CA - SWAT team throws flashbang grenade during raid, lets wrong man die in resulting fire.

[Anti Federalist]

Flashbangs...the same type of incendiary devices that Schumcky Schumer said couldn't possibly have started that fire that killed the Branch Davidians.



Suit Filed For Greenfield Man Killed In SWAT Raid

By Amy Larson, KSBW.com
POSTED: 3:35 pm PDT July 25, 2011
UPDATED: 5:51 pm PDT July 25, 2011

http://www.ksbw.com/news/28662194/detail.html#ixzz1TFN5uwy1

GREENFIELD, Calif. -- A federal civil rights and wrongful death lawsuit was filed Monday on behalf of a Greenfield man who was killed after a SWAT team set his house on fire with a grenade.

Rogelio Serrato, 31, was unarmed when the Monterey County Special Weapons and Tactics Team launched a flash-bang stun grenade into his Greenfield house on Jan. 5, lawyer Michael Haddad said.

The grenade ignited the house and Serrato, who was unarmed, died inside.

According to a coroner's report, Serrato died from smoke inhalation, complicated by methamphetamine intoxication.

The SWAT team was assisting the Monterey Police Department with their investigation into a shooting that happened at the Mucky Duck bar on New Year's Day. Serrato was not at the Mucky Duck on the night of the shooting, his lawyer said.

Monterey County SWAT drove a military combat-style vehicle and an armored truck to Serrato's home at 9:23 a.m.

Two dozen SWAT members surrounded the house and ordered the Greenfield man to come out from the San Antonio Drive home and surrender, the lawsuit said.

When Serrato did not respond to their commands, they threw a flash-bang stun grenade into his living room as a "scare tactic," igniting two sofas, lawyer Michael Haddad said.

Instead of attempting to extinguish the fire or rescue Serrato, law enforcers pointed assault rifles into Serrato's home while waiting for the fire department to arrive, according to the lawsuit. By the time the fire was extinguished, Serrato had died.

The lawsuit was filed by law firm Haddad & Sherwin on behalf of Serrato's two toddler sons. It is seeking unspecified monetary damages.

The lawsuit names the following as defendants: Sheriff Scott Miller, Captain Charles Monarque, Cmdr. Kevin Oakley, Sgt. Garrett Sanders, Sgt. Joseph Banuelos, Sgt. Randy Ragsac, Det. Al Martinez and Deputy Mark Sievers.

Miller, Monarque, Oakley, Sanders and Banuelos planned the SWAT raid and made the final decision use the grenade as a "scare tactic" to frighten Serrato out of his home, according to the lawsuit.

Martinez was the SWAT team member who threw the grenade, the lawsuit said.

"The military style raid was highly excessive. They needlessly killed this young father," Haddad said.

Captain Monarque said he could not comment because the Monterey County Sheriff's Office has not been served with the lawsuit.

The raid stemmed from an investigation on a shooting that happened four days earlier inside the Mucky Duck, a bar in downtown Monterey. Three men were shot during the New Year's Day party.

Alejandro Jose Gonzalez, 23, of Greenfield, was arrested and charged with four felony counts of attempted murder. He is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday.

[HOLLYWOOD]

Mucky Duck bar on New Year's Day? FOR REAL?


Almost 8 months ago?Government running at full speed, obliviously, in all the wrong directions.

[brushfire]

Swat raids... always necessary, right?

[Anti Federalist]

///

[Carehn]

You know what. Im sick of all this shit i read on this forum getting me mad. I say its time to do something and i think running for sheriff would be a novel idea. If i can run or find the right liberty minded person to run we could safeguard our county against this kinda crap.

Any other ideas on how to stop the police? Lets take them over and then fire them all. It will be just the sheriff and maybe a deputy or 2. Then some good old boys on the side who would work for free as a militia if needed to protect the county from sheriffs and cops that happen to be vacationing in bannock.

What else could be done?

[Anti Federalist]

What else could be done?

Pass these stories and your sense of outrage to every single person you meet.

Far too many people are not aware of what is happening or, worse yet, cheer it on as correct.

[heavenlyboy34]

You know what. Im sick of all this shit i read on this forum getting me mad. I say its time to do something and i think running for sheriff would be a novel idea. If i can run or find the right liberty minded person to run we could safeguard our county against this kinda crap.

Any other ideas on how to stop the police? Lets take them over and then fire them all. It will be just the sheriff and maybe a deputy or 2. Then some good old boys on the side who would work for free as a militia if needed to protect the county from sheriffs and cops that happen to be vacationing in bannock.

