Serve and Protect

This, folks, clearly demonstrates what we mere civilians are up against:



Wednesday, September 23, 2009Last Update: 10:20 AM PT
Family Says 911 Tape Caught Cops Planning Cover-Up After Shooting
By JAMIE ROSS
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PHOENIX (CN) - A homeowner says a Phoenix police officer shot him six times in the back during a 911 home-invasion call, and the 911 tape recorded the officer's partner saying, "That's all right. Don't worry about it. I got your back. ... We clear?" The family says the officers were not aware that the 911 call was still recording as they spoke about covering up the shooting.
In their complaint in Maricopa County Court, Anthony and Lesley Arambula say an armed intruder "crashed through the front window" of their home on Sept. 17, 2008 and ran into one of their son's bedrooms.
Anthony, worried about his son who was still in his bedroom, says he "held the intruder calmly at gunpoint" and called 911.
Phoenix Police officers already in the neighborhood heard the crash of the Arambulas' window. When they approached the house, Lesley says, she told Sgt. Sean Coutts that her husband was inside holding the intruder at gunpoint. Lesley says Coutts failed to pass on that information to the two other officers.
Inside the house, the Arambulas say, Officer Brian Lilly shot Anthony six times in the back while he was still on the phone with the 911 operator - twice when he was on the ground.
The officers ran into the bedroom after Anthony told them, "You just killed ... you just killed the homeowner. The bad guy is in there."
The complaint states that Officer Lilly "admitted that it was only after Tony was laying, bullet-ridden, on the ground that he assessed the situation. The 911 tape continued to record what happened even after Officer Lilly unloaded his weapon into Tony, including Officer Lilly's post-shooting, one-word 'assessment': 'frack.'
"Tony believed he was going to die; the 911 tape records his plaintive goodbye to his family: '... I love you ... I love you.' Then Tony made what he believed was a dying request to the officers; he did not want his young family to see him shot and bloodied. Officers callously ignored his request and painfully dragged Tony by his injured leg, through the home and out to his backyard patio, where they left him bloodied and shot right in front of Lesley, Matthew and Zachary."
The Arambulas say the officers later dragged Anthony onto gravel, then put him on top of the hot hood of a squad car, and "drove the squad car down the street with Tony lying on top, writing in pain."
According to the complaint, Lilly can be heard on the 911 tape telling Coutts, "We fucked up."
Lilly says on the tape that he did not know where Anthony's gun was when he shot him and that he "opened fire because he heard loud noises and saw someone who looked like he might be the 'Hispanic' male they were pursuing" before getting to the Arambulas' house, according to the complaint.
The complaint states: "Sgt. Coutts knew that officers has just shot up and likely killed an innocent homeowner and the husband of Lesley, with whom he had spoken before entering the home, instead of the armed intruder. Sgt. Coutts was quick to commence the cover-up of their terrible mistake. Sgt. Coutts asked Office Lilly where Tony's gun was at the time Officer Lilly had opened fire on Tony. Officer Lilly admitted that he did not know where Tony's gun was: 'I don't know. I heard screaming and I fired.'"
Lilly later told a police internal affairs investigator that Anthony had pointed his gun in his direction, "in the 'ready' position," the complaint states. But Anthony Arambula says he was facing away from the officers, who could not have even seen his gun.
The complaint continues: "Still not knowing that he is being recorded n the 911 tape, Sgt. Coutts interrupted Officer Lilly's admission and apology with his assurance that the cover-up would commence: 'That's all right. Don't worry about it. I got your back. ... We clear?'"
After the shooting, the Arambulas say, the Phoenix Police Department treated them "like suspects in a drug bust," denying Lesley, Michael and Zachary information about Anthony's condition and denying friends and family members access to him at the hospital.
Anthony Arambula survived, but continues to suffer pain, which he expects will last for the rest of his life.
The City of Phoenix and Officer Dzenan Ahmetovic also are named as defendants.
The Arambulas seek punitive damages for gross negligence, civil rights violations, failure to supervise, excessive force, deliberate indifference to medical needs, false arrest, and emotional distress. They are represented by Michael Manning with son Morrison Hecker.

Notice that this wasn't just "one bad apple". Every cop on the scene was complicit in the coverup and guilty of several felonies. What are the odds?


Land of the Free MY ASS.

God DAMN America!

Heh.

makes me concerned about how many other cops do this same thing and get away with it.
the thing that will help this family out is the fact it was all recorded,..... that is as long as the recording doesn't get "lost"

IMO, all police should be REQUIRED to wear audio and video recorders at all times- uploading in real-time to secure servers that the police can't fuckk with. The technology is common- you can get everything you need at your local BestBuy. It's an OBVIOUS and simple solution... IF our criminal justice system was actually interested in prosecuting criminals or pursuing justice. You do the math.

The police would oppose that solution just like they oppose cameras in their cars... because it would expose the REAL danger to our society.

Here in Wichita, most of the city cop cars still don't have cameras- which have been cheap and simple for well over a decade. The police CLAIM (for PR purposes) to be in favor of them, but drag their feet and find every excuse not to implement the program.

