If you've been watching the news lately, it's been nearly impossible to ignore the panicked manhunt for accused killer Christopher Dorner. While his alleged killings and threats against members of the police department have been incredibly scary, what's even more terrifying is the police response to these threats.
Officers have dare I say it, appeared to have been acting negligently, exhibiting risky behavior and injuring innocent community members without provocation. Recently, seemingly overzealous police officers have severely injured 3 citizens in Torrance who news reports pointed out looked nothing like the suspect. In each scenario, police officers expressed an uncertainty about the driver's looks, shooting blindly at the driver and the vehicle to stop it. These innocent citizens were severely injured with police officers' bullets and a patrol car that slammed into one driver.
Are Community Members at Risk for Injury?
According to news reports, the suspect, Chris Dorner, has been travelling across the Southland from the mountains to the city. While police officers are being rightly protective of their own officers, these incidents communicate a need for restraint.
In the Torrance case, community members were unaware of any problems before they were injured by police officers. In one instance, two women were delivering newspapers as they always did day in and day out before they were shot at without warning. These two were women who clearly did not fit the suspect's profile in any way. In another case, a man was stopped and questioned and later rammed by police after officers appeared to have second guessed whether or not he looked anything like suspect Chris Dorner. He was another race, driving a vehicle that was not on a watch list, and going about his normal business.
Are community members at risk for injury from police? Given these situations, community members have flocked to social media to discuss their feelings of insecurity and their fears that they too could be injured for doing nothing. While it is understandable that police are being cautious, it is a bit alarming to community members whose only crime was being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
If you have been injured by police officers' overzealous reactions to the Christopher Dorner manhunt, please call a skilled personal injury attorney to help you obtain the compensation you need for your injuries.
