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A Group of Teens Were Picking Up Pizza. An Off-Duty Cop Shot at Their Car.

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  • A Group of Teens Were Picking Up Pizza. An Off-Duty Cop Shot at Their Car.

    So..... an off duty cop, in his own private vehicle, in his civilian clothes, claims he saw an Audi speeding past him. Eventually he says he saw them again (note: after having lost sight of them for some time) pulling into a pizza restaurant parking lot.

    He then pulled in with his private vehicle and attempted to box in their car. Then he hopped out in civilian clothes, with a pistol and a badge, and yelled at the teens to get out of the car or he would shoot them.

    The teenager driving, panicked at the gun being aimed at him, and started to back the car up, away from the off duty cop (who was standing to the front and on the driver's side of the car), in the opposite direction of the guy pointing the gun at him.

    The cop claims he felt he was in 'danger', and fired, hitting the teen that was driving. The teen drove for a short while away from there before pulling over because of his wounds.

    ------

    I've seen quite a few 'Back The Blue' folks doing trying to defend this cop and blame the teenager for his own shooting on Twitter.

    Here's the thing. The cop was not in his cruiser. He has no bodycam, no dashcam footage, only his word.

    He has no evidence that the teens were speeding other than his own word.

    He also has no evidence that even if he did see an Audi speeding, that it was the same Audi he later saw (remember he lost sight and only saw them later when he got off the highway). We know for a fact that cops can indeed mix up cars simply because they look similar - just look at this which was going viral recently: https://www.indy100.com/viral/police...iktok-b1878179 (there are plenty more examples out there like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYvMI1Z4t88).

    SO we not only don't know they were speeding, we don't even know if the car was the car he claimed was speeding, either even if he did see a speeding car.

    Then, he gets out of the car, flashes a badge (do we even need to go into the many examples of people using fake or stolen police badges to 'pull over' people - using them to rape women, and rob people?), and then points a gun and threatens to shoot. If I were in that car, I'd either be backing the hell out of there, or shooting that dude in self defense. civvy clothes guy with a likely fake badge, trying to get me out of my car? Heck no.

    And then of course the 'oh I thought I was in danger', even though the car was moving AWAY from him and his maniac antics. Yet people were still trying to defend him.

    There's no way this cop should still be a cop after this.

    An off-duty Rhode Island cop shot an 18-year-old driver last month after he saw an Audi, full of teenagers, speeding and tried to stop the vehicle in a pizzeria parking lot, according to court documents and surveillance footage.

    Now, Pawtucket Police Officer Daniel Dolan is facing criminal charges, including assault with a dangerous weapon, over the June 23 incident, authorities announced Thursday. He’s also on leave from his department, according to the Providence Journal.

    “We felt from the very beginning that crimes were committed that evening,” James Howe, an attorney for the three teens in the car at the time, told VICE News.

    The Audi’s driver, Dominic Vincent, survived the shooting but suffered a fractured humerus bone, according to Howe. The incident, which was partially captured on surveillance footage obtained by WPRI-TV, has also traumatized him and the other boys in the vehicle, according to Howe.

    Vincent told investigators that he and the two other teens in the Audi—Vincent Greco Jr., 18, and Joseph Greco, 17—were picking up snacks and a pizza ahead of a basketball game and sleepover that night when the officer’s large white pickup truck attempted to suddenly box them in, according to charging documents filed in the Kent County Superior Court last week.

    Dolan said the Audi had sped past him on the highway, traveled in the breakdown lane, and overtaken two vehicles. He wanted to talk to the driver and “prevent him from possibly injuring somebody,” he told investigators.

    But since Dolan was off duty, he wasn’t driving a police vehicle or wearing his uniform, so Vincent didn’t know if he was a real officer, he told investigators. Vincent did, however, spot Dolan’s badge and gun.

    Surveillance footage shows that as Dolan, who is also a school resource officer, started to approach the Audi, Vincent immediately reversed.

    Vincent told investigators he was panicking at the time, and that Dolan screamed he was going to shoot him. After that threat, the teen said he put his “foot to the floor,” according to charging documents.

    Dolan told investigators he believed he was about to be hit. But Vincent said the vehicle was only moving “two to three miles per hour,” according to charging documents, and that Dolan was standing on the driver’s side.

