The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Miami Shootout Analysis: What Went Wrong?

Dennis · February 1, 1999, 02:24 AM

All I saw was the Hollywood version - and that was several years ago - so I have no REAL facts.

In the "movie", didn't the head agent decide to jump the bad guys on the back street so the armed confrontation would not happen on the crowded main highway?

IF that was the story, that hurried decision might explain why they didn't call for backup. I'd bet "overly eager" played a role as well as the ego role "We're FEDERAL agents!" (meaning no one and nothing would DARE resist!) All comes back to training, tho.

Personally, I'm glad I'm not a cop. (I ran into enough trouble just being in EMS.) But I'll keep training with handguns and keep the 12ga a lot closer than I used to.

An interesting question to me would be, what would one of us do if we were a witness to such a shootout? How would we know who was LEOs and who was BGs? What action (other than finding IMMEDIATE cover & calling 9-1-1) would each of you have taken as a bystander?

February 1, 1999, 02:24 AM	#20
Dennis Staff Emeritus Join Date: November 23, 1998 Location: a small forest in Texas Posts: 7,079	All I saw was the Hollywood version - and that was several years ago - so I have no REAL facts. In the "movie", didn't the head agent decide to jump the bad guys on the back street so the armed confrontation would not happen on the crowded main highway? IF that was the story, that hurried decision might explain why they didn't call for backup. I'd bet "overly eager" played a role as well as the ego role "We're FEDERAL agents!" (meaning no one and nothing would DARE resist!) All comes back to training, tho. Personally, I'm glad I'm not a cop. (I ran into enough trouble just being in EMS.) But I'll keep training with handguns and keep the 12ga a lot closer than I used to. An interesting question to me would be, what would one of us do if we were a witness to such a shootout? How would we know who was LEOs and who was BGs? What action (other than finding IMMEDIATE cover & calling 9-1-1) would each of you have taken as a bystander?