A stunning, horrific video posted online recently proves this point.
The video, which appears to have come from a squad car dash cam, shows two officers interacting with what appears to be a black male suspect at the rear of his vehicle along a busy highway.
As the encounter begins, one officer seems to inform the suspect he’s going to be placed under arrest. He asks the man to turn around and ‘assume the position’ by placing his hands behind his back so he can be handcuffed.
The second officer is seen moving in closer when it seems like the suspect is questioning the arrest.
Suddenly, the suspect tries to break free and a struggle ensues. The arresting cop pulls out what looks like a taser and all three disappear from the view of the dash cam as the suspect tries to flee and the two officers pursue.
They reappear, and the suspect, who is free from the grip of either officer, is tased by one of them as he falls to the ground and begins to scream and roll into the nearest lane of the highway.
Both officers grab the suspect and pull him out of the roadway to the rear of his vehicle as one says, “Keep the taser on him!”
The officers continue to struggle with the man who is on the ground and pleading with them to stop tasing him. “Get on your back!” yells one of the officers, as he attempts to handcuff the suspect again.
Shortly thereafter, the officer with the taser stops applying the electrical charge and begins assisting the second officer with the suspect, who continues to fight. The officer who was tasing the suspect then strikes him in an attempt to subdue him so he can be detained.
“Get the f**k on your back!” an officer yells again.
Moments later, the suspect manages to free himself. He sprints around the front of his vehicle and, as one officer pulls his weapon and trains in on the suspect, the other moves to cut the suspect off.
But he’s not fast enough. The suspect is seen reaching into his vehicle and pulling out a handgun. He begins firing, appearing to strike the officer who had his gun trained, but who could not fire because the second officer was in his line of sight.
The second officer moves to the passenger side of the vehicle as both fire at each other. Suddenly, the second officer appears to have been struck. After lying on the ground for a moment, he lifts himself up, and disappears over the guardrail to relative safety. (Related: The best memes about Kyle Rittenhouse, an American hero who defended himself against violent Black Lives Matter thugs who deserved to be shot.)
More shots are exchanged, some of which knock out a portion of the suspect vehicle’s rear windshield before he starts the car and speeds away.
It’s not clear where the incident took place or what condition the officers were left in, or even if they survived.
Now, contrast this with what happened in Kenosha, Wis., last week.
The officer involved in shooting Jacob Blake seven times did so because:
Turns out, that's exactly what he was doing. Authorities investigating the incident said Blake had a knife on the floorboard. Blake himself admitted that to police.
Why? Because he was wanted for an alleged robbery and sexual assault.
Now he’s paralyzed, Kenosha burned and was looted, two rioters are dead, a third has been wounded, and a 17-year-old boy has been charged with murdering them.
All because officers did what they knew they had to do — what they were trained to do — to protect themselves and others.
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