I don’t know if this guy is a cop or not, but it looks like he bought some space for innocents to escape. He’s far more restrained with that gun than I would be. I wouldn’t bet I’m quick enough on the draw to pop that dude with the bat if he were to come at me, and I’d have drawn and aimed at batman once he got that close. But if he’s not a cop, he’s probably carrying that piece illegally, and that might be the reason for restraint. I also don’t speak French, so likewise that makes it hard to understand.
Police officer or no, confronting a band that size wielding deadly weapons, badly outnumbered, armed with just a pistol takes some gonads.
He had already acquired a good grip and had defeated his retention device, so he’d probably already cut his draw time in half. If he’s at all handy with point shooting, that may be enough.
Irony: video is blocked in France because of copyright issues. Had to use a proxy to see the video.
This is actually an excerpt from an old TV report/documentary. I remember seeing it on TV when it first aired. I’d say 2012-2013.
Guy is plain cloth cop. Punks are not refugees but French-born citizens (I’d say third generation based on their age/appearance).
From what I remember, cop were escorting a victim to try and identify suspects “in the wild”. Not sure.
Well this is the usual shit sandwich cops have to handle everyday in French projects. Nothing new, sadly. The usual taunts/threats.
I think the fact that there were cameras made it even more appealing for those punks, being tough on camera obviously getting you street cred !
Cop is showing restraint because there’s no qualified immunity here and the hierarchy will gladly throw you under the bus even when a cop’s action was legitimate.
Even drawing the gun (esp. on camera) could have gotten him in hot water.
Thanks for the explanation. Even without qualified immunity, here you’d be justified in shooting him just on straight self-defense grounds. I’m pretty sure procedure for our police would have been to draw, verbally demand they drop the bat, and if they didn’t, to drop them.
The partial draw that he did is just fine. I’ve been taught a similar “covert ready” position by a couple of instructors, who use that exact same ready position for the same reason – keeping a low profile in a populated area.
The one guy prancing around without the bat should have been shot just on general principles.
I agree it’s fine for someone presenting a threat, but someone with a deadly weapon that close to me and acting like he’s ready to take a swing at the least should get drawn on.
The problem with drawing is group psychology. By himself, you have given him a reason that his ego can admit that he is overmatched. He can walk away gracefully, more or less. But with his buddies watching and egging him on, he is going to be much less likely to quit.
If you are not planning on pulling the trigger when you clear leather, it’s generally best to keep it holstered. Not everyone is going to quit when a gun is pointed at them, and then what?
Bringing in those “refugees” sure seems like a great idea.
Once the primer goes off they’d all scamper away like the cockroaches they are. No gonads in that group.
imagine that happening in Texas.
Sebastian, John Ringo summed it up pretty well in “Manxsome Foe”, where one of the characters put it this way”
“As individual soldiers, the French are fine. It’s their politicians and generals that suck. Oh, boy, do they suck!”