Was the NYPD justified in shooting this man dead? Family says "no." You be the judge....

[doublejs07]

NEW YORK — A drug suspect who led police on a wild chase through the Bronx was shot and killed by officers as he tried to ram his way through stopped traffic on an expressway early Saturday, police said.

Orlando Santos, 28, bolted when police tried to stop his SUV because of a broken headlight late Friday night, police spokesman Paul Browne said.

Police chased the SUV for more than five miles as it raced through side streets, over sidewalks and through a parking lot. It finally got stuck in traffic on Interstate 87, the Major Deegan Expressway, shortly after midnight as police began shutting down lanes, Browne said.

Santos began ramming other cars, trying to clear a path through the traffic, Browne said. At least six vehicles were damaged as cars slammed into each other and up onto a concrete divider.

"These were deliberate hits to push virtually bumper-to-bumper traffic out of the way," Browne said.

As three police officers ran up to the SUV, Santos put the vehicle into reverse and tried to run them over, according to witnesses in a taxi, Browne said. In a statement, police called it "a deliberate attempt to strike the officers."

The statement said police ordered Santos to get out of the car, but he refused. Police fired at that point, then again after he struck several more cars — about 10 in all — and drove at the officers again, forcing two of them to jump the highway divider, the statement said.

In all, the three officers fired 19 times, hitting Santos at least four times in the head and neck, Browne said.

Police pulled a passenger from the SUV. He suffered only scratches. He had not been charged with any crime as of Saturday afternoon, Browne said.

Santos, who lived in the Bronx, had a history of drug and weapons arrests and was wanted on a warrant for selling drugs, Browne said. He said no weapons or contraband were found in the SUV.

None of the other people on the highway were seriously injured, but a pregnant woman in one of the cars was taken to a hospital as a precaution, Browne said.

He said a review board would investigate the shooting, a routine practice when officers are involved in a killing. Browne said police rules allow officers to open fire if they or others are in imminent danger.

"There's guidance not to shoot when the only weapon is the vehicle itself, but that's just a guideline," Browne said. "When these review panels look at it they look at the totality of the circumstances."

The Associated Press was unable to reach Santos' family by telephone.

Link

His family's POV...

Angry family and friends of a Bronx fugitive gunned down by cops during a wild weekend car chase found a bizarre way to keep his memory alive — retracing the chase route tonight and creating a noisy traffic jam.

Orlando Santos’ relatives and pals packed into about 20 cars to creep fender-to-fender along Cypress Avenue in The Bronx, honking their horns and flashing their lights.

The line of cars eventually made their way to the local ramp for the Major Deegan Expressway, where Santos, a 28-year-old ex-con, was fatally shot by pursuing NYPD officers.

"My brother is a victim," Santos’ sister, Elizabeth, 36, told about 50 friends gathered in front of his Bronx apartment building tonight for a candlelight vigil.

"He was not a thug, he had no weapon on him, he had nowhere to go. They shot him 19 times. He left four children behind, who is going to look after his kids?"

Santos’s buddy, Onix Diaz, 22, was in the passenger seat of Santos’s Ford Expedition as Santos twice tried to mow down police officers and careened along Bronx highways and streets hitting cars and narrowly missing pedestrians in his bid to escape pursuing cops.

Diaz appeared at last night’s candlelight vigil and plunked down a half-pint of Hennessey cognac and a pack of Newport cigarettes in tribute to his dead pal.

"I ain’t saying nothing," Diaz snarled at reporters.

Santos’s cousin, Daniel Santiago, said of Diaz, "He’s scared to talk because he was held by the cops for 10 hours."

Cops have said they initially tried to stop Santos because of a broken headlight but that he took off, apparently scared because he was wanted on a warrant for skipping court in a previous bust.

Police shot at him 19 times, striking him five times in the head.

He had faced 25 years in jail for three drug busts last year. He had 14 prior arrests, for gun possession, assault, drug-dealing and auto theft. In 1999, he was sentenced to two years at Sing Sing after ramming two people with a stolen car.

But his family said he had been trying to turn his life around by driving a gypsy cab.

Last night, his mother, Elizabeth Santos, 50, was inconsolable as she cried in Spanish, "They killed my son! they killed my son!"

The family yesterday hired a lawyer, Charles Sabel, although it was not immediately clear if they planned to sue the NYPD.



Link

Give me a break....NYPD doesn't have the best rep, but you have WITNESSES saying this dude was not only trying to run folks off the road, but he tried to mow down police officers as well.  Sue for what? 

 

[doublejs07]

NEW YORK — A drug suspect who led police on a wild chase through the Bronx was shot and killed by officers as he tried to ram his way through stopped traffic on an expressway early Saturday, police said.

