LAPD Officer Gunned Down at a Taco Stand
First and foremost, let me offer my sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Officer Juan Jose Diaz, and to all of my brothers and sisters in blue. LAPD Officer Diaz was killed over the weekend in northeastern Los Angeles.
The off-duty officer was shot and killed as he and his girlfriend—and possibly her brothers, depending on the news source—were either ordering food at the taco stand and were confronted by the suspects, or when the officer confronted the suspects who were tagging a business. Again, reports vary—especially at the time of this writing, just hours after the incident—and I am unable to confirm the information.
The murder occurred in LAPD’s Hollenbeck Division, which is bordered by the sheriff’s East Los Angeles station jurisdiction. The region is predominately Hispanic, and gang-infested. The off-duty officer, too, was Hispanic.
According to Early Reports
The suspects claimed their gang, saying they were from the Avenues, and that the area was their turf.
Their turf. Let that sink in for a while as we consider the absurdity of open borders.
One report says the suspect lifted his shirt and showed the off-duty officer that he was armed with a pistol. I haven’t read whether or not the victim was armed, though I can’t imagine any cop in L.A. being without his firearm while off duty in a gang-infested neighborhood, especially at night.
If he was armed, I question—hypothetically, not to Monday morning quarterback the officer’s actions—why he might have chosen to retreat to his car, rather than engaging the suspect. Maybe it was because he feared more of them were armed, and he believed it was a confrontation he wouldn’t win. Maybe he feared for the safety of his companions and hoped to retreat without any further incident. But it was as he retreated that he was gunned down, according to reports.
Times Have Changed
In years past, retreating was not something many cops would consider in that type of situation. Most knew that predators are empowered when their prey backs down. It is only when they are met with greater force, will they, themselves, retreat or surrender.
Colonel John Dean “Jeff” Cooper (USMC) was once asked—by a “bleeding-heart type” (his words)—whether he agreed that violence only begets violence. Cooper told the man that it was his earnest endeavor to see that it does. He said, “I would like very much to ensure—and in some cases I have—that any man who offers violence to his fellow citizen, begets a whole lot more in return than he can enjoy.”
Cooper also once said: “Remember the first rule of gunfighting . . . Have a gun.”
The Point of the Story
It seems many cops are now hesitant to use force against aggressors. That is a troubling trend for law enforcement, and it should be an even greater concern for the rest of society.
I blame the political climate. Inaction by police is the result of a precedent set by coward politicians’ responses to agitators who can be found in every major city in our country, and whose agendas are propagated by most cable news channels. It started in Ferguson, Missouri—via Washington D.C.—and then spread throughout the nation.
Throwing Water on Cops
Most of us have seen the cases where cops have retreated as hecklers pursue them with buckets of water. Not only is this disgraceful, but it is a deadly precedent. What happens when the bucket is filled with acid? Or when it’s one of ANTIFA’s concrete cocktails? What happens when one of these aggressors decides to pull a gun on the retreating cop instead? When have cops EVER been trained to turn their backs on people in the street who are behaving aggressively toward them?
Some might say it’s just water. Besides the fact that it is disrespectful, it is also an assault. More importantly, it is a sign that police are no longer symbols of authority. What would happen if students began doing this to their school deans, or even to teachers? What about judges? At what point does our society collapse into third-world status from the lawlessness we now seem to tolerate? Politicians are making it more difficult to incarcerate criminals while releasing others from prison without their sentences having been served.
How it Should be Handled
Aggression toward cops should be met with unequivocal use of force. It must be made clear that cops are not to be considered targets. And when the complaints are filed and the lawsuits begin, the administrators need to back their officers and stand up to the loudmouthed activists and politicians—which, in today’s world, are often one and the same. That is the only way to stop this slippery slope on which we find ourselves.
And when a gangster shows you a gun, you needn’t question his intent: he will kill you and eat a taco on his way home while you bleed out on the pavement. Unless you beat him to the punch.
“The only acceptable response to the threat of lethal violence is immediate and savage counterattack. If you resist, you just may get killed. If you don’t resist, you almost certainly will get killed. It is a tough choice, but there is only one right answer.” – Colonel Jeff Cooper
* * *
A GOOD BUNCH OF MEN
DOOR TO A DARK ROOM
ECHO KILLERS
THE COLOR DEAD
Death after dishonor
(Coming September 2019)
Well stated. This nation is becoming a sad state of affairs thanks in large part because of our politicians and media. I’m afraid if it keeps up we will end up in civil war.
