Protesters call for firing of officer in fatal Florida dirt bike traffic stop

[Dial H For Hero]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/boynton-beach-protesters-officer-firing-stanley-davis-jr-fatal-attempted-dirt-bike-traffic-stop/

Demonstrators outside police headquarters in Boynton Beach, Florida, Tuesday night called for the firing of the officer involved in the death of a 13-year old boy on a dirt bike during an attempted traffic stop Sunday, CBS West Palm Beach affiliate WPEC-TV reports. They also pressed for transparency from the department about what happened during the incident.

Police say the boy was driving the dirt bike recklessly when he "went down" on North Federal Highway. The officer is on paid leave while the Florida Highway Patrol investigates.

Video WPEC obtained shows the boy, Stanley Davis Jr., also known as "SJ," pulling up at a Chevron gas station shortly before the incident. He goes inside to pay, wearing his helmet. Then he rides away and a police vehicle follows him down the street.

Davis rides out of frame, then circles back, with the police vehicle close behind.

(Excerpt)

[Hugh_Lebowski]

1. Just out of curiosity, is there some special Florida dispensation that allows 13 year old children

to operate off-road motorcycles on the public roadways?

Some special 'drivers license' you can get at 13 there in Florida?

Also, did this motorcycle have proper license and tags making it legal to drive on the public roads ... or do they maybe not do that whole 'motor vehicle registration' thing down there when it comes to 'dirt bikes'?

[Thomas Hurt]

3. sure the kid broke laws, the question is whether the cops were reasonable in their pursuit...

or did they take it personally that the kid was flaunting the law and their authority, did something rash and got the kid killed.

[MichMan]

4. He crashed while fleeing the police.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

11. Agreed ... hopefully there is audio/video recorded evidence showing us both what they did

and what they were saying, both to each other (assuming >1 officer in the car) and over their car's PA system.

It would also be good to know how fast the child was travelling, and also whether these cops knew the kid i.e. maybe they knew exactly who it was, knew he was only 13 years old ... maybe he'd been warned before, maybe multiple times. Then again if they know him, they might know where he lives, so why not just drive to his house, esp. if it was close by?

There's a lot of things that could come into play about this story that could influence how I feel about the actions taken by the officers.

A 13-year-old operating a motorcycle on city streets, with probably very little training on traffic laws or safe driving ... is not a negligible public safety threat, in all honesty.

But I'm also not a big fan of police pursuits, generally.

[Baitball Blogger]

8. We have six to seven year olds riding minibikes on private streets.

Horrifies me each time I see them because they are not supervised and they will be hard to see for cars backing out of their driveways.

[madville]

10. Requires registration and tag in FL

Also would require a Class E drivers license (age 16 and up) with a motorcycle endorsement.

A bike without a tag is gonna get one a traffic stop more times than not in FL. That’s not counting all the other potential violations that could trigger or be found during a stop, no brake light, working headlight, turn signals, at least one mirror, working horn, non-DOT rated off-road tires, etc.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

2. Policy says don't pursue for reckless driving, and the cops did.

[madville]

6. Article says attempted traffic stop

There is a difference between attempting a traffic stop and engaging in a pursuit. Most traffic stops start with the police car following the offending vehicle until it stops but that may not be considered a “pursuit” as far as their policy is concerned. If it doesn’t stop for a couple of blocks, is it now a pursuit?

It really depends on what their definition is of a “pursuit” as far as that policy is concerned. At what point does it transition from a failed traffic stop to a pursuit?

[SYFROYH]

5. Here is the BBPD policy on Vehicular Pursuit

and it does appear that the police violated their policy when pursuing.

https://public.powerdms.com/BBPDE/documents/81354
III. PURSUIT POLICY
The decision to initiate pursuit must be based on the pursuing officer’s conclusion that the immediate danger to the officer and the public created by the pursuit is less than the immediate or potential danger to the public Boynton Beach Police Department should the suspect remain at large. The pursuit must be conducted in a non-reckless manner with emphasis on the safety of the public, human rights and the property of others.

Vehicular pursuits will be initiated only if the officer reasonably believes that the person(s) fleeing has committed a forcible felony defined as:
1. Murder (as defined in FS 782);
2. Manslaughter (as defined in FS 782);
3. Sexual Battery (as defined in FS 794);
4. Carjacking (as defined in FS 812);
5. Home Invasion Robbery (as defined in FS 812);
6. Robbery (as defined in FS 812);
7. Arson (as defined in FS 806);
8. Kidnapping (as defined in FS 787);
9. Serious Aggravated Assault/Battery (as defined in FS 784); and/or
10. Discharging of a Destructive Device or Bomb (as defined in FS 790).

Any pursuit must be conducted in accordance with this directive and only those officers who have received instructional training in the high-speed pursuit policy will engage in a vehicular pursuit.

There may be other policies that offer exceptions to this policy, but on face value it appears clear the 13-year old did not trigger pursuit.

Credit to WhiskyGrinder for making me look this up.

[madville]

7. At what point does it transition from a traffic stop

To a pursuit? That seems to be the question. An officer usually must “pursue” a vehicle for a short distance and activate their lights to initiate a traffic stop. How long does the offending vehicle have to not comply before they determine it’s a failed traffic stop and now a pursuit under their policy?

[SYFROYH]

9. I don't know the answer, but it does seem like a very strict and limiting policy.

I don't know how any traffic stop happens with such a policy.


With a lot of policies, there are sometimes conflicting policies or nuances in words that are not apparent to laypeople such as me.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

12. Speed and reason for pursuit are often the determining factor.