What else could be done?
Infiltrating may be a good idea. Some good people have run for Sheriff in Maricopa county, but they usually have to run 3rd party and don't get anywhere.

Some local talk stations are looking for talent (such as KFNX). You might look into starting a show to discuss these sort of issues and bring attention to them. Podcasting and youtube are viable alternatives. If you become popular on youtube you can become a partner and make money doing the show. :cool:

[mrsat_98]

Dayum Dude, you should had a dog, at least it may wake you while they shoot it first.

[Mani]

2.6 million in taxypayer money for the officers mistake...Which they refuse to acknowledge a mistake, even to this day.

http://www.montereyherald.com/general-news/20130819/monterey-county-agrees-to-pay-26-million-in-flash-bang-death-of-greenfield-man

Monterey County has agreed to pay $2.6million to the family of a Greenfield man who died in a house fire after sheriff's deputies threw a "flash-bang" grenade through his window.

The settlement was announced Monday by attorneys for the family of Rogelio "Roger" Serrato Jr. who filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in the wake of the 2011 incident.

County Counsel Charles McKee said the county's insurance carrier settled the lawsuit without admitting any wrongdoing.

Serrato's death, he said, was a "tragic, tragic event and we send our condolences to the family," he said. "We think it could have been avoided if people had heeded the directives from the officers to leave the house." (FAILURE TO COMPLY MEANS YOU DIE!!! GOT IT PEOPLE!??! Roger Did this to himself...Even though he committed no crime..He deserved to burn to death for non compliance.)

Armed with a search warrant, the sheriff's SWAT team surrounded Serrato's house in a military-style operation Jan. 5, 2011, while looking for suspects in a New Year's shooting that wounded three outside the Mucky Duck bar in downtown Monterey.

It was later determined Serrato, 31, was not involved in the shooting and was unarmed in the house. After hailing him for an hour, the family's attorneys said, deputies broke a front window and tossed in the grenade to flush him out.

The device ignited a sofa and fire quickly spread. Instead of trying to help Serrato, who was emitting "anguished cries" and breaking windows, SWAT team members retreated to the transport vehicle, pointed rifles toward the home and awaited the fire department, the suit said.

Initially delayed by a SWAT vehicle in the street, the fire department took more than 30 minutes to control the fire, it claimed. By then, a coroner's report concluded, Serrato was dead of asphyxiation, complicated by methamphetamine intoxication.

Oakland attorney Michael Haddad, who represented Serrato's then 1- and 2-year-old sons, said the use of force was "unnecessary and excessive." His clients will receive $1.375 million that will be placed in trust until they are 18. Each eventually will receive more than $1 million.

John Burris, also of Oakland, represented Serrato's mother, sisters and two older children. They collectively will receive $1.225 million to settle the claims against the county, Sheriff Scott Miller and the involved officers, Capt. Chuck Monarque, Cmdr. Kevin Oakley, Sgts. Garrett Sanders, Joseph Banuelos and Randy Ragsac, Detective Al Martinez and Deputy Mark Sievers.

The attorneys said some of those deputies attempted to extinguish the blaze but backed away when they saw Serrato standing inside his smoky living room wearing only his shorts and with nothing in his hands.

Evidence showed the officers had received training about the fire hazards of flash-bangs, including a video depicting such a device setting a couch ablaze during a practice raid, the attorneys said.

While Monterey County officials would never publicly acknowledge it, said Julia Sherwin, Haddad's co-counsel, "The large settlement represents (their) acknowledgement that the deputies in this case screwed up and they caused the fire that caused the death of Roger Serrato and his death was completely unnecessary."

McKee disagreed. The officers were told by a person who exited the house that no one else was left inside, then waited an hour before using the flash-bang to secure the property.

"They put their lives at stake in trying to secure the property and they should be commended for trying to resolve a very tense situation," he said.

Sherwin said a U.S. Supreme Court ruling prevented attorneys from asking the court to order Monterey County to stop using the flash-bang devices until its deputies were properly trained. However, she said, the sheriff's office has since bought a "bang pole." A bang pole can be exploded outside a house or while it is suspended through a window, and can be withdrawn before a fire starts.

"If they had done so in this case, it would not have started a fire," she said.









The fucker says his officers should be commended!?!?!


They burned an innocent man alive..HE COMMITTED NO CRIME....and after setting him on fire...Walked away and WATCHED FOR AN HOUR...WATCHED AN INNOCENT MAN BURN AND SCREAM.... and BLOCKED THE fire department with all their military vehicles which prevented any chance of a rescue.....AND YOUR THOUGHTS ARE THAT THEY SHOULD BE COMMENDED!!????!??!?!