Orlando Santos, 28, bolted when police tried to stop his SUV because of a broken headlight late Friday night, police spokesman Paul Browne said.

Police chased the SUV for more than five miles as it raced through side streets, over sidewalks and through a parking lot. It finally got stuck in traffic on Interstate 87, the Major Deegan Expressway, shortly after midnight as police began shutting down lanes, Browne said.

Santos began ramming other cars, trying to clear a path through the traffic, Browne said. At least six vehicles were damaged as cars slammed into each other and up onto a concrete divider.

"These were deliberate hits to push virtually bumper-to-bumper traffic out of the way," Browne said.

As three police officers ran up to the SUV, Santos put the vehicle into reverse and tried to run them over, according to witnesses in a taxi, Browne said. In a statement, police called it "a deliberate attempt to strike the officers."

The statement said police ordered Santos to get out of the car, but he refused. Police fired at that point, then again after he struck several more cars — about 10 in all — and drove at the officers again, forcing two of them to jump the highway divider, the statement said.

In all, the three officers fired 19 times, hitting Santos at least four times in the head and neck, Browne said.

Police pulled a passenger from the SUV. He suffered only scratches. He had not been charged with any crime as of Saturday afternoon, Browne said.

Santos, who lived in the Bronx, had a history of drug and weapons arrests and was wanted on a warrant for selling drugs, Browne said. He said no weapons or contraband were found in the SUV.

None of the other people on the highway were seriously injured, but a pregnant woman in one of the cars was taken to a hospital as a precaution, Browne said.

He said a review board would investigate the shooting, a routine practice when officers are involved in a killing. Browne said police rules allow officers to open fire if they or others are in imminent danger.

"There's guidance not to shoot when the only weapon is the vehicle itself, but that's just a guideline," Browne said. "When these review panels look at it they look at the totality of the circumstances."

The Associated Press was unable to reach Santos' family by telephone.

Link

His family's POV...

Angry family and friends of a Bronx fugitive gunned down by cops during a wild weekend car chase found a bizarre way to keep his memory alive — retracing the chase route tonight and creating a noisy traffic jam.

Orlando Santos’ relatives and pals packed into about 20 cars to creep fender-to-fender along Cypress Avenue in The Bronx, honking their horns and flashing their lights.

The line of cars eventually made their way to the local ramp for the Major Deegan Expressway, where Santos, a 28-year-old ex-con, was fatally shot by pursuing NYPD officers.

"My brother is a victim," Santos’ sister, Elizabeth, 36, told about 50 friends gathered in front of his Bronx apartment building tonight for a candlelight vigil.

"He was not a thug, he had no weapon on him, he had nowhere to go. They shot him 19 times. He left four children behind, who is going to look after his kids?"

Santos’s buddy, Onix Diaz, 22, was in the passenger seat of Santos’s Ford Expedition as Santos twice tried to mow down police officers and careened along Bronx highways and streets hitting cars and narrowly missing pedestrians in his bid to escape pursuing cops.

Diaz appeared at last night’s candlelight vigil and plunked down a half-pint of Hennessey cognac and a pack of Newport cigarettes in tribute to his dead pal.

"I ain’t saying nothing," Diaz snarled at reporters.

Santos’s cousin, Daniel Santiago, said of Diaz, "He’s scared to talk because he was held by the cops for 10 hours."

Cops have said they initially tried to stop Santos because of a broken headlight but that he took off, apparently scared because he was wanted on a warrant for skipping court in a previous bust.

Police shot at him 19 times, striking him five times in the head.

He had faced 25 years in jail for three drug busts last year. He had 14 prior arrests, for gun possession, assault, drug-dealing and auto theft. In 1999, he was sentenced to two years at Sing Sing after ramming two people with a stolen car.

But his family said he had been trying to turn his life around by driving a gypsy cab.

Last night, his mother, Elizabeth Santos, 50, was inconsolable as she cried in Spanish, "They killed my son! they killed my son!"

The family yesterday hired a lawyer, Charles Sabel, although it was not immediately clear if they planned to sue the NYPD.



Link

Give me a break....NYPD doesn't have the best rep, but you have WITNESSES saying this dude was not only trying to run folks off the road, but he tried to mow down police officers as well.  Sue for what? 

 

[mondaynightraw]

Typical ghetto trash

Good thing he's dead

 

[mondaynightraw]

Typical ghetto trash

Good thing he's dead

 

[likethematrix]

"In 1999, he was sentenced to two years at Sing Sing after ramming two people with a stolen car."

he deserved every shot.

im surprised he lasted to 2011 really.

not a thug my @!%.