    Even so, Dolan told investigators he thought that if Vincent drove forward, he was “going to take me onto the roadway with him and kill me,’” according to charging documents. That’s when he fired his gun.

    The incident began, according to Dolan, after he ended his shift, consumed “a sip” of beer, and spotted the teenager’s Audi.

    (At the scene, Dolan also submitted to a field sobriety test, which he passed. He displayed 0.00% blood alcohol content in a preliminary breath test, according to the charging documents.)

    Dolan said he initially assumed the Audi had been used in a crime or involved in a high-speed pursuit with police but continued driving because he didn’t see any kind of chase himself, according to charging documents. Eventually, he lost sight of the Audi and pulled off the highway, where he witnessed the same vehicle driving into Wicked Good Pizza in West Greenwich.

    Dolan followed behind. Once in the parking lot, he hopped out of his truck, presented his badge, and told the vehicle to stop, at which point the Audi started to back up.

    Once Dolan believed he might be hit, he fired his weapon. He then got back into his car and once again followed the boys, who had driven off a short distance before coming to a stop.

    After they were all together again, Vincent allegedly told Dolan he thought he was going to die and pleaded for help, according to charging documents. Dolan told investigators that he called 911 and wrapped a sweatshirt around Vincent’s arm as a makeshift tourniquet.

    Vincent was later transported to a local hospital after first responders arrived.

    “These are good kids,” Howe said. “Never been in trouble a day in their lives. They’re as regular as you’d ever expect 17- and 18-year-olds to be: respectful of their parents, law-abiding young people. To have this happen to them is just unspeakable.”

    Dolan is scheduled for an arraignment on July 16, according to a statement from the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office, which investigated the incident along with other law enforcement agencies.

    https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7b4...-island-crimin

  • #2
    Without commenting on the specifics of the case, I'll just note that police are never considered truly off-duty

    I'm always still in trouble again

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    • #3
      I don't see a good reason to back the cop's actions. The force he used seems way more than justifiable for a mere speeding offense.
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      • #4
        Originally posted by Gondwanaland View Post
        So..... an off duty cop, in his own private vehicle, in his civilian clothes, claims he saw an Audi speeding past him. Eventually he says he saw them again (note: after having lost sight of them for some time) pulling into a pizza restaurant parking lot.

        He then pulled in with his private vehicle and attempted to box in their car. Then he hopped out in civilian clothes, with a pistol and a badge, and yelled at the teens to get out of the car or he would shoot them.

        The teenager driving, panicked at the gun being aimed at him, and started to back the car up, away from the off duty cop (who was standing to the front and on the driver's side of the car), in the opposite direction of the guy pointing the gun at him.

        The cop claims he felt he was in 'danger', and fired, hitting the teen that was driving. The teen drove for a short while away from there before pulling over because of his wounds.

        ------

        I've seen quite a few 'Back The Blue' folks doing trying to defend this cop and blame the teenager for his own shooting on Twitter.

        Here's the thing. The cop was not in his cruiser. He has no bodycam, no dashcam footage, only his word.

        He has no evidence that the teens were speeding other than his own word.

        He also has no evidence that even if he did see an Audi speeding, that it was the same Audi he later saw (remember he lost sight and only saw them later when he got off the highway). We know for a fact that cops can indeed mix up cars simply because they look similar - just look at this which was going viral recently: https://www.indy100.com/viral/police...iktok-b1878179 (there are plenty more examples out there like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYvMI1Z4t88).

        SO we not only don't know they were speeding, we don't even know if the car was the car he claimed was speeding, either even if he did see a speeding car.

        Then, he gets out of the car, flashes a badge (do we even need to go into the many examples of people using fake or stolen police badges to 'pull over' people - using them to rape women, and rob people?), and then points a gun and threatens to shoot. If I were in that car, I'd either be backing the hell out of there, or shooting that dude in self defense. civvy clothes guy with a likely fake badge, trying to get me out of my car? Heck no.

        And then of course the 'oh I thought I was in danger', even though the car was moving AWAY from him and his maniac antics. Yet people were still trying to defend him.

        There's no way this cop should still be a cop after this.
        What a horrendous incident as reported. How is the teenager? Is he making a good recovery? The psychological trauma is, of course, another issue.

