Posted on 12/11/2008 3:52:51 AM PST by from occupied ga
Gwinnett County police said they accidentally broke down the door to the wrong house before going to the correct house and arresting a man on drug charges.
Gwinnett County police investigators intended to execute a no-knock search warrant at a home on Valley Spring Drive in Lawrenceville Wednesday morning. Police said the lead investigator mistakenly pointed out a home to the officers and once officers entered the home they realized they were in the wrong house.
VIDEO: Gwinnett County Police Break Down Door To Wrong House
The homeowner of the incorrectly targeted house told Channel 2 that having guns pointed at him was something he would never forget.
"(They) put my life, daughter’s life, my lady’s life in danger," said homeowner John Lewis.
Lewis said Gwinnett County investigators burst through his front door and ordered him and his girlfriend to the floor at gunpoint.
“It’s an experience to have one gun draw on you. It’s something else to have 15, 16 of them,” said Lewis.
Lewis said his 3-month-old baby saw the whole thing. “She was the calmest one,” said Lewis.
Police said once they realized their mistake the search was ceased and the homeowners were released. Police said the front door to the home was damaged during the process.
Fifteen minutes after bursting into Lewis' home, officers served a search warrant at the correct home on Valley Spring Drive. Police said the warrant was served after a three-month drug investigation.
Police arrested Efrain Pedruza, 31, and he was taken to the Gwinnett County Detention Center. Police said they found $24,000 in cash in the home.
Officials said the investigation is continuing. Police are paying for the repairs to Lewis' door.
I'm guessing they didn't have any.
Yep. Pretty good haulfor a little bit of work. First case the place to make sure that there is something worh stealing, and then go and steal it via home invasion robbery.
Haha! I've experienced real things in life. It would take a lot more than this to make me react. True, the surprise of 15 uninvited armed men in my house would cause my pulse to race, but that is where my reaction would stop. I have enough common sense to know that 15 tense armed officers may not like me screaming at them.
Besides, I prefer to take my grievance up with their commanding officer.
Man you are a naieve little sheep aren’t you. If I made a mistake of this magnitude at my job I would not only be fired but blackballed inthe industry as well and possible criminal negligence might even be pending. Did you notice there was no mention of drugs found at the “correct” house? But, they did find $24,000 of evil cash.
>>A single incident is not indicative of an epidemic of error.
No, it’s not. And either you haven’t been paying attention, or you are being disingenuous.
Botched Paramilitary Police Raids: An Epidemic of “Isolated Incidents”
http://www.cato.org/raidmap/
What a load of manure. Or maybe you're going to try and tell people here that you never heard of things like Kathryn Johnson. Go back to DU or daily KOS.
i like when the guy said that his 3-month old child saw the whole thing! THAT was funny.
That's the irritating part. I thought police were given IQ tests, yet, if my town is anything to go by, some officers have the brain capacity of a squirrel. It makes no sense given the folks of higher intelligence (and brawn) who are rejected from the force.
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say someone given preferential employment (ie affirmative action employee) may be responsible for this oopsie.
Not naive, just a dishonest jack boot licker.
A day without cops trampling the rights of citizens is like a day without thorazine for the jackboot lickers.
So sixteen botched raids across the country in 2008. How many successful raids were there?
I am not being disingenuous. I am a mathematician.
What percent of ALL raids are botched? What other factors contribute to these mistakes (ie, political interference, affirmative action incompetence, bad mapping software, etc.)?
I am not being disingenuous. I am a mathematician..........................Tell me Mr. odds maker, what is the chances of someone being seriously hurt or killed between legal home invasion and arrest of individual when he leaves the house. Other than protection from immediate life threatening actions, why in the hell are no knocks needed, you sound like you are in favor of no knock raids.
Knock off the personal attacks
“Can you honestly say you have never made a mistake on the job?”
Yes. I can honestly say that I have never accidently held an innocent man at gunpoint after breaking down the front door to his home.
Not even once.
“Besides, I prefer to take my grievance up with their commanding officer”
That’ll earn them a good talkin’ to.
I am in favour of no-knock raids— not as a routine thing, but when the element of surprise is necessary to round up a large group at once and to collect the evidence necessary to obtain a conviction.
I believe that when you screw up the address for a no-knock warrant and subject innocent citizens to such a invasion, that the lead investigator should be fired and prosecuted. I guarantee you that if the roles were reversed and someone broke into the lead investigators house with guns drawn, someone would be going to jail.
What other factors contribute to these mistakes ................................The fact that the LEO are not held pesonaly responsible for their actions. That is the biggest contibuting factor or they would think twice and get it right if they were held accountable. (Had to make sure I didn’t make a personal attack)
Seriously, if this happened to me I WOULD make a big deal out of it, just so it doesn’t happen again. But under no circumstances would I react aggressively (or defensively) while the men are still in my house, as other FReepers have suggested they would do. That is just plain foolish.
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