[Anti Federalist]

The fucker says his officers should be commended!?!?!


They burned an innocent man alive..HE COMMITTED NO CRIME....and after setting him on fire...Walked away and WATCHED FOR AN HOUR...WATCHED AN INNOCENT MAN BURN AND SCREAM.... and BLOCKED THE fire department with all their military vehicles which prevented any chance of a rescue.....AND YOUR THOUGHTS ARE THAT THEY SHOULD BE COMMENDED!!????!??!?!

War on us, comrade, war on us.

[Mani]

War on us, comrade, war on us.


So that SWAT team listening to a man scream out while he's burning alive...Are they cheering? Are they giggling? Or saying to themselves...Serves him right...Die mundane..

[Anti Federalist]

So that SWAT team listening to a man scream out while he's burning alive...Are they cheering? Are they giggling? Or saying to themselves...Serves him right...Die mundane..

Probably a little bit of all of the above.

Then I'm sure they awarded medals to each other.

Hell, they give the dogs "medals of valor".

Ashland police dog is first canine to receive medal of valor

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/11/19/ashland-police-dog-receives-hero-medal-for-keeping-officer-from-getting-shot/GIBpkWFMbvJK1v7GEXoJOO/story.html

https://c.o0bg.com/rf/image_371w/Boston/2011-2020/2014/11/19/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/ryan_hannaawards2_met.jpg

[Occam's Banana]

While Monterey County officials would never publicly acknowledge it, said Julia Sherwin, Haddad's co-counsel, "The large settlement represents (their) acknowledgement that the deputies in this case screwed up and they caused the fire that caused the death of Roger Serrato and his death was completely unnecessary."

[Monterey County Counsel Charles] McKee disagreed. The officers were told by a person who exited the house that no one else was left inside, then waited an hour before using the flash-bang to secure the property.

So according to this McKee bozo, they flash-banged a house when (by his implication) they thought no one was inside ... you know ... to "secure the property" ...


"They put their lives at stake in trying to secure the property and they should be commended for trying to resolve a very tense situation," [McKee] said.

They burned an innocent man alive..HE COMMITTED NO CRIME....and after setting him on fire...Walked away and WATCHED FOR AN HOUR...WATCHED AN INNOCENT MAN BURN AND SCREAM.... and BLOCKED THE fire department with all their military vehicles which prevented any chance of a rescue.....AND YOUR THOUGHTS ARE THAT THEY SHOULD BE COMMENDED!!????!??!?!

One shudders to wonder at the things for which McKee might think officers should be reprimanded.

[TheTexan]

Swat raids... always necessary, right?

Not always... only when officer safety is a priority

[phill4paul]

Inside the mind of a SWAT cop:

"We will always win....even if we have to burn down your entire house by bombing it....we will win".

"We will always win....even if we have to burn down your entire house by bombing it....we will win".

"We will always win....even if we have to burn down your entire house by bombing it....we will win".

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?381476-Inside-the-mind-of-a-SWAT-cop

[Anti Federalist]

Inside the mind of a SWAT cop:

"We will always win....even if we have to burn down your entire house by bombing it....we will win".

"We will always win....even if we have to burn down your entire house by bombing it....we will win".

"We will always win....even if we have to burn down your entire house by bombing it....we will win".

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?381476-Inside-the-mind-of-a-SWAT-cop

Or blow it up, with you in it.


SWAT team collapses house with explosives during standoff

http://www.policestateusa.com/2014/ron-brown-standoff/

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — A police standoff reached a dramatic conclusion when over thirty homes were evacuated and a SWAT team used explosives to blow through the structure of the home they were surrounding, inadvertently causing the floor to collapse.

* * * * *

A lawsuit has been filed over the botched raid, which took place in May 2012. An arrest warrant was issued for Mr. Ronald Brown, 54, after he had allegedly fired a gun into the ground during a disagreement on May 27.

Around 4:30 p.m. on May 29 — two days after the alleged incident — police made their move on Mr. Brown’s home on Rusty Nail Point. A SWAT team was deployed because police had intel that Brown was a 20-year Army veteran and “was hostile towards law enforcement” after being charged with “harassing” a TSA agent in 2010.

The sight of armored vehicles and paramilitary officers was not enough to get Mr. Brown to exit his home, and a standoff ensued for several hours. Around 6:00 p.m. police cordoned off the neighborhood and forced approximately 33 neighboring homes to clear out for the duration of their operation.

