Shocked. Shocked, I Tell You
First, I'm glad I live in Saint Paul. There seem to be far fewer of this type of incident here than in Minneapolis (although I admit I've never really kept detailed count).
In fact, while I know lots of excellent cops in Minneapolis from my brief stint as a freelance cop-beat reporter, it always seemed that the MPD was prone to, er, issues.
[Former MPD officer Michael] Olson is charged with second-degree felony assault with a firearm, misconduct by a public officer, reckless use of a dangerous weapon and two counts of driving while intoxicated...
This sort of thing
does happen. Remember - everyone is innocent until proven guilty.
The fight occurred in the early hours of Dec. 11 after Olson left a Christmas party at a downtown bar that was put on by members of the police department's 5th Precinct. During his testimony, Olson said he drank four mixed drinks, at least three beers, and two "shots" during the party, but still felt at the time that he could drive safely. But when asked by prosecutor Al Harris if he now realizes he was impaired by alcohol, Olson replied, "In hindsight, probably."
Obviously, educating people about drunk driving is the answer. But I digress...
The incident starts:
Olson acknowledged that he drove the wrong way on Fifth Street between Hennepin and Nicollet avenues and that he turned around after another car driven by 27-year-old Willie Lee Cash squeezed by him going in the opposite direction. Olson turned into an alley and backed out on Fifth Street going the right direction, but found himself blocked behind Cash's car, which had stopped in the street.
At that point, Olson said he saw "a tough black male exit his vehicle."
"He was pretty mad … coming toward my car," said Olson, a slightly built Asian officer who said he weighs about 160 pounds.
Olson, who was not wearing a uniform, said he shut off the engine of his car, unlocked his glove box and retrieved a pistol, putting it in his pocket. Olson said he then got out of his car and began arguing with Cash, telling him that he was a police officer and showing his badge.
Olson said he drew his gun after Cash assaulted him and that he was in "police mode" when that happened.
"I knew this was a situation where it was not going to look good either way," Olson said. "But it didn't matter. He (Cash) was going to jail."
Which, of course, he did not. Olson was fired from the police department after this incident, and Cash was never charged.
No, this post is not about the relative merits of Olson or Cash's positions, or about the lawsuit against the MPD. This is about how some local anti-gun activists are spinning the story.
You see - this story is an indictment of the Minnesota Personal Protection Act!
In the ensuing struggle, Olson lost his pistol, which was picked up by a passerby and has never been recovered...Olson was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center, where his blood alcohol level was measured at .24 percent, or nearly 2½ times the legal limit to drive. He initially claimed that he couldn't remember anything about the fight, but said Thursday that detailed memories of it came back over several months.
So. A policeman gets schnockered, scares the bejeezus out of a passerby, who leaves his car to talk to the drunk driver who nearly smeared him. Fight ensues (who knows who started it), cop loses his gun, passerby lifts it and runs and is never found...
...and, according to some on the local left, it's an indictment of the law-abiding concealed carry permit holder?
Does anyone want to place a bet on the legal proceedings the Minneapolis Police Department would take against a carry permit holder who got into a fight while blowing a .24 Blood Alcohol Level?
This story shows two things:
- Humans make mistakes, sometimes groaningly-serious ones that can kill innocent people, and
- the local left will stop at nothing to try to find something to use to impugn the MPPA and its constituents.
Posted by Mitch at
June 20, 2003 03:32 PM
