Weird BUG- Paint gun is key in shootout

[SemperFi]

This artlice is generating a lot of interest on the Police-L list. Is the Sheriff a hero or just dumb but lucky?

Just hope they don't want me to trade my Glock for a splat-ball gun in the interest of public safety.

Paint gun is key in shootout

ST. JAMES MN - Following a Saturday night shootout in which the suspect used bullets and the sheriff used paint balls, a 45-year-old St. James man faces charges of attempted murder.

Bradley Sukalski was charged Monday with attempted murder for opening fire with a .22-caliber rifle at Watonwan County Sheriff Joe Dahl and deputies from a garage Saturday night. During a lull of fire, Dahl ultimately charged into the garage with a paint-ball gun, firing several times toward Sukalski before apprehending him.

"I wouldn't be reluctant to use it again in the same type of circumstance," Dahl said Monday.

The incident began with a call to the sheriff's department in which a woman had requested that Sukalski, reportedly drunk, be removed from her house in South Branch, a small community 10 miles south of St. James. A deputy en route was told that Sukalski made his way into a garage on the property where guns may have been accessible.

The deputy was told Sukalski had made comments about it being a good day to die.

By 10 p.m. several deputies and Dahl had the garage surrounded, urging Sukalski to come out. Sukalski reportedly had thrown two guns out of the garage but refused to come outside.

In refusing, he made comments that it was "all over" and made negative remarks about his wife, according to the criminal complaint filed Monday. Sukalski and deputy Barry Gulden talked for about 10 minutes, during which time Dahl noticed that despite Sukalski's claims, he still had a gun in the garage.

Dahl moved closer to the garage and tossed in a "flash bang" device that triggers a bright light and the sound of an explosion to disorient suspects. When the device was tossed in, Sukalski reportedly began firing at Dahl, Gulden and others, the report said.

Dahl retreated behind the garage while Sukalski fired an estimated eight to 10 shots.

"After the shots were fired, I assumed, correctly, that he was out of bullets," Dahl said Monday. When Dahl saw Sukalski standing and possibly reloading the gun, the sheriff entered the garage with a paint-ball gun and ordered Sukalski, who at this point was on the ground holding the gun, to show his hands. When Sukalski refused, Dahl fired numerous paint balls just above him.

Dahl got on top of Sukalski and with other deputies restrained him and arrested him. No one was injured during the incident.

http://www.mankatofreepress.com/arch..._briefs.html#2

[ 08-03-2001: Message edited by: SemperFi ]

[WHC166]

He's much braver than I am!

[crowe81]

I really thinks this falls into the dumb but lucky, and I mean buy lottery tickets lucky.

[shooter1201]

"After the shots were fired, I assumed, correctly, that he was out of bullets," Dahl said Monday.

You all know what happens when you ASSume something. Not only is this guy LUCKY, he's INSANE!

[PeteBroccolo]

What the heck was he doing, tossing a flash-bang in there? Unless that Department has a properly trained negotiator, backed up by a properly trained and equipped tactical-weapons-response team of sufficient size, then they should have called one.

The fact that the suspect indiscriminately fired off his weapons after the Police threw in the flash-bang, without first having a proper negotiator and team in place, shows a callous disregard on both sides.

I can slowly spell out L-I-A-B-I-L-I-T-Y and L-A-W-S-U-I-T if it would help that Sheriff, or his political superiors.

Thank God he was that lucky, but let's hope he is that much smarter now to NEVER DO THAT AGAIN!

[ 08-03-2001: Message edited by: PeteBroccolo ]

[[email protected]]

Just my .02 worth;
If this story is true, it has got to be one the most incredible demonstrations of ignorance I have ever heard of.
When I was a kid I had a Marlin .22 rifle with a 22 round capacity, and really, a paint ball gun?, does the sheriff hate his family or just himself.....there have got to be ways he could commit suicide withoug endangering other people.....
Thank god he survived, for his families sake, but he needs to be retired and issued a water-paint set and a restraint chair. Hope that didn't sound too harsh- I guess a win for the good guys is still a win, however we achieve it.
-Bake-

[swatbwana]

He needlessly put himself and other officers in a very poor tactical situation.
He is at best ignorant of proper police tactical resolutions and most probably incompetent.
He will probably get re-elected much to the dismay of his deputies.

[Sotex]

Could he maybe have had a pepperball gun? Not that I wound rush an armed suspect, who had been shooting at me, whith anything but a real gun. A paintball gun is just off in left field.

[PeteBroccolo]

Real-life can be such a pain! About 3 am today, I was thinking about this thread, and my reply. The one-man Municipal PS 55 kms East of here got a call from one of his civilians, who reported a another local "client", who was obviously drunk AND holding a rifle, was trying to bust into his office. I was partnered with a Constable who has less than 1 month out of Depot; the Corporal of the Detachment that surrounds the small PS was in bed; there was one Constable on duty at the Detachment North of that; no RCMP Dog Handler was available.
My partner and I, the Corporal, the other Constable and the Dog Handler for another PS 70 kms South all showed up to help the other Chief.
First, we sat out in the open, putting a plan together, then to avoid being sitting ducks, we tried to patrol the town to flush him out, then we decided to set up on the roads out of town until Fido got there to try to track our man.
Eventually, my partner and I were the only ones at the small PS office, trying to get a phone number, when she pointed out a guy, mathcing the "client"'s description, doing the drunk walk/stagger, coming towards us, empty-handed.
Up rolls Fido and handler - while Fido salivates in the Jeep, the handler cuffs and searches while I do the rights and warning. Between the bad guy's comments and seeing where he came from, Fido followed a track back to the house, recovered the gun and all was right with the world!
Nothing left but to decide what to do with "client" - we were elected to book him into our PS' cells, and the Chief came back before lunch to have a meeting with the JP.
The best part - 3 1/4 hours x 1.5 overtime, and not on my boss' budget.
I was kind of regretting I didn't have a paint-ball gun!