Kid Carrying RPG in AZ -Terrorist Stunt

[Arbelest 29]

Out of all the stupid things people do this has got to be the craziest. A kid carrying an RPG in the street and no one shot him or ran him over? I'm pretty sure this situation could have turned into a major incident very quickly because someone was testing police response.

 

http://www.policeone.com/bizarre/articles/5995824-Video-Ariz-filmmaker-stages-grenade-launcher-hoax-to-test-police-response-time/

 

Video of event is in the link.

[Recon Racoon 49]

That thunderous crash we just heard? That was the Statue of Liberty face palming over this stupidity.

[BlueLineFish 615]

Wow..lucky the kid didn't get shot. Could have turned real ugly. This guy should be locked up for a long time

[NJdiverTony 27]

What is wrong with people today?!?!?! They should lock that idiot up for dressing that kid up like that, as he could have gotten him killed.

[Recon Racoon 49]

Both the kid and uncle should go away for a while. The kid could have easily said no and not done it, but chose to be apart of this exhibition of friggin stupid.

 

BLF is right, this could have ended much more worse. The kid is lucky.

[TK421 2]

Speechless! I guess people's stupidity can still surprise me afterall. Thank God that kid didn't get shot, In Arizona off all places? WTF is wrong with this guy?

[Arbelest 29]

Now the real question is if you were an AZ resident and CCing who would have done something? What would you have done?

[BlackOps Badger 52]

Now the real question is if you were an AZ resident and CCing who would have done something? What would you have done?

 

What could you do? Imagine if John Q Public shot this kid for pointing an RPG at passing cars. People just don't think anymore. I'm wondering how old the kid was, or maybe I missed it in the article.

[Sandy 44]

That is the most blatant act of stupidity I have seen in a long time.. that kid easily could have been hurt or killed and the person who thought they were preventing an incident would have their life ruined as well.

 

I hope the punishment is severe.

 

If that was my kid he would lose every privilege except eating drinking breathing and using the bathroom for a VERY long time. And his "uncle" would be sporting the world's first colon carried and operated grenade launcher.

[BlueLineFish 615]

That is the most blatant act of stupidity I have seen in a long time.. that kid easily could have been hurt or killed and the person who thought they were preventing an incident would have their life ruined as well.

 

I hope the punishment is severe.

 

If that was my kid he would lose every privilege except eating drinking breathing and using the bathroom for a VERY long time. And his "uncle" would be sporting the world's first colon carried and operated grenade launcher.

 

 

Geez....angry moms are no joke. Lol i am now officially afraid of you.

[Sandy 44]

Hell hath no fury lol

[BlueLineFish 615]

I know..now that I have a kid I see what the wife gets like. With the amount of guns I have it seems like not enough protection.

[voyager9 3,434]

I agree it was a stupid stunt and the kid is very lucky. I thought this was odd though:

 

The first officer finds Turley and the teen in a neighborhood, standing in Turley's driveway.

The officer calmly tells the boy to put down the weapon and Turley to put down the camera. He doesn't draw his gun.

Holmes said Turley told the officer they were just filming a movie, and the officer took down their names and left.

 

Then

 

After interviewing people who called 911 and later seeing the video posted on YouTube, police arrested Turley.

 

So the police show up.. understand the story and leave. Later, when the video is on youtube they go back and arrest him? What are they charging him for now, that he wasn't suspected of when the officer first arrived? Does it have to do with his motivation? He told the first officer they were fiming a movie and later said they were testing Police response.

[Shane45 807]

Well my guess would be no one wanted to testify. But with video evidence now no one needs to. Just a guess though.

[BlueLineFish 615]

I also hope the fine him a hefty amount to cover the costs associated with the response.

[BlueLineFish 615]

Or the DA decided to teach dumbshit a lesson and put to rest any thoughts others might have of doing something similar.

[PeteF 1,044]

That is the most blatant act of stupidity I have seen in a long time.. that kid easily could have been hurt or killed and the person who thought they were preventing an incident would have their life ruined as well.

 

I hope the punishment is severe.

 

If that was my kid he would lose every privilege except eating drinking breathing and using the bathroom for a VERY long time. And his "uncle" would be sporting the world's first colon carried and operated grenade launcher.