        "It ain't necessarily so
        The things that you're liable
        To read in the Bible
        It ain't necessarily so
        ."

        Sportin' Life
        Porgy & Bess, DuBose Heyward, George & Ira Gershwin

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        • #5
          Based purely on the account the cop is lucky he wasn't shot. No, I don't see the justification for his actions - he doesn't know how to use a cell phone? What was so danged urgent that couldn't wait for a cruiser to get there? Again, just from the account, he could have simply pulled into the parking lot, called for an on duty car and waited. Follow them home if necessary - but I'd think there are several other options before that that don't involve an off duty officer drawing a weapon during a confrontation in a parking lot.

          "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." - Jim Elliot

          "Forgiveness is the way of love." Gary Chapman

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          • #6
            Originally posted by Hypatia_Alexandria View Post

            What a horrendous incident as reported. How is the teenager? Is he making a good recovery? The psychological trauma is, of course, another issue.
            From what I've been able to find, sounds like he's recovering okay physically. But yeah, that's something that's gonna stick with him mentally/psychologically for a long time.

            Also found this interesting little tidbit while looking more into recent articles:
            https://www.wpri.com/news/local-news...est-greenwich/

            According to a state police report filed Thursday in Kent County Superior Court, Dolan told detectives he got off work around 7:40 p.m. Wednesday and drove to a liquor store, where he purchased a six-pack of beer, opened one and “took a sip from the bottle” before continuing to drive home on I-95 South.
            Now, while the cop apparently was mostly honest in that regard (he didn't blow above a .00 on a breathalyzer, so it likely was just a 'sip').... if you or I had been pulled over (let alone gone and shot someone after chasing them with your car), we'd be getting open container charges at the very least.

            Good news is, it appears he's been charged by the state AG with four felonies (and is suspended, though I've seen conflicting reports on if that is with or without pay).

            https://lawandcrime.com/crime/off-du...a-parking-lot/
            Dolan was charged with three counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one count of discharging a firearm in a crime of violence.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Gondwanaland View Post

              From what I've been able to find, sounds like he's recovering okay physically. But yeah, that's something that's gonna stick with him mentally/psychologically for a long time.

              Also found this interesting little tidbit while looking more into recent articles:
              https://www.wpri.com/news/local-news...est-greenwich/



              Now, while the cop apparently was mostly honest in that regard (he didn't blow above a .00 on a breathalyzer, so it likely was just a 'sip').... if you or I had been pulled over (let alone gone and shot someone after chasing them with your car), we'd be getting open container charges at the very least.

              Good news is, it appears he's been charged by the state AG with four felonies (and is suspended, though I've seen conflicting reports on if that is with or without pay).

              https://lawandcrime.com/crime/off-du...a-parking-lot/
              Oh I am glad to read that, but as you say the psychological trauma will take time, if indeed it is ever "resolved". An experience like that must terrifying. An interesting remark of yours on the breathalyser. Quis custodiet ipsos custodes writ large

              There should be a suspension of pay until the issue is resolved for an incident such as that. Better still get rid of individuals like that from the police. Bad apples etc.
              "It ain't necessarily so
              The things that you're liable
              To read in the Bible
              It ain't necessarily so
              ."

              Sportin' Life
              Porgy & Bess, DuBose Heyward, George & Ira Gershwin

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by Hypatia_Alexandria View Post
                There should be a suspension of pay until the issue is resolved for an incident such as that.
                I would disagree with you on this point.

                I would agree with a suspension of duties until the situation is resolved. However, suspension of pay, not so much. I take it "resolved" is in taking with a resolution of department disciplinary measures. I would say that until that situation is resolved, he is still entitled to pay, as to remove pay is to punish someone without the due process involved. If the officer involved is found to deserve disciplinary measures, by all means strip his pay (and job), but until that happens, I find the stripping of pay to be a bad idea. In the specifics of this case, I don't suspect that the officer is going to be "saved" by the due process, but in the more general sense, stripping someone of pay causes financial hardship that is un-needed until the actual discipline is adjudicated. In the case of someone who's pay is suspended and they are found to have not violated any policies, then they were punished unfairly, and simple backpay may not be enough to offset harm caused.