The SWAT team knocked down the fence that surrounded Mr. Brown’s home and launched teargas canisters through the windows, but Brown holed up in his basement and refused to surrender.

The siege continued until the early morning hours. Finally, the SWAT team decided to try something it had never attempted, even in training. The team set up explosives on Mr. Brown’s house.

“For some reason they decide to blow a hole into the floor to get tear gas into the basement,” noted Josh Tolini, one of Mr. Brown’s attorneys, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette. Tolini added that the explosives were used while a military robot was en route from Fort Carson.

The bomb blast was so great that it caused the floor to collapse along with part of the building. Mr. Brown was crushed with debris.

Thirty minutes later Mr. Brown was apprehended, after his bleeding and unconscious body endured more trauma from several concussion grenades thrown by police. Brown was found with a broken leg and a gas mask.

* * * * *

FOLLOW-UP:

In September 2014, Ron Brown sued CSPD Chief Pete Carey, 
Deputy Chief Vince Niski, and eight other police officers, alleging the use of excessive force.

The Civil Action Investigation Committee came to the defense of the police, claiming that “All officers were acting in the course and scope of their employment and in good faith during the incident.” The committee further stated that, “As usual, it is recommended that the city reserve the right not to pay any award of punitive damages.”

[JK/SEA]

the dead guy was on speed?....damn...usually this stuff makes you a little hyper...if it was me, i wouldv'e crashed my ass through a wall to get out..

almost 3 million in settlement with no admission of guilt for his family...

time to up these lawsuits into the BILLIONS...

[phill4paul]

Or blow it up, with you in it.


SWAT team collapses house with explosives during standoff

The siege continued until the early morning hours. Finally, the SWAT team decided to try something it had never attempted, even in training. The team set up explosives on Mr. Brown’s house.

The Civil Action Investigation Committee came to the defense of the police, claiming that “All officers were acting in the course and scope of their employment and in good faith during the incident.” The committee further stated that, “As usual, it is recommended that the city reserve the right not to pay any award of punitive damages.”

Well, f*ck me. Us? And there are some that say there is no war on the people. :rolleyes:

[Anti Federalist]

Well, f*ck me. Us? And there are some that say there is no war on the people. :rolleyes:

Only a fool or a copsucker could say that with any reasonable amount of sincerity.

[phill4paul]

the dead guy was on speed?....damn...usually this stuff makes you a little hyper...if it was me, i wouldv'e crashed my ass through a wall to get out..

almost 3 million in settlement with no admission of guilt for his family...

time to up these lawsuits into the BILLIONS...

Or just calm people down, to the outrage of a regular citizen and law enforcement counterparts.

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?462767-INVESTIGATORS-Shocking-way-Cass-County-cops-ended-a-standoff

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?372081-How-one-Sheriffs-Department-brought-an-eviction-to-a-peaceful-resolution

[Inkblots]

time to up these lawsuits into the BILLIONS...

It won't make one penny's worth of difference unless and until LEO's (and other government employees) are made personally liable for the damage and abuse they cause to citizens and their property. Otherwise, the King's men simply don't care how much the taxpayers get ripped off for their crimes.

[Occam's Banana]

Well, f*ck me. Us? And there are some that say there is no war on the people. :rolleyes:


Only a fool or a copsucker could say that with any reasonable amount of sincerity.

"Ronald Brown did that to himself."

[phill4paul]

It won't make one penny's worth of difference unless and until LEO's (and other government employees) are made personally liable for the damage and abuse they cause to citizens and their property. Otherwise, the King's men simply don't care how much the taxpayers get ripped off for their crimes.

There is only one way to make them personally liable. That way will get you labeled as "fringe", "anti-government", "mentally-ill", "psychotic", and in the end...dead.

[Christian Liberty]

There is only one way to make them personally liable. That way will get you labeled as "fringe", "anti-government", "mentally-ill", "psychotic", and in the end...dead.

Unfortunately, this is probably true, unless you're a Christian like me. I believe God will eventually hold them accountable. Even still, I can't deny getting impatient at times.


Only a fool or a copsucker could say that with any reasonable amount of sincerity.

Unfortunately, that's probably like 80% of the US population.

[JK/SEA]

It won't make one penny's worth of difference unless and until LEO's (and other government employees) are made personally liable for the damage and abuse they cause to citizens and their property. Otherwise, the King's men simply don't care how much the taxpayers get ripped off for their crimes.

...make it 2 billion then....