SWAT officers invade home, take 11-year-old at gunpoint

[Asclepius]

By Bob Unruh
WorldNetDaily.com

Nearly a dozen members of a police SWAT team in western Colorado punched a hole in the front door and invaded a family's home with guns drawn, demanding that an 11-year-old boy who had had an accidental fall accompany them to the hospital, on the order of Garfield County Magistrate Lain Leoniak.

The boy's parents and siblings were thrown to the floor at gunpoint and the parents were handcuffed in the weekend assault, and the boy's father told WND it was all because a paramedic was upset the family preferred to care for their son themselves.

Someone, apparently the unidentified paramedic, called police, the sheriff's office and social services, eventually providing Leoniak with a report that generated the magistrate's court order to the sheriff's office for the SWAT team assault on the family's home in a mobile home development outside of Glenwood Springs, the father, Tom Shiflett, told WND.

Read the rest of the article here.

 

[MEDIC213]

That's stupidity on somebody's part.

 

[jordanfstop]

Photos from the incident-

 

[Selenolycus]

It is rather ridiculous how often SWAT is used in non-extreme situations (e.g., like this, or when someone is suspected of having cannabis etc.). It'd be nice if their use was confined to busting human trafficking cartels or hostage situations...

 

[Asclepius]

I'm not justifying the extreme actions by anyone in this case, but think about this for a moment. According to the sheriff in the article, the dad in this case has an apparent history of threats against the police department. I know in our city, when a home has made a threat against public servants they are red flagged in the CAD (computer aided dispatch) which cautions us prior to arrival. I imagine or at least it is likely that this guy was probably red flagged.

This may be nothing more than a nosy neighbor sticking her nose in where it doesn't belong or a disgruntled paramedic...No question that SWAT is used more than necessary, but I think it is better to be safe than sorry. Sometimes you just don't know what to expect. Personal safety is always paramount.

Jordan - I'm curious as to the authenticity of that picture. There is no corroboration or explanation of the picture. I tried briefly looking through the blog that it is attached with to see if there was any story related to it and I didn't see anything.

 

[jordanfstop]

Jordan - I'm curious as to the authenticity of that picture. There is no corroboration or explanation of the picture. I tried briefly looking through the blog that it is attached with to see if there was any story related to it and I didn't see anything.

Haha, it's from the whole Elian Gonzalez Affair from 2000. Just reminded me of this story.

 

[Asclepius]

Haha, it's from the whole Elian Gonzalez Affair from 2000. Just reminded me of this story.

Oh, thank you for the clarification.

 

[Selenolycus]

I'm not justifying the extreme actions by anyone in this case, but think about this for a moment. According to the sheriff in the article, the dad in this case has an apparent history of threats against the police department. I know in our city, when a home has made a threat against public servants they are red flagged in the CAD (computer aided dispatch) which cautions us prior to arrival. I imagine or at least it is likely that this guy was probably red flagged.

From the article: "The sheriff said the decision to use SWAT team force was justified because the father was a "self-proclaimed constitutionalist" and had made threats and "comments" over the years.

However, the sheriff declined to provide a single instance of the father's illegal behavior. "I can't tell you specifically," he said."

-----

That leaves a lot of questions unanswered. Why would he be calling and threatening them? What exactly did he say? Was legal action taken against his threats if they were so serious - if not, why?

This may be nothing more than a nosy neighbor sticking her nose in where it doesn't belong or a disgruntled paramedic...No question that SWAT is used more than necessary, but I think it is better to be safe than sorry

Law enforcement's goal is to serve and protect the public. Aggressive usage of law enforcement with fully automatic weapons & no-knock warrant arrests has consistently shown to lead to the loss of life. Note the absurdity of this particular situation. The SWAT team presented a greater threat to the boy's life blazing-in with their AR-15s than his "medical condition," which was the entire reason for the raid.

Our system is rather messed-up. Four paramedics lost their jobs because one man failed to check the pulse of a woman with a significant amount of brain matter, and likely to've died no matter what. Comparatively, several SWAT teams have carried-out no-knock warrants against the wrong house, enter, themselves kill innocent people, and walk-away with only two weeks paid leave (vacation).

Police can mistakenly kill and get away with it scott-free, but when a medical professional fails to follow protocol to the T (even in futile situations) their entire career is over. It's madness.

 

[MEDIC213]

Here's another take on the story. This is the local newspaper in the city where all this occurred. From what I understand, WND isn't exactly an unbiased news source. But then again, in this day and age, nobody is an unbiased news source.

http://www.postindependent.com/article/20080109/VALLEYNEWS/933433845

 

[JPINFV]

Photos from the incident-

Now that is gun control at its finest. If you notice, the officer's finger is not on the trigger but beside it.

 

[Ridryder911]

Haha, it's from the whole Elian Gonzalez Affair from 2000. Just reminded me of this story.

Couple of things, this is how misinformation is provided by the internet.

As well who ever heard of the World Net Daily? Ahh... Google the name .. " john shiftlett, garfield county, colorado.." There it is mentioned in the The Freedom Fighter, Freedom in Our Time, Post Independent Time Sounds like nice militia newpapers... True solid Journalism...NOT!

Sorry, I worked the results of Timothy McVeigh.



Let's see what AP had to say.."http://news.aol.com/story/_a/colorado-raid-angers-family/n20080108065309990012?ecid=RSS0001

Garfield County's All Hazards Response Team raided the home Friday night, a day after Jon Shiflett fell after grabbing the handle of a moving car. Someone - possibly a neighbor - called paramedics".....

..."Jon's father, Tom Shiflett, 62, told paramedics he didn't want them to treat Jon and asked them to leave. He told them he had served as a medic in Vietnam and he had the skill to treat his son"....

Okay, now we see a plot! A has been so-called band-aid medic that treated someone thirty five years ago!... So I am sure he is current of knowing TBI.. maybe he can do a jungle burr hole; yep, a loving father.. I think I will nominate him on fathers day...

..."Caseworkers who later visited the family reported seeing injuries that included a "huge hematoma" and a sluggish pupil. They went before a judge seeking a search warrant and order for medical treatment, citing affidavits from the ambulance crew"......

Wow! A possible CHI and no one is supposed to be upset? Great, I am sure Grandpa (or at least old enough) is so caring that his civil rights are infringed upon and to he*l with the kid..

C'mon, let's be careful; there is enough trash out there without promoting it !

R/r 911

 

[jmaccauley]

Actually, when law enforcement has had past dealings with someone who has made threats against them, they tend to be a little more prepared when they have to revisit. In this case, a child's welfare was the issue. Rather than face a possible standoff with a disgruntled Viet Nam era vet, using superior numbers is not unreasonable. Before anyone starts crying about police brutality, consider that no one was injured, the boy was able to get medical treatment and only a few internet whiners were really offended. That is the ultimate goal of law enforcement. Had there been an armed standoff, who do you think would have been blamed for putting the child in danger?

By the way, don't insult the police by posting that Elion Gonzales picture here because that too was a situation that could have been an armed standoff had the police not responded with overwhelming man and firepower. The Cuban community there actually was prepared for such a confrontation. Instead the boy was rightfully returned to his father.

 

[SC Bird]

Interesting read...guessing there has to be a reason that the situation was upgraded so that SWAT would conduct the operation...

-Matt