There has long been controversy over high-speed chases by police that result in the deaths of innocent drivers. Some jurisdictions have sharply curtailed the circumstances under which police can engage in such chases. Those concerns are likely to be heard in the aftermath of a tragic death of Larry Collins, 63, after a police cruiser collided with his car during a chase of a robbery suspect. The police were chasing Brian Lipp on a highway . . . going against the traffic.
The police eventually caught up with Lipp and killed him. He was found to have only a pellet gun, but police say that did not know that and that Lipp raised the gun. Seven officers fired an estimated 40-50 rounds.
In all, seven other people were injured, including two police officers. That included a couple and their two children who were one of the cars in series of accidents.
Toledo Chief Mike Navarre of the Toledo Police insists that the fault is entirely Lipps and “the senseless act of a person who is desperate for money to feed a drug habit.”
It is not always fair to second-guess the police in reacting to an armed felon. However, there are legitimate concerns raised over the conduct of the chase and the high number of bullets fired by the officers.
Source: ABC13 as seen on Reddit.
The investigation has been completed. The officers who were involved in the chase that unfortunately had causality of the fatality have been cleared. The officer who Lipp drew a weapon on prior to the chase, who did not fire at Lipp is under review and will be retrained. Perhaps her failure to fire when in a standoff is also a causal factor in two subsequent carjackings that morning. No word on the status of officers who unsuccessfully chased Lipp back and forth across the Ohio-Michigan border with radios and helicopters the prior evening.
That is a very sad story. Having a civilian die because of police mistakes is never a good thing.
Actually, no, it’s not another fact. The two events are causally connected. But for the high speed chase, Larry Collins would be alive barring any extraneous and supervening factors.
Ownership of an opinion neither makes it logical, well reasoned or right either. Logic and reason can make an opinion right however. Neither “Buddha” nor john lechman exhibit logic or reason in trying to break the causality of Larry Collins’ death in the name of cheap rationalization in defense of overzealous (and, quite frankly, thrill seeking) police tactics. Larry Collins’ death is a direct result of a high speed pursuit. A pursuit that the police could have ended at any time and thus removed the danger to the general public created by driving at race track speeds on public roads. Does that mean Lipp had to be let go in the name of public safety? Not in the slightest.
Radio waves travel at the speed of light and even Tex Ritter knew to catch the bad guys it’s easier (and safer) to head them off at the pass. And he was on a horse. A one horse-powered horse at that.
Sorry.
You are both wrong not only as a matter of opinion, but as a matter of fact. When a high speed chase results in the death of innocent civilian it is only macho posturing to fail to recognize that even one ancillary death makes the transactional costs of high speed pursuit too high. I don’t care if the cops were chasing Hitler while he was being blown by Darth Vader. We have technology that makes high speed chases unnecessary although a bit less thrilling than putting the pedal to the metal.
However unfortunate, the death of Larry Collins is another fact.
Whether or not it was “justified” is another opinion.
Ownership of an opinion does not make it a fact.
All of which, naturally, justifies the death of Larry Collins.
Wow. Lots of opinions. Not much fact. FACTS: Lipp had been the subject of a manhunt for several days. Prior to this chase he did several armed robberies, pointed a weapon at a police officer, stole a vehicle, drove the wrong direction, did two more armed robberies after the fatal crash (which he escaped from) then stole a second car that day and was witnessed hitting a crack pipe before he raised his pellet gun at FBI, TPD and OHP officers. A helicopter was involved. He died high on crack with his lighter in his hand, a
“Frankly”, Since I first started driving in the fifties, I was told “You can’t outrun a radio.” A million miles later, it’s still true.
Kill one to catch one… that makes sense… like going to Iraq.
So…everyone involved was going in the wrong direction on the freeway? And how does the toledo chief “know” this bandito was servicing a drug habit? Couldn’t he also be trying to feed a family? Certainly he wasn’t an experienced robber.
stop strips. we don’t need no stinkin stop strips
Ever hear of helicopters and road blocks? So were the death and injuries worth it? It seems to me that the police chase escalated the probable damage. Police chases are incredible unprofessional and the potential damage to the public are never worth the risk.
Me like, me chase …
“the senseless act of a person who is desperate for money to feed a drug habit”
It’s possible I misread the article but this is what I took away from it with corrections in the brackets:
“the senseless act of a person[s] who [are] desperate for [action] to feed [their][adrenaline] habit”
alternately:
“the senseless act of a [police department] who is desperate for money to feed a [power trip]”
I don’t believe the officers did wrong by shooting him. He presented the appearance of a credible threat. Their chase and their volume of fire was extreme and obviously influenced by their heightened excitement. Dozens more people could have been killed or injured if there had been a different backstop for the avalanche of bullets fired.
We had a case in MN this weekend where a Patrol officer made an “equipment” stop. When he noticed what he thought were drugs in the car he ordered the driver out. Instead she took off, the officer reached into the car and was dragged 200 feet according to the report. He drew his gun & killed the driver.
How stupid is it to reach into a car when the driver is trying to pull away? He may well have had no choice but to shoot at that point be it should not have reached that point. He should have radioed for assistance & followed her. What kind of training do these guys get?
Typical small town cop John Wayne syndrome. Everybody wants to get his ticket punched for his heroic participation. Typical also will be the county prosecutor refusing to act on this “justifiable” episode.
Big town stuff: NYPD style execution.
Not sure what Toledo and/or Ohio laws are, but in many places Lipp would be charged with the death of the innocent driver even if the cop was 100% at fault. They reason it wouldn’t happen without the crime. The fact that basic common sense should come into play to determine if and how long a chase is maintained is ignored. The fact that the chase lasted so long and so recklessly because the police were angry they were fired upon is also ignored – at least according to the law in some jurisdictions.
Not sure if a civil lawsuit would be allowed to go forward against the city/state since the laws made by the city/state often grant them immunity for their actions.
I think Toledo better get their deep pockets ready for the lawsuit from the victims of this blatant negligence on the part of the police department.
Lipps’ fault?! Sounds more like “the senseless acts of people high on adrenaline.”
Yes, this is a horrible problem. Every time I see some squad car speeding by with lights flashing I wonder. . . At least in most places there aren’t news choppers filming the chase (which exacerbates the problem).
Where I live the cops always overreact. It’s a pretty boring place to work if you’re a cop. You see one civilian car stopped on the side of the road with 7 squad cars, lights flashing. You’d think they were arresting No. 1 on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. They just can’t miss the chance to “get in on the action.”
They eventually catch them….is oft the key word of law enforcement…at least Segal and Joe were not around….