Video of 2007 shootout released

[fbirdquik6]

Video: http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/crime/crime_krez_aztec_video_of_2007_shootout_released_200907221356


AZTEC, N.M. (KRQE-KREZ) - Federal prosecutors have reached a plea deal with a man accused of shooting at a San Juan County sheriff's deputy, so the sheriff's department on Wednesday released video of the extended 2007 incident.

According to a news release, Lionel Claw, 22, pleaded guilty to federal charges of assault with a deadly weapon, discharging a firearm during a violent crime and possession of a firearm by a person under indictment. He'll serve 25 years in prison on those charges.

Claw had earlier been sentenced to a total of 30 years in prison for state charges relating to this incident and a separate armed robbery.

The five-minute video shows views from two dashboard cameras of parts of the chase and shootout from May 2007. The San Juan County Sheriff's Department edited and annotated the video before releasing it to the media.

According to a news release, three Bloomfield police officers were dispatched to a call about a fight at the Quick Stop Laundry on North First Street in Bloomfield just before 7 p.m. on May 12, 2007.

A black passenger car was seen leaving the business at a high speed, and later found at a nearby mobile home park.

At the mobile home park, police tried to apprehend the four people inside the vehicle. One fled on foot.

Sgt. Joe Templeton of Bloomfield police tried to use a stun gun to take the driver, identified as Claw, into custody, but the darts struck two different people, preventing the weapon from working.

Claw left the area at a high speed and other officers caught up. During the chase, according to the news release, the suspect held a gun outside the driver's window and fired at the pursuing officers, hitting their vehicles.

San Juan County deputies and state police joined the pursuit, which after leaving Bloomfield town limits reached 94 miles an hour at times on U.S. Highway 550.

One of the passengers, Eli Trujillo, jumped out of the moving vehicle, leaving Claw and a teenage girl inside. Trujillo suffered serious injuries.

As the chase continued, according to the news release, the girl leaned out the front window and fired several shots at the pursuing law enforcement cars. More shots were fired through the car's rear window as well, according to the news release.

The chase soon reached the Navajo Nation. The suspects fired several more shots at the pursuing vehicles.

Meanwhile, officials deployed spike strips on the road, deflating the left tires of the suspect vehicle.

The vehicle continued into a housing area, where the girl entered a home. She was later taken into custody.

According to the news release, Claw pointed a gun at the officers, reentered the vehicle and drove away, but a San Juan County deputy performed a PIT maneuver to stop it. Other deputies worked to pin the driver in.

Claw then fired several times at Sgt. Kory Faulk, the news release said. He and other officers returned fire, hitting Claw several times.

Claw was soon airlifted to the San Juan Regional Medical Center, where he was treated and released into police custody.

Faulk, who was hit several times by bullet and glass fragments, was also treated for his injuries and released.

The teenage girl later pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault on a police officer and was sentenced to three years in a juvenile facility.

 

[Admin]

How does someone attempt to murder multiple people only get 25 years in prison?

 

[News Shooter]

The last five seconds was AWESOME

 

[Tim111]

How does someone attempt to murder multiple people only get 25 years in prison?

Liberals.

 

[JonJ]

How does someone attempt to murder multiple people only get 25 years in prison?

One "good" hit would have taken care of that but alas...

 

[Ma$$hole]

How is this suspect still alive? Realistically the only reason he stopped shooting was because he was out of ammo. Cops should have done the same. I'm sure they would have landed one of those shots. This really is rediculous. This kid tried killing these cops multiple times and had plenty of opportunities to stop. He decided to have a shootout until the end and the cops should have shown him an end. He doesn't deserve to see the light of day again. If he was doing this to the Border Patrol or an other feds he'd dissappear for a long time if he managed to live.

 

[JonJ]

Dash cams + more rounds fired=Cries of excessive force.

 

[Ma$$hole]

"Your Honor, when the suspect bent down into the vehicle I thought he was grabbing for a second magazine. I had to empty my magazine to assure he wasn't able to take any more shots at my fellow officers as they closed in on him." -THE END (Cue the credits)

 

[Kaos116]

How bad does the situation in the car have to be to jump from it at 95mph?

 

[bpm990d]

A hellfire missile would have been justifiable use of force IMO.

B

 

[Flyer007]

How bad does the situation in the car have to be to jump from it at 95mph?

NS....that was really F'd up.....

As for the end.......Range time needed. Seemed like >50 rds went out from the LEOs. Not sure were the idiot was hit......but seriously.....he shouldn't have been moving after all that.

 

[terraformer]

One "good" hit would have taken care of that but alas...

I was going to say, they hit everywhere other than his head which was the problem.

Dash cams + more rounds fired=Cries of excessive force.

Dash Cams are great. In this case they fired until he was crawling up like a baby and then they stopped. They did the right thing. But I will say, I wish one of them had better aim... A trial was a liability with this dink.

 

[fbirdquik6]

two years and nearly four months to conclusion. gotta love those proven criminal interrogation techniques.

Unfortunately, with the liberal courts today, you want to make sure that you have every single thing covered. The smallest, and most insignificant detail that you cant produce in court, will be what gets the guy off.