Yep that pretty much sums it up in a nutshell.

[mipafox 438]

I wouldn't have shot the dude. Not surprisingly, nobody else did either. Maybe another good reason people in NJ shouldn't be able to carry without justifiable need. Did you see the video? It was pretty silly.

 

Lock him up for a long time? Is this some kind of "911" "we're skeered of towelheads" thing? Use your head. The only risk to your lives that changed after the attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center in 2011 is the increased risk from you people. Not RPG packing "towelheads" wearing a bedsheet in your daily commute.

[Texan 1]

Wouldn't have shot the kid with CHL, however would have drawn on him from behind and tried to subdue him until cops arrived. If he turned on me with it, don't know. I'm not going to pretend to be a tough guy and say I would shoot.

 

He's lucky he didn't get shot. However this is another prime example of natural selection at work.

 

Sadly enough teens or big kids with toy guns have been killed by cops enough that this kid should have expected nothing less.

[BlueLineFish 615]

I havent seen the video so dont know how real the rpg looked.

[CMJeepster 2,777]

It looked more authentic than the beard and outfit.

[High Exposure 5,662]

So the police show up.. understand the story and leave. Later, when the video is on youtube they go back and arrest him? What are they charging him for now, that he wasn't suspected of when the officer first arrived? Does it have to do with his motivation? He told the first officer they were fiming a movie and later said they were testing Police response.

 

Most arrests don't occur during or immediately following the crime, unless the officer witnesses the crime personally. There needs to be an investigation.

 

Is the suspect properly identified? Did the suspect do what was reported? Is what was reported in fact a crime in this jurisdiction? Was anyone hurt? Was there property damage?

 

Gathering suspect info (Name address DOB, etc...) and clearing is sometimes the appropriate thing to do. If the investigation supports an arrest then a warrant is issued and the arrest is made.

 

Picture this: Your kid is playing airsoft and happens to run by a major intersection chasing his friends. Multiple people call the police to report someone with a gun is chasing people at this location. Should the cops or CCW holder just locate the kids and start shooting? Should the police roll up and start putting people in cuffs no questions asked? Or should they get everyones names, investigate the total situation, and determine if in fact a crime has been committed?

 

In NJ anyway, it is very hard to un-arrest someone once the cuffs are on and the words are uttered.

 

I wouldn't have shot the dude. Not surprisingly, nobody else did either. Maybe another good reason people in NJ shouldn't be able to carry without justifiable need. Did you see the video? It was pretty silly.

 

I would not have shot him either. It was very silly, and having a man with a video camera clearly right behind the "terrorist" (a kid with only one arm and wrapped in light blue bedsheets) it was most likely pretty clear is was a joke, some kids playing war, or possibly some kind of stunt to catch a cop on camera mis-handeling a citizen. However, I don't know if I would have been quite as non-chalant as the first responding officer though, but that is just me.

[mipafox 438]

I would not have shot him either. It was very silly, and having a man with a video camera clearly right behind the "terrorist" (a kid with only one arm and wrapped in light blue bedsheets) it was most likely pretty clear is was a joke, some kids playing war, or possibly some kind of stunt to catch a cop on camera mis-handeling a citizen. However, I don't know if I would have been quite as non-chalant as the first responding officer though, but that is just me.

 

Perhaps you need to spend more time "responding" in the real world of real people vs. the, "If you see some something say something" clinically paranoid Hitler Youth world.

 

Throwing that out there for perspective. I'm glad you are one of the guys that wouldn't have shot the kid or put him in prison for a long time for acting like a kid with a beadsheet and a fake rocket launcher.

[High Exposure 5,662]

Perhaps you need to spend more time "responding" in the real world of real people vs. the, "If you see some something say something" clinically paranoid Hitler Youth world.

 

The written word leaves a lot to be desired in communications between strangers. I am not entirely clear what you mean by your statement. Care to elaborate?

[High Exposure 5,662]

Update:

 

http://www.policeone.com/patro...enade-launcher-hoax/

 

911 calls released in grenade launcher hoax

Man said he wanted to test police response to a fake terrorism call

 

 

By PoliceOne Staff

 

PHOENIX — Many witnesses to a masked teen pointing a grenade launcher at passing cars told authorities they assumed the weapon wasn't real, according to 911 calls released Thursday that reveal more about the terrorism hoax.