 

[likethematrix]

"In 1999, he was sentenced to two years at Sing Sing after ramming two people with a stolen car."

he deserved every shot.

im surprised he lasted to 2011 really.

not a thug my @!%.

 

[dboulders]

from what i've heard the cops are in the right FOR ONCE.. but you never know maybe the family will get some $$$ from a civil suit or something..

 

[dboulders]

from what i've heard the cops are in the right FOR ONCE.. but you never know maybe the family will get some $$$ from a civil suit or something..

 

[deuce king]

All's well that ends well.

 

[deuce king]

All's well that ends well.

 

[typerpinoy]

family sounds desperate

 

[typerpinoy]

family sounds desperate

 

[crumbs]

based off that article...definitely justified.

 

[crumbs]

based off that article...definitely justified.

 

[solefood229]

at them trying to make him to be a victim, he should have just stopped and dealt with the consequences like a man

 

[solefood229]

at them trying to make him to be a victim, he should have just stopped and dealt with the consequences like a man

 

[oo master chief oo]

Why try and run people over, especially Feds

 

[oo master chief oo]

Why try and run people over, especially Feds

 

[quincy powell]

Originally Posted by mondaynightraw

Typical ghetto trash

Good thing he's dead

When did your 4wrestling SN get banned?

 

[quincy powell]

Originally Posted by mondaynightraw

Typical ghetto trash

Good thing he's dead

When did your 4wrestling SN get banned?

 

[ruxxx]

Last year a longtime friend of mine's girlfriend was killed in a car wreck because some idiot was trying to outrun the cops.If this is how it all played out then I really don't care because he didn't give 2 *%*%@ about anyone else's well-being.

 

[ruxxx]

Last year a longtime friend of mine's girlfriend was killed in a car wreck because some idiot was trying to outrun the cops.If this is how it all played out then I really don't care because he didn't give 2 *%*%@ about anyone else's well-being.

 

[flasheightzero]

Originally Posted by DoubleJs07

In all, the three officers fired 19 times

only 19? some uncommon restraint by these officers

 

[flasheightzero]

Originally Posted by DoubleJs07

In all, the three officers fired 19 times

only 19? some uncommon restraint by these officers

 

[cedric ceballos 1995 lakers]

Originally Posted by DoubleJs07



His family's POV...

Angry family and friends of a Bronx fugitive gunned down by cops during a wild weekend car chase found a bizarre way to keep his memory alive — retracing the chase route tonight and creating a noisy traffic jam.

Orlando Santos’ relatives and pals packed into about 20 cars to creep fender-to-fender along Cypress Avenue in The Bronx, honking their horns and flashing their lights.

The line of cars eventually made their way to the local ramp for the Major Deegan Expressway, where Santos, a 28-year-old ex-con, was fatally shot by pursuing NYPD officers.

"My brother is a victim," Santos’ sister, Elizabeth, 36, told about 50 friends gathered in front of his Bronx apartment building tonight for a candlelight vigil.

"He was not a thug, he had no weapon on him, he had nowhere to go. They shot him 19 times. He left four children behind, who is going to look after his kids?"

Santos’s buddy, Onix Diaz, 22, was in the passenger seat of Santos’s Ford Expedition as Santos twice tried to mow down police officers and careened along Bronx highways and streets hitting cars and narrowly missing pedestrians in his bid to escape pursuing cops.

Diaz appeared at last night’s candlelight vigil and plunked down a half-pint of Hennessey cognac and a pack of Newport cigarettes in tribute to his dead pal.

"I ain’t saying nothing," Diaz snarled at reporters.

Santos’s cousin, Daniel Santiago, said of Diaz, "He’s scared to talk because he was held by the cops for 10 hours."

Cops have said they initially tried to stop Santos because of a broken headlight but that he took off, apparently scared because he was wanted on a warrant for skipping court in a previous bust.

Police shot at him 19 times, striking him five times in the head.

He had faced 25 years in jail for three drug busts last year. He had 14 prior arrests, for gun possession, assault, drug-dealing and auto theft. In 1999, he was sentenced to two years at Sing Sing after ramming two people with a stolen car.

But his family said he had been trying to turn his life around by driving a gypsy cab.

Last night, his mother, Elizabeth Santos, 50, was inconsolable as she cried in Spanish, "They killed my son! they killed my son!"

The family yesterday hired a lawyer, Charles Sabel, although it was not immediately clear if they planned to sue the NYPD.

Link

Give me a break....NYPD doesn't have the best rep, but you have WITNESSES saying this dude was not only trying to run folks off the road, but he tried to mow down police officers as well.  Sue for what? 




i'm usually very anti police but i had to put a few things from the family's response in bold because they made me laugh my @#$ off.