was enough to encourage hate and murder.

Thing is, times two, if that had happened today, someone on FR would make wild conjectures as to the crowd thinking I was a jerk or somehow deserved being attacked, or making some excuse to mitigate the guilt of the bad guy. Moreover, if I had shot somebody in the crowd, some on FR would be harping for my hide because I was some rogue cop that abuses authority and looks for reasons to shoot some poor unarmed sap.

Just me talking.

[stbdside]

I live next door (Portage) to Gary. That place looks like a no-mans land.

[Jack Black]

CW II Ping.

Item 16: Watch for the emergence of "no go" areas for the police in our citites, areas abandoned by the police and left to the control of street gangs. The existence of these areas will be officially denied of course, and the police will occassionally mount media oriented forays into them, but it will be pure theater.

[cyborg]

bump

[SaveTheChief]

Last time I was in the area, it appeared that Gary was exporting its product to Hammond and other neighboring communities as well.

[cyborg]

That's why leaving,ingoring, or liberal placating doesn't work. I live in an area that has undergone lots of transformation. Too bad it doesn't look like they'll recover from what the MS13 gangs are bringing.

[Travis McGee]

Yep. "Urban enclaves." No-go-zones. A major sign of the times.

[Caipirabob]

I was really hoping this was a foreign country...

[SaveTheChief]

If you'd like to have a logical explanation
How I happened upon this elegant syncopation,
I would say without a moment of hesitation,
There is just one place that can light my face....

[dc27]

Sometimes I wonder if we divided the country into conservative and liberal what each side would look like.

It would look like the difference between Dominican Republic and Haiti.

[AndrewC]

No more patrols in that area...In fact, direct every prostitute, drug dealer, gang member and sex offender to that street.

Build a wall around it, "Escape from Gary" starring Snake "I heard you was dead" Plissken.

[cyborg]

Having known people who've resided on both sides, that's not saying much. DR isn't as civilized as you think.

[cyborg]

Actually, come to think of it maybe that's a good analogy. DR is propped up by the US and money. I'll need to dwell on this over a cup of coffee.