 

Michael D. Turley, 39, was arrested Monday after the bizarre film was posted to YouTube roughly two months ago. In the intro, the narrator said he wanted to test police response to the incident, making mention of the Aurora, Colo., movie theater shooting that killed 12 in July.

 

Callers said "kid" was brandishing what appeared to be a bazooka, grenade launcher or rocket launcher on July 28 in northwest Phoenix.

 

Video: Ariz. man stages grenade launcher hoax to test police response time

Related content sponsored by:

 

"I don’t know if it’s real or not, but it’s kind of bizarre," a caller said. "He’s wearing a dress with a torpedo on his shoulder and pointing it left and right."

 

"I assume it’s a fake. I hope so," another man said in a call. "I think you guys should check it out."

 

"It looks like there's another kid with him videotaping him," one caller told dispatchers. "They probably think it’s funny. It’s not really funny."

 

The police response took approximately three minutes from the first 911 call, according to Phoenix police spokesman James Holmes. An officer found Turley and the teen standing in Turley's driveway, where he told them to put down the weapon and the camera, took their names and left the scene.

 

After speaking to witnesses and seeing the YouTube video, police arrested Turley. He was charged with creating a false impression of a terrorist act, endangerment, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and misconduct involving simulated explosives.

[Soju 153]

If you actually bother to watch the video, it is obvious that there wasn't really a terrorist in the street going to blow up stuff with an RPG. It was very obviously a joke of some sorts, or at the very least, not real. It was however pretty dumb.

 

Arrests were only made after the video went up on youtube for all to see, included with negative comments directed toward the police. If I had to guess, that is why there were arrests. You people calling to crucify him, or more particularly the kid, for being stupid...that is ridiculous.

 

I suppose when I was a kid and made movies with my friends dressed in camo with realistic looking airsoft and bb guns, we probably should have been arrested too right?

 

 

I havent seen the video so dont know how real the rpg looked.

[High Exposure 5,662]

If you actually bother to watch the video, it is obvious that there wasn't really a terrorist in the street going to blow up stuff with an RPG. It was very obviously a joke of some sorts, or at the very least, not real. It was however pretty dumb.

 

Arrests were only made after the video went up on youtube for all to see, included with negative comments directed toward the police. If I had to guess, that is why there were arrests. You people calling to crucify him, or more particularly the kid, for being stupid...that is ridiculous.

 

I suppose when I was a kid and made movies with my friends dressed in camo with realistic looking airsoft and bb guns, we probably should have been arrested too right?

 

Bonesinium,

 

If you look in my post above I use that very example of kids playing airsoft. I think the difference between this and kids playing "War" lies in the intent behind the incident. This kid with an "RPG" and the "Film maker" conducted this stunt with the intent to make citizens and Law Enforcement believe that they were in danger and there was an ongoing terrorist attack. They attempted to provoke LE into an emergency responce/anti terror operation with a ruse.

 

At first glance by arriving Officers, maybe arrests did not seem appropriate. It looks like 2 kids fooling around. As you said above:

If you actually bother to watch the video, it is obvious that there wasn't really a terrorist in the street going to blow up stuff with an RPG. It was very obviously a joke of some sorts, or at the very least, not real.

 

After investigating - watching the video, speaking to witnesses, and hearing both suspects statements as to the why of the "film", this incident now fits the definition of legislation in Phoenix, AZ against this exact behavior.

 

The YouTube video is essentially a confession/incriminating statement allowing charges to be filed and a proper lawful arrest to be made.

[BlueLineFish 615]

I hold the uncle more responsible than the teen. The uncle should be the one in trouble.

[mipafox 438]

Can my nephew still carry the demil RPG on Halloween? Or is that banned now.

[Soju 153]

Anybody who would allow a kid to dress up is stupid and should be charged criminally. There is no place for fun anymore in this time of terrorism. If your nephew goes out dressed up with any group of people, they should be treated as a gang, dissident group, or domestic terrorists, because clearly the only reason for dressing up is to conceal their identities and/or create violence.