The tense standoff yesterday between police and a 32-year-old man who was using his eight-year daughter as a human shield could have resulted in a tragedy were it not for the yeoman's work performed by the Brownsville Police Department negotiators.
Daniel Gamez was recognized by police during a traffic stop as a man wanted on an aggravated assault and harassment charges against his current wife.
The negotiators were able to persuade the man to release his daughter and to give himself up.
Because of that incident, police knew he possessed a range of firearms, including a AK-47 and several handguns. However, during the standoff there was no indication that he had any with him in the Toyota Camry. It was the presence of the child that required the use of all the skills available to the police negotiators instead of force.
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The church’s daycare was evacuated, and the children were transported to nearby Homer Hanna Early College High School on Price Road .To add to the congestion and confusion, the standoff occurred while a wedding was to take place and the wedding party had to scamper to the Rockwell Market down the road and await the end of the standoff.
"We had sharpshooters in place who could have taken him out," said an officer intimately aware of the negotiations. "But when there a danger of the child getting hurt because he had her sitting on his lap, we doubled our efforts at convincing him to let her go."
After about two hours, Gamez did let her go.
"She came running toward a female officer who was negotiating with him," said the PD source. "The little girl was literally shaking and her teeth were shattering."
The little-noticed negotiating team is given credit for the standoff to have been resolved peacefully, the officer said. Unlike recent incidents where a student was shot and killed at Cummings Middle School and a man was shot in his home by officers when he charged at them with his knife, this time no was killed and no one was injured as a result.
"The negotiators deserve credit for resolving this situation." he said. "They deserve all the credit in the world."
6 comments:
MEXICANS have a strange idea of life. This pendejo ought to be pistol-whipped. Vato vale sebo. Sebo, como KBRO!
Criminal Minds in Action !
How very sad to read that the police negotiator disrespected his colleagues in uniform by insinuating that uniformed officers, who put their lives on the line every day, one recently being shot at, are less than they. Unlike negotiators, patrol police are out in plain view EVERY DAY and subject to harm, abuse, and even death, while 'negotiators' are sitting safe in their comfy air-conned offices and have all the intel, given to them by the patrol officers BEFORE they face any real threat. Yes, they did a good job yesterday, but credit goes not only to the negotiators but the whole of the Brownsville Police Department. Without the support of uniform patrolmen, and dispatch, these negotiators would be going into dangerous situations blind.
I saw the situation take place. I want to mention something about police cars. Are police officers allowed by the city to take their patrol cars home? There is a Brownsville PD patrol car parked inside the Las Palmas Apartments most of the time at different hours. Yesterday there were three SUV's parked on the outside of the apartments watching everything that was happening at the church. During the time the St. Luke's incident, the patrol car was parked in one of the spaces, it has been there early mornings; this also happens with another Brownsville PD patrol car in a subdivision by coffee Port next to the trailer park that is why I question if police officers are allowed to take their patrol cars home.
It is ironical that he was charged with child endangerment when the injury to the child would have been caused by the police had they acted imprudently.
"Criminal Minds" . I saw that episode on TV sometime back .
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