I share your concerns. Thank you.
Have nothing but admiration and respect for those people who choose to serve as Law Enforcement and Military personnel in todays world. Never would I have imagined that some parts of society, and a major percentage of government, fail to support them as they should.
Different on an airliner now…. act up and the passengers will gladly whoop your ass and just ask the Flight Crew for the Duct tape and zip ties. I would like to see the same kind of behavior on the ground. Not vigilantism, just people holding other people to a societal norm.
If we policed ourselves, law enforcement would be about as exciting as watching road flares burn out…. and then we have the stupid people.
When necessary, some individuals, and groups, need to get shot, tazed, hit or otherwise adjusted so they behave appropriately.
Just sayin’
Agreed. Thanks, Griff.
Unfortunately, the more “enlightened” among us are reluctant to accept the reality that in MANY scenarios encountered by LE, violence IS the only appropriate response. Stand by to stand by. They’ll eventually be forced to accept that reality. When they finally grasp it, they’ll be the ones demanding that LE be extremely violent in order to protect them.
That’s an interesting thought, and I don’t doubt you are right. Thanks, Deedub.
“Some might say it’s just water.”
It is only after the assault that the victim may figure out it is ‘just water’. At the moment of assault s/he doesn’t know if it is water, acid, milk, cement, drain cleaner, or something else toxic. At the moment of assault, the victim does not know if it is only a prelude to continued and more violent assault.
Given widespread reports of cement, and of calls for even more dangerous substances, it seems reasonable to me to reply immediately to potentially deadly violence with potentially deadly violence.
The idea that LEOs -or anyone else- should turn their backs on assailants rewards assault. We all know that rewarding behavior good or bad provokes more of that behavior.
Armed assault of anyone -LEO or civilian- ought to be a high risk pastime. A bucket full of an unknown substance should automatically qualify as a potentially deadly weapon, and treated as such.
It’s a scandal that neither politicians nor courts seem to agree..
Brilliantly stated! Thank you!
On point. As a law enforcement family, we know too often the result of politicizing policing.
Thank you.
Anyone who knows D.R. Smith knows he has nothing but the utmost respect for any American who picks up a rifle and heads out to protect his country, or any American who pins on a badge and buckles up a gun belt to protect his/her fellow citizens. Period. All of those who do such work should not hesitate to assess scenarios that have ended tragically with the hope that something can be used as a lesson. Danny would be the first to acknowledge he has made his share of mistakes (haven’t we all?) and was simply lucky enough to survive them–like all of us. God bless officer Diaz. The mere fact he suited up and went down range in the city of L.A. makes him a hero in my book.
Very well said, Frank. Thank you!
This blog commentary is one of the best I have read all year! It should be forwarded to nationally read newspapers as well as police trade journals. God help all of us if we don’t get this situation remedied.
Thanks, Sonny.
Today’s blog was so on point and should be taken very seriously. Just leaving the confines of your home is an immediate invitation to violence and/or death by some evil person bent on taking whatever he can. The extent of my fear has reached a point where I will not leave my apartment, which is a gated community, without looking all around to see if there is anyone suspicious lurking. And even then I hurry to my car and lock it immediately after entering. As for going out at night? Not unless someone I know picks me up! How’s that for what’s to be said about what we live with today?
My heart goes out to the family and friends of the Los Angeles policeman.
It’s sad we have to live this way, but being aware of your surroundings is paramount; you are doing it right! Thanks for the comment.
I posted this comment on my FB group (Dickie Floyd Novels VIP) and thought it would be appropriate to share here as well.
Before publishing this post I was concerned that some might feel as if I was unfairly judging the actions of Officer Diaz, which I certainly am not, nor would I ever. Without being there, it is inappropriate to Monday morning QB any situation like this.
One of my thoughts on this situation–without of course knowing anything else–is that the officer might have determined that taking action would further endanger his girlfriend or the others with him. Which, of course, would be heroic of him to consider others over himself, and I think it is likely that may have been the case, or at least a compelling factor in his decisions.
My greatest fear—and the point of this blog—is that in today’s political climate, officers can be reluctant to take action for fear that they will be sacrificed to appease the masses. This is a trend that must be reversed.
You are right on! It is shameful that our system has caused this because our cops have no backing.
Thank you!