NOT SO SHOCKING AT FIRST: Two member's of Tampa P.D.'s QUAD (Quick Uniformed Attack on Drugs) squad were sitting in the parking lot of a city park at 26th and Nebraska avenues in Tampa, waiting for other QUAD squadders to arrive so they could commence an investigation in the Robles Park area. While waiting, the officers noticed a man sitting on a wall in the park enjoying some crack cocaine. The suspect was "so consumed with this activity" that he did not notice the two men approaching him wearing "police raid vests" until they were only about 10 feet away. The cops ordered the man to put down the pipe, but instead the suspect began backing away from the officers while continuing to smoke the crack. One of the officers pulled out his Taser and attempted to subdue the suspect, but the weapon failed to fire. He tried a second time with the same unsuccessful result. The officer then lowered the weapon to a "low-ready position," at which time it unintentionally fired into the ground. The suspect's luck did not hold out, however, as the other officer's Taser worked just fine and the suspect was booked on a litany of drug charges.
SPEAKING OF CRACK: Not surprisingly, crackheads seem to lack sound judgment. You know, like remembering not to smoke crack in broad daylight on a city street. An officer on vehicle patrol at 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 21 observed two men walking on Armwood Court toward Scott Street in Tampa. The cop dove up next to the two men, saying out the window, "Hello, do [yo]u live in Central Park?" The men stopped walking and said that they did not. They would have been wise to keep moving, because after they stopped the officer got out of his car and approached them. Once face to face, the officer noticed that one of the suspects was hiding something cupped in a hand behind his back. When asked not to conceal his hands the suspect brought them back around, and the officer observed a crack pipe fall between his feet. Arrests ensued.
SCARFACE: A shopper at the Cash America Pawn Shop on Hillsborough Avenue asked the assistant manager to show him a "nine inch 'Cuban' link gold" bracelet, as he was interested in purchasing it. Once the bracelet was out of the case and on the man's arm, the suspect fled the store. The assistant manager did not bother to chase the suspect, saying he "believes he will be able to identify the suspect again." Why so sure? Per the report, "The suspect has a noticeable scar between his eyes extending down to his nose. It was described as being jagged…almost like he had stitched in the wound at one time." Say hello to my little friend.
From the files of the T.P.D.
This article appears in Dec 7-13, 2005.