Police Storm into Wrong House

[dwarven1]

Police Storm into Wrong House
Monday, September 18, 2006 Posted: 07:11 PM

Man says officers put him in a choke hold

BROWNSVILLE - A case of mistaken identity turns a Brownsville family's world upside down.

Lupe Cuellar and his wife Pilar were startled at 1:30 in the morning by a knocking at their door.

The men at the door said they were cops, but Lupe wasn't sure. He said he'd heard about some burglaries in the neighborhood.

He told his wife to call police. She called 911.

Pilar says the 911 operator told her, "We got a call that your husband was beating you."

The officers tried to kick down the door. She told her husband it was the police and he opened the door.

Lupe says the police officer put him in a choke hold, dragged him to the kitchen, and threw him on the floor.

He said officers asked him why he didn't open the door and Lupe says he tried to explain he didn't know who they were.

Lupe's wife and kids watched officers cuff him and haul him outside in nothing but his underwear.

"It's really embarrassing. I feel like a criminal," he says.

Pilar says she pleaded with the police.

"My husband doesn't abuse me," she says, "He doesn't beat me."

Pilar says, "I couldn't believe this was going on."

The police quickly realized there was no domestic violence at this house.

"They looked at me and said, 'Yeah, you're alright.' And they took off," Lupe recalls.

He went to a hospital, where a nurse called police to report what happened. A sergeant showed up and told the Cuellars' what had happened.

"He told me the dispatcher gave police the wrong address," says Lupe.

The real domestic violence call was two houses down. Officers arrested another man for assault. Lupe says his daughter is now frightened by police.

NEWSCHANNEL 5 tried to talk to the Brownsville police chief. We're told he's gathering information and will comment tomorrow.

The department is reportedly investigating the incident.

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One of the other stories says that a neighbor called 911 when he heard sounds of a fight and gave the dispatcher the wrong address.

I can just hear the lawsuit starting now... And the worst thing is that I'm not sure I wouldn't be filing one myself if I was in that guy's shoes.

 

[daceman63]

Oops.

 

[Admin]

Brownsville Texas? That's a real nice place to live...

Lupe says the police officer put him in a choke hold, dragged him to the kitchen, and threw him on the floor.

I'm no LEO but I'm pretty sure that isn't SOP when there is nothing going on.

 

[SiameseRat]

Wow I can't imagine why the cops felt the need to put the guy in a choke hold, throw him on the floor and take him outside in his underwear if the wife wasn't bleeding or bruised.

I'm kind of ultra-defensive when it comes to the ones I love, I'm not sure I wouldn't have wound up in cuffs myself if a cop came in and tried to do something like that to Patrick...

Whenmy hand surgeon accused Patrick of twisting my wrists we both laughed and Patrick asked him, "have you MET my wife?"

 

[Admin]

Wow I can't imagine why the cops felt the need to put the guy in a choke hold, throw him on the floor and take him outside in his underwear if the wife wasn't bleeding or bruised.

After reading it a second time it was the Lupe's account of what happened. I won't jump to any conclusions yet.

 

[JellyFish]

Overkill: The Rise of Paramilitary Police Raids in America
http://www.cato.org/pubs/wtpapers/balko_whitepaper_2006.pdf

 

[dreppucci007]

 

[dwarven1]

After reading it a second time it was the Lupe's account of what happened. I won't jump to any conclusions yet.

More information here.

 

[Admin]

More information here.

The officer is a dick....

 

[Jaxon]

Brownsville Texas? That's a real nice place to live...

I'm no LEO but I'm pretty sure that isn't SOP when there is nothing going on.

Even back in the day, when we did that sort of thing more often, it wasn't the first thing out of our trick bag.

And he couldn't tell they were the police? WTF, they don't wear uniforms down there?

RJ

 

[KMaurer]

And he couldn't tell they were the police? WTF, they don't wear uniforms down there?

You ever tried looking through one of those stupid spy holes the put in most front doors? Even if the lens hasn't already been scratched into total uselessness or completely coated with grime, most people would have a hard time distinguishing General Peter Pace from a 3'10" Girl Scout through one.

Ken

 

[Admin]

And he couldn't tell they were the police? WTF, they don't wear uniforms down there?

RJ

Maybe they didnt have a peep hole in the door. Read the second link Ross provided.

 

[dwarven1]

It was also 1:30 in the morning. He might still have been groggy, his outside light might have been burned out... he might not have HAD a peephole. Or a window close enough to see out of. Hell, he might have been scared that someone would shoot through the door if there'd been burglaries in the neighborhood.

There wasn't any call for the busting down the door - Couldn't the dispatcher have radioed the cops and told them that the guy was checking up on THEM?

 

[adweisbe]

A little more attitude and that coulda been me

 

[MarkM]

According to the second story the cops didn't have the wrong address, the neighbour who called 911 got the address wrong - the cops went to the address they were given.

That said, I think the homeowners were very smart to call 911 to confirm that the people banging on their door at 1.30am were actually Police.

I am not a criminal so if some people bang on my door in the middle of the night claiming to be police I know I would be dialling 911, having exterior lights on, interior lights off, and taking up a defensive position.

 

[Len-2A Training]

If it happened here, I'd have my Wife call 911 to check, I'd call out that we're checking and to send someone to the door that I know and have him ID himself by name. As of now I know about 50% of our troops, but in a few more years that'll dwindle to next to nobody.

It would still probably take ~1 minute to get up (if I were asleep) and amble to the door, as our sleeping quarters are at the opposite end of the house from the likely door that anyone would use. A 1 minute response to the police will seem like an eternity, so if they are inclined to bash doors down, I could understand that happening, however if they got the wrong house, a lawsuit would follow.

BTW, the chief in the story above released the tape of the original 911 call. They did give the PD the wrong address and the chief claimed that the call was from a cell phone and thus unable to call back for verification. I thought the 911 and cell phone issue was solved a few years ago and our cell numbers come up when a 911 call is made. Jon??

 

[KIDGLOCK]

One of these days they will kick in the wrong door and get a face full of 556 . Then whos going to be the bad guy ???

Some people are prepared for home invasions and might just defend them selves from a threat , How do ya think that will turn out in court ( if any of the home onwers live ) .

 

[Len-2A Training]

The homeowners probably won't live, and if they do they will be prosecuted and persecuted to a financial death. Of that you can be certain, even if they were 100% innocent of any real wrongdoing!

This state (judge and jury) does not look kindly on mere citizens defending themselves by use of deadly force. And the lawyers just salivate at the opportunity to persecute such folks and glean their huge %-age fee.

 

[JonJ]

BTW, the chief in the story above released the tape of the original 911 call. They did give the PD the wrong address and the chief claimed that the call was from a cell phone and thus unable to call back for verification. I thought the 911 and cell phone issue was solved a few years ago and our cell numbers come up when a 911 call is made. Jon??

In MA, all 911 cell calls are routed to the MSP HQ where they are screened and rerouted to the appropriate department. Not all cell numbers come up on the screen. We had a recent call where 911 cell call was received by MSP and handed to us. There was no callback number taken, no displayed number, no GPS location and untraceable.

 

[Len-2A Training]

Crap, that sucks. I would have hoped that they would have solved this problem with all the money they collect from our collective phone bills for E911 monthly.