Bighead wrote:

IMO, all police should be REQUIRED to wear audio and video recorders at all times- uploading in real-time to secure servers that the police can't fuckk with. The technology is common- you can get everything you need at your local BestBuy. It's an OBVIOUS and simple solution... IF our criminal justice system was actually interested in prosecuting criminals or pursuing justice. You do the math.

The police would oppose that solution just like they oppose cameras in their cars... because it would expose the REAL danger to our society.

Here in Wichita, most of the city cop cars still don't have cameras- which have been cheap and simple for well over a decade. The police CLAIM (for PR purposes) to be in favor of them, but drag their feet and find every excuse not to implement the program.

Maybe you should volunteer to pay the bill.

I'll gladly vote for a local tax increase specifically for that purpose.

It just goes to show what our priorities as a society are. We hire hundreds of thousands of extra cops all over the country to fight the unwinnable War On Drugs... people who make a living at harassing and detaining the most pathetic among us (addicts) who aren't necessarily hurting anybody. We train and equip these hired thugs to assault and arrest peaceful protesters. They have helicopter$ to chase down any local punk who runs from them 'cause he has some contraband on him.

But we can't afford a few hundred dollars extra per patrol car to equip them with cameras... you know- to ensure that we're actually prosecuting criminals and NOT innocent people.

Oh yes, this whole country is just one big shithole. I dont get why you guys worry yourselves sick over this stuff.

Are you going to be able to fix it? NOPE

Are you going to be able to prevent it? NOPE.

Just live your life and let these dumb asses go, they will do themselves in all in good time.

Except Ive never voted republican in my life. Go figure. And before you comment, I didnt vote for Obama OR Clinton either.

I just dont allow myself to get all worked up by this stuff on a daily basis. Hell if I wanted to do that Id be watching FOX news 24-7.

And what is your mantra?

Slider how you manage to function out in the real world amazes me.

luv2cook wrote:

Just live your life and let these dumb asses go, they will do themselves in all in good time.

would it were all that easy...the dumbasses want the complacent dead.... i see this in two ways tho... you know... from both sides... "i got your back. are we clear?" are common things to shout during a firefight... at least in the army they are... don't know about copworld... but it does seem somewhat nefarious... and that causes me difficulty... it is certainly an issue that should be looked into... but im not sure the officers were necessarily trying to cover something up based on those words alone... i anxiously await further investigation.

robert wrote:

"i got your back. are we clear?"

If he said it before the shooting maybe but saying it after just screams cover up.

Officers callously ignored his request and painfully dragged Tony by his injured leg, through the home and out to his backyard patio, where they left him bloodied and shot right in front of Lesley, Matthew and Zachary."
The Arambulas say the officers later dragged Anthony onto gravel, then put him on top of the hot hood of a squad car, and "drove the squad car down the street with Tony lying on top, writing in pain."

Seriously? Just WOW! Surely that didn't really happen?

slider wrote:

Most of the advice and/or diagnosis's given on here are merely laughed off as another piss poor attempt at a false social concern by the dimestore docters here on good old Route 67601!.

slider wrote:

luv2cook wrote:

Oh yes, this whole country is just one big shithole. I dont get why you guys worry yourselves sick over this stuff.

Are you going to be able to fix it? NOPE

Are you going to be able to prevent it? NOPE.

Just live your life and let these dumb asses go, they will do themselves in all in good time.

It's the Republicant Mantra, glad you know it by heart!

Jesus Fuckking Christ, Slider... does EVERYTHING have to be a Dem/Repub issue with you? You're like EP's Bizzaro World Double.

luv2cook wrote:

Oh yes, this whole country is just one big shithole. I dont get why you guys worry yourselves sick over this stuff.

Are you going to be able to fix it? NOPE

Are you going to be able to prevent it? NOPE.

Just live your life and let these dumb asses go, they will do themselves in all in good time.

That's good advice in a sense- and I'm not being facetious here. One thing that I've gradually come to realize as I've become older and more aware of what goes on in the world is that one simply CAN'T care about (or be aware of) every injustice... or even a significant fraction of them. For every injustice and unsolvable problem that I'm aware of- I know damn well that there are dozens- maybe hundreds- of similarly heinous goings-on that I just don't know about. From a practical standpoint, yes- I'm better off letting this sort of thing go. I mean hell, I can get through the day... or the week... or even a few months without the on-going genocide in Rwanda and other equally nasty places even crossing my mind. What's a little police corruption and attempted murder by comparison?

And really, I am pretty good at not worrying about this sort of thing. I don't go through my days stewing about the latest news... the latest child or handicapped woman who's been tasered. But I DO like to rant. And I'd might as well pick a topic that I find compelling. Also, I keep in mind that my views over the years have been significantly influenced by random shit that I've read on the intranets. So I figger that I'm doing just a little bit to make the world a better place.

Bighead wrote:

Also, I keep in mind that my views over the years have been significantly influenced by random shit that I've read on the intranets.

And we know those stories are always true.

Golly gee EP- are you suggesting otherwise??

Bighead wrote:

Golly gee EP- are you suggesting otherwise??

Nope. Wouldn't want to burst your bubble.