By Allan Lengel
Deadline Detroit
DETROIT — Here’s a story that’s very bizarre and dangerous.
Fox2’s Charlie LeDuff reports that an off-duty FBI agent almost shot a Detroit cop on Wednesday at a gas station in Detroit in the Corktown area during a “lame brain” incident.
He reports that the Detroit Police Department was simulating a purse snatching at the station at Michigan Avenue and 11th Street so WDIV could film peoples’ reaction. WDIV was trying to produce an instructive segment to educate the public on safety and crime prevention.
Problem was that an off-duty FBI agent was filling up and witnessed the plain-clothed cop snatching the purse from a WDIV associate. He had no idea it wasn’t real, LeDuff reports. So the FBI agent gave chase to the cop and pulled out a gun, according LeDuff’s report.
The immediate supervisor of these cops had no idea this was happening until they called him.
LeDuff reports:
“The event takes place. The officer takes the purse, runs around the gas station. As he’s running, an off-duty FBI agent is pumping gas. He witnesses the whole thing. He gives chase. He pulls his weapon, and as he turns the corner around the gas station, he’s stopped by another officer, who identifies herself as a police officer and don’t shoot, don’t shoot, this is a scenario,” said Inspector Shawn Gargalino with the Detroit Police Department.
That is the same description of events we got from four other ranking law enforcement officials, including Lieutenant Chuck Flannagan, a 28-year veteran of DPD.
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Now, I’ve got to know if the FBI agent was acting within the law, and if he wasn’t, will he be prosecuted (laughing, as if he ever would be). Now, I am a CPL holder. As I understand it, the only time I should EVER pull out my firearm is if my or others’ lives are in immenent danger. What was the FBI agent going to do…shoot a potentially unarmed theif in the back??? Obviously, this would be against the law even if he was on duty.
Pulling your gun to try and scare or stop someone is a good way to get yourself killed.