BART Cop Arrested for the murder of Oscar Grant (Oakland: to rent, how much)

[Nella925]

BART Police Officer Arrested In Connection With Fatal Shooting
Tuesday, January 13, 2009

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Several well-placed sources are telling KTVU news that a murder warrant was issued for former BART officer Johannes Mehserle and that Mehserle is now in custody.
KTVU has been told that Mehserle is coming from some distance away and won't arrive at the jail Tuesday night. When he does arrive, Mehserle will be booked into the Santa Rita Jail in Pleasanton.Moderator cut: Please only post link & a blurb

[footballer0607]

So justice is finally served. I personally believe that a charge of voluntary manslaughter would be the most appropriate. I do not believe for a second that Mehserle intended to kill Oscar Grant, but one would think that an officer would receive enough training that a deadly accident wouldn't result from mistaking a gun for a taser. Indeed, there was a brief struggle and Grant was not handcuffed, but seriously, how much of a threat can an unarmed man pose while lying on his stomach with both arms outstretched?

[Huckleberry3911948]

when i was a kid the cops shot bad guys or put them in jail, now its the reverse.

[Chicagoaklandish]

Originally Posted by Huckleberry3911948

when i was a kid the cops shot bad guys or put them in jail, now its the reverse.

now they shoot good guys?

[Taboo2]

I think he's made it clear he will never take the stand. So they won't have any insider information as to what he meant to do.

[bellalunatic]

Why the he!! do BART cops have guns at all? That's like handing guns out to rent-a-cops at the mall.
What, is someone hopping onto a train without paying really that important?

[redwoodlvr]

I feel for both Oscar Grant and Johannes Mehserle. It is not going to be fun for Mr. Mehserle during the trial and if he goes to prison. It's a tragedy all the way around for them and their families. An unfortunate reflection of the worst of our society's condition. My Dad was a cop. He told me himself....when you're carrying around a gun, it changes you. You do not know how you will react in every situation, training or not. Not making excuses - I was very angry myself initially when I heard about this, but I've started to put a lot of things into perspective. He's probably not a murderer, but he definately did not react from a balanced, centered space. His own "stuff" whether it was racially motivated or not and emotions most probably entered the picture when he pulled the trigger. Guns = power. And power generally becomes corrupt. Could happen to anyone. Just my opinion.

[Taboo2]

Originally Posted by bellalunatic

Why the he!! do BART cops have guns at all? That's like handing guns out to rent-a-cops at the mall.
What, is someone hopping onto a train without paying really that important?

I agree, who knew bart cops have guns? I thought they were mall rentacops as well. I had no idea they were allowed to carry a weapon.

It seems like they should not be allowed to at the rate they are going.

[Ultrarunner]

BART PD is a large Department... larger than many CA cities...

They have full police powers and on occasion stopped armed robberies, a car jacking and numerous vehicle break-ins...

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by Ultrarunner

BART PD is a large Department... larger than many CA cities...

They have full police powers and on occasion stopped armed robberies, a car jacking and numerous vehicle break-ins...

Yeah... they aren't quite at the same level as SFPD (or any other local PD), but they are definitely above a "mall cop." They deal with a lot of crap, as I saw when I was regularly riding BART - including but not limited to robberies, assaults, car thefts, drugs, and just about everything else a "real" cop sees. That doesn't justify this incident, but I do support their right to have guns... especially considering that security guards are often armed too (the guard at my old job had a gun - all he had to do was pass a test on gun safety).