Police
Unarmed teen killed by Calif. Police had more than 90 rounds shot at him
Officers in California fired more than 90 rounds at an unarmed teenager who was killed on a San Fernando Valley freeway after a wild car chase.
Officers in California fired more than 90 rounds at an unarmed teenager who was killed on a San Fernando Valley freeway after a wild car chase.
A partial transcript of a 911 call that was released said 19-year-old Abdul Arian claimed he had a gun and would shoot police officers.
But he didn’t have a gun.
The pursuit ended on the U.S. 101 freeway when Arian attempted to make a u-turn and was hit by a squad car.
TV helicopters captured the moments from beginning to end, showing Arian jumping out of the car and repeatedly making movements with his arms as if taking a shooting stance.
The Police Department said in a statement that the man had a lengthy conversation with a 911 operator, who tried to get the teen to stop.
“I have a gun,” was one of the statements police quoted the man as saying.
“‘I’ve been arrested before for possession of destructive devices, I’m not afraid of cops,” he said.
“If they pull their guns, I’m gonna have to pull my gun out on them,” he was also quoted as saying.
Police said that when the operator told the man, “I don’t want you to hurt yourself,” the man responded with obscenities.
“I’m not gonna get hurt … these police, they’re gonna get hurt,” he said.
The police statement said that when Arian jumped out of the car he appeared to be taking “an aggressive `shooting stance.”
You can see the suspect doing something with something in his hands,” Lt. Andy Neiman said earlier.
Arian was formerly in a police explorer’s program. His uncle, Hamed Arian, told reporters that his nephew always wanted to be a police officer and drove a dark Ford Crown Victoria, a car model used for police vehicles.
But he also said “He was always afraid of the cops.”
Abdul Arian didn’t have a gun at the time of his death. His uncle believes the shooting was unjustified, saying the police should have used a nonlethal weapon to detain his nephew.
The pursuit started with Arian refusing to pull over for the police. It led to a high speed chase through San Fernando Valley onto to the freeway.
Bob from OC
April 16, 2012 at 11:31 pm
This idiot got what was coming to him. The only people I feel sorry for are the cops who had to kill him. He calls 911 and says he has a gun, he points something like he has a gun. Thank God his genetic code stops with him.