In this environment of (sometimes warranted) cop-bashing, it’s nice to see that some officers go above and beyond the call of duty.
On November 18th, 2006, an off-duty Secret Service Special Agent was shot while attempting to save the life of a man being brutally attack by several men at the Westfield Annapolis Mall. According to news reports, the Special Agent observed several men savagely beating one man. Based on the preliminary facts, the Special Agent took prompt action and attempted to stop the attackers from fatally wounding the victim.
According to published witness reports, one of the attackers drew a firearm and began firing the weapon at people in the food court in the mall. One of the gunmen’s shots wounded the Special Agent as he attempted to save the life of the victim. After being shot, the Special Agent drew and fired his weapon and wounded the crazed gunmen. According to eyewitness accounts, this brave and decisive action stopped the gunmen and prevented others from being seriously wounded or killed. The Special Agent was subsequently taken to a Baltimore hospital where he is being treated for his gunshot wound.
I know that cops are supposed to defend people even when off duty, but to see one do so in such a selfless manner is worth the accolade.
This man is truly a hero. There are many similar acts that we never hear about. To all of them, I send the gratitude of all the people.
How come only the ones who are not wearing the uniform at the moment act as human beings?
Secret Service Agents are far from “cops” or ordinary police officers. They have to be. They are always involved in situations where people have guns and are willing to use them. Counterfeit or protection they are amongst the highest quality enforcement officers you will ever meet.
The main difference is their ego doesn’t affect their work and if it does they no longer have a job. They follow the rules because people die if they don’t!
Sounds like the on-going story in CSI: LasVegas. Next the Secret Service Agent will be sued by the gunman’s family for depriving him of his rights … (to kill the victim?)
Oh and they are always polite while on duty 🙂
Come to think of it if we had men and women like these instead of the TSA we have now I think there would be far fewer problems with flying in America. We would be safer . We wouldn’t need as many so we could pay them more. They wouldn’t need to do “random” checks. They would deal with any problem quickly and professionally. Unlike the current TSA
Good show! Hopefully not too many other innocents were injured and the gunman died of his wounds.
#6 FYI, TSA and security officers in general are usually wanabe cops who either are too stupid, not mature enough or have some sort of past that would preclude them from a real law enforcement job. They have neither the training or responsibility of real LE officer. Comparing a SS agent or any other LE officer to TSA officer is like comparing a cop to a crossing guard.
#2, One word, television.
***
It isn’t true that only the Secret Service are true professionals. Most of the true professionals wear uniforms and would lay their life on the line for you any day, any time. The best example is the number of NYPD that lost their lives on 9/11.
It is the unprofessional cops that get our attention. When they are defended without any question, then I have a problem. The police are there for our protection, NOT to be our overlords.
6,8,
That’s why I originally supported turning the TSA into a federal agency. I had a mental image of customs, secret service, FBI, and other feds types when I should have realized the whole scheme would turn into a political footbal and then to shit.
It’s amazing how the attitude of people changes towards cops when in truly desperate need. They’re as welcoming as though cops were the Second Coming of Christ*
*Yadda, yadda, yadda, yadda.
RBG
Another reason to give thanks.
Thanks to all of the folks who put their lives on the line every day, and continue to do it even when they have to take crap from the people they are trying to protect. 98% of them do their job every day with great professionalism, just as the rest of us do. But 98% doesn’t make for good news. That 2% is what makes “Hard Copy.”
More:
http://wtop.com/index.php?nid=25&sid=979876&sidelines=1
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15012092/
“He ran across the food court with his gun and was shooting at people,” witness Lindsay Busch told WJZ-TV.
Minor conflicting reports, maybe. Taking not one iota away from the officer, my question is hypothetical: If a gunman is 16 – 18 years old, running away but shooting as reported above. If you were an officer already shot by this guy, would you shoot him squarely in the back, as per training requirements or disregard this and shoot, say, the legs with the possible consequence that the kid continues to shoot. You have 2 seconds to decide, knowing a board of inquiry will have two months to dissect the scenario. What if the kid was running away, but shooting into the air, disregarding warnings?
RBG
I can’t wait to do my Christmas shopping at Westfield Annapolis Mall.
I know this mall very well since I work in Annapolis. That food court is pretty full this time of year. Hand it to the Secret Service guy in that crowded mall. Another interesting insight: this is not a getto mall. Full of rich, well-to-do yuppies.
#13:
You shoot to STOP…. If the subject gets dead, he knew the job was dangerous before he took it….
Unless you’re in a state where you can’t legally carry (as a private citizen), or a state where the mall operators can legally forbid you from carrying.
Regards,
Stu.
I was in Annapolis recently, and even at peak times, the people were so laid back as to be falling over backwards. Lucky that agent was around to deal with that nut.
Coincidentally, I was chatting just the other day about how dangerous America can be. My notion is that because of the easy access to guns, anything can happen anywhere, anytime, and not just in the ghetto or as part of an accidental drive by outside a dealer’s house. I was poo-pooed. I hate to say “I told you so”, but to that person, “I told you so.”
There is a lot that is great about America, but the gun-toting craziness bubbling under the surface isn’t one of them.
#11, This trolling is as nauseating as most of your posts. Please, just try once to add something to the discussion.
#4 – My first thought as well.
#18 – I agree.
11, 18.
Beautiful. Thanks you guys just made my day. It must really irritate you when people have opinions different than your own. And especially more so when they are rock solid and backed with facts. And even worse – when they are more entertaining than yours.
Most trolls post and run. I’ve contributed plenty and in detail, with facts and citing internet sources and always with rebuttal. Maybe I’ll give trolls a good name.
What disappoints me is that you should try to call me on post #11 above. Clearly the message is:
People can complain about police all they want until they really need one. And then there is no better friend in the world. Wow. That was just scintillating prose. I should have written that instead. Such impact. Such controversy. Such disruptive, inflamatory and inappropriate ideas.
The “yadda-yadda” is the obvious explanation that not all people believe in Jesus Christ. But the point being that for people in grave need, the effect of a rescuing cop would be literally no less than that of a Christian experiencing the Second Coming.
Some troll. Strap on some balls, boys.
RBG
Correction: 18, 19
RBG
22,
Doug,
I’m tired of people like you lumping all non-conservatives into the same bucket as well. I am a gun ownership advocate, but I also believe in mandatory education with licensing and registration. Please note that I was also the editor who posted this kudos to law
enforcement in the first place.
Not having your weapons registered will NOT protect you from the government, as there are many ways to determine if you have a weapon, house-to-house search being the most obvious one. (Not to mention that NRA membership lists, credit-card records, and bounties paid to quisling neighbors are also effective tactics.)
However, making gun registration and licensing a national requirement will go a long way to making it harder for criminals to get weapons. We will never eliminate guns from our society, but we can raise the bar to the point where it is difficult for a street punk to acquire a black-market weapon.
#23
But that would actually make sense, we can’t be having that in this modern world of ours. =O
Strange how that happened. I backed off before entering the captcha code but it still posted. Anyway, sorry ’bout that.
RBG