Not to mention the fact that courts are so backed up, that it is not at all uncommon for it to take 2-3 years before a case goes to trial.

 

[cekim]

How does someone attempt to murder multiple people only get 25 years in prison?

Usually, you have to be an elected official for that sort of treatment

 

[RI_John]

Not to mention the fact that courts are so backed up, that it is not at all uncommon for it to take 2-3 years before a case goes to trial.

Just as all my combat knowledge comes from watching G.I. Jane, all my courtroom knowledge comes from watching Law and Order- INCLUDING L&O Special Victims and L&O Criminal Intent. I've seen EVERY episode at least once, most 2 or more times. So my understanding of how criminal cases work is pretty thorough. It does NOT take 2-3 years before a major case goes to trial. It takes at most two weeks to get from crime to courtroom, and most capital trials last 1-3 days.

Where do you people get your information from?????

 

[weekendracer]

Vehicles can absorb a tremendous amout of damage and deflect rounds. A frind of mine is alive today thanks to his radio deflecting a rifle round that would have hit him in the back. Out of six hits, all six deflected out of the passenger compartment. Granted we have cages and all kinds of crap in the back of our trucks.

This is the reason LE need rifles, pistols can not be trusted to penetrate a vehicle.

One reason the case might have taken so long is I think from reading the article, the guy might have been native american and I think it said the chase went onto a reservation. Indian res's have thier own way of doing things and will do everything in thier power to protect one of thier own. You only think cops back each other up until you deal with a indian res.

Good video though, got the old blood pumping.

 

[fbirdquik6]

Where do you people get your information from?????

Real world experience.

 

[cekim]

This is the reason LE need rifles, pistols can not be trusted to penetrate a vehicle.

Indeed... There was ample cause to place multiple snipers in view of some of the more sparsely populated areas and end that...

Not something the guy chasing him can deal with, but that's what radios are for... There were plenty of shots there that had officers blocking traffic off to the side, so clearly they had been put in place before-hand...

 

[seanc]

How does someone attempt to murder multiple people only get 25 years in prison?

You have not been reading the papers.

By the time this got to trial.. He had found God and was turning his life around..

His neighbors accused the police of this being a racially motivated vendetta by the police.

And his mother said she doesn't understand it. He was always such a good boy, she does not believe it is him in the video..

How's that for a start?
But, maybe I'm just guessing?

 

[Eye5600]

How does someone attempt to murder multiple people only get 25 years in prison?

Note: it was plea deal, and he already had 30 years waiting for him. The DA probably felt that getting the guy off the street for 50 years, signed and sealed, was better than spending a month or so in court and risking something unexpected.

I wonder what a realistic release date would be.

 

[Fixxah]

I have never wanted to see someone's head blown off until now. Sorry they didn't kill the breath stealing A-hole.

 

[weekendracer]

Indeed... There was ample cause to place multiple snipers in view of some of the more sparsely populated areas and end that...

Not something the guy chasing him can deal with, but that's what radios are for... There were plenty of shots there that had officers blocking traffic off to the side, so clearly they had been put in place before-hand...

I'm suprised they didn't get more spikes in on that chase to be honest. But I'm not used to chases in an urban environment, we normally had a couple minutes to hide and set up. With that many cross streets, it would be a lot more difficult to predict the route.

 

[Maj. Boom Boom]

i can't even comprehend how someone could do all that. really, even if you do something wrong, man up and pay the price. you were willing to do the crime so do the time. bringing weapons into it can only make it worse. idiots, the world is full of them!

 

[jshooter]

How bad does the situation in the car have to be to jump from it at 95mph?

My thoughts exactly. What did the person hear from the driver to make him bail at that speed? Too bad the driver wasn't killed by the cops.

 

[cekim]

i can't even comprehend how someone could do all that. really, even if you do something wrong, man up and pay the price. you were willing to do the crime so do the time. bringing weapons into it can only make it worse. idiots, the world is full of them!

Fight or flight...

Only, he did both...

It's actually a pretty rational response from an instinct perspective...

But, actions have consequences... Actions like that should have more dire consequences than they did...

 

[terraformer]

...watching Law and Order- INCLUDING L&O Special Victims and L&O Criminal Intent. I've seen EVERY episode at least once, most 2 or more times....

You need a job, a life and a girlfriend. And not necessarily in that order....

 

[RI_John]

You need a job, a life and a girlfriend. And not necessarily in that order....

Job? Check.
Life? Check.
Girlfriend? Believe me, I'm working on it!! But it's tough finding time to date between the marriage and watching all that Law and Order.....

 

[ASHDUMP]

Damn, how did the cops miss that guy? That guy needs to be dead.

 

[Rockrivr1]

At that last turn when the surburban spun the car I wonder if that was some poor sap in the pickup they ran into or if that was a LE in that truck. If it was a poor sap, he must of been "S"ing himself as the rounds started flying. He/she was pretty much pinned in by the action at that point.

So I'm guessing I wasn't the only one mentally screaming "Get him, get him!" and waiting for his head to come apart.