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                • #9
                  Originally posted by CivilDiscourse View Post

                  I would disagree with you on this point.
                  Fair enough we agree to differ.


                  "It ain't necessarily so
                  The things that you're liable
                  To read in the Bible
                  It ain't necessarily so
                  ."

                  Sportin' Life
                  Porgy & Bess, DuBose Heyward, George & Ira Gershwin

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by CivilDiscourse View Post

                    I would disagree with you on this point.

                    I would agree with a suspension of duties until the situation is resolved. However, suspension of pay, not so much. I take it "resolved" is in taking with a resolution of department disciplinary measures. I would say that until that situation is resolved, he is still entitled to pay, as to remove pay is to punish someone without the due process involved. If the officer involved is found to deserve disciplinary measures, by all means strip his pay (and job), but until that happens, I find the stripping of pay to be a bad idea. In the specifics of this case, I don't suspect that the officer is going to be "saved" by the due process, but in the more general sense, stripping someone of pay causes financial hardship that is un-needed until the actual discipline is adjudicated. In the case of someone who's pay is suspended and they are found to have not violated any policies, then they were punished unfairly, and simple backpay may not be enough to offset harm caused.

                    This is a bit more than just 'disciplinary measures' being decided. He's actually being criminally charged with multiple felonies. No way, no how, should he be getting taxpayer dollars at this point.
                    Last edited by Gondwanaland; 07-07-2021, 07:45 PM.

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                    • #11
                      The question does arise: in a similar event, what would happen to the person's pay if he were, say, a waiter?
                      1Cor 15:34 Come to your senses as you ought and stop sinning; for I say to your shame, there are some who know not God.
                      .
                      ⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛
                      Scripture before Tradition:
                      but that won't prevent others from
                      taking it upon themselves to deprive you
                      of the right to call yourself Christian.

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Gondwanaland View Post

                        This is a bit more than just 'disciplinary measures' being decided. He's actually being criminally charged with multiple felonies. No way, no how, should he be getting taxpayer dollars at this point.
                        Oh, I understand the specifics. This was a more generic answer to the statement of "suspend pay until the issue is resolved." I.e. if the issue isn't resolved, suspending pay isn't warranted.

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Gondwanaland View Post

                          This is a bit more than just 'disciplinary measures' being decided. He's actually being criminally charged with multiple felonies. No way, no how, should he be getting taxpayer dollars at this point.
                          Um, does the phrase 'innocent until proven guilty' ring a bell?
                          "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." - Jim Elliot

                          "Forgiveness is the way of love." Gary Chapman

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by tabibito View Post
                            The question does arise: in a similar event, what would happen to the person's pay if he were, say, a waiter?
                            In most cases, it's not the same thing. Waiters are almost never salaried employees. In an at will state, the waiter would just be fired - and that's why there shouldn't be at will states. You enter a contract, you abide by it until there's a valid business reason (like a downturn in business) or an actual reason for the dismissal.
                            "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." - Jim Elliot

                            "Forgiveness is the way of love." Gary Chapman

                            My Personal Blog

                            My Novella blog (Current Novella Begins on 7/25/14)

                            Quill Sword

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                            • #15
                              The news report is a bit confused. For instance:

                              Vincent told investigators he was panicking at the time, and that Dolan screamed he was going to shoot him. After that threat, the teen said he put his “foot to the floor,” according to charging documents.

                              Dolan told investigators he believed he was about to be hit. But Vincent said the vehicle was only moving “two to three miles per hour,” according to charging documents, and that Dolan was standing on the driver’s side.

                              So the driver said he panicked and "put his 'foot to the floor'" and yet "the vehicle was only moving 'two to three miles per hour'"?

                              Also, does the surveillance footage corroborate the teen's account "that Dolan screamed he was going to shoot him"? It's hard to say, because the story only says "Surveillance footage shows that as Dolan [...] started to approach the Audi, Vincent immediately reversed."

                              Frankly, it's very hard to say what really happened based on this story. As usual, it's best not to jump to a conclusion and to wait for more information.
                              Some may call me foolish, and some may call me odd
                              But I'd rather be a fool in the eyes of man
                              Than a fool in the eyes of God


                              From "Fools Gold" by Petra

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