“Despite wide-spread belief that Bennett’s word is as bonding as holy scripture, his claims remain completely unsubstantiated by video evidence as of now.”
There’s a real problem in society today with internet activism and leftist media combining to develop narratives and solidify public perception long before the facts are even out regarding any given incident that occurs. We saw it happen a few years ago when the “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” lie was passed down as gospel from the heavens by the mainstream media and pop-culture unto the masses. Of course, we all know how that ended.
Bamboozled, hoodwinked, duped, conned, and deceived by the media they trusted – enraged mobs descended on Ferguson, MO to help the locals light up their own community in flames. That’s right. Long before Antifa was a household name, all-black clad white kids in masks were helping the black residents of Ferguson destroy their own local economy and battle with police officers on the streets. But cops are the enemy, right?
We are living in strange times indeed.
We’ve seen the same type of media distortion occur over the past four years in Baltimore, Berkeley, Charlottesville, on the presidential campaign trail, and the list goes on. The latest faux-controversy being pushed by the media and Twitter trolls with more keyboard-cred than actual life experience stems from an incident that occurred on the night of the biggest event in boxing history late last month in Sin City. As you sat around sipping your pint of Guinness and discussing the results of the Mayweather vs. McGregor fight from up on a bar stool somewhere, all hell was breaking loose at Drai’s Nightclub on Las Vegas Boulevard.
A self-righteous purveyor of divisive racial identity politics had already taken to Twitter to take political potshots at the police and send the masses into a frenzy.
The call went out around 1:30am on the morning of August 27th and officers responded to reports of an assault and battery at a club nestled inside of the Cromwell Casino. Prior to their arrival, dispatch upgraded the call from a fight to shots fired inside of the crowded location. This changed everything, of course, and officers were now responding to an “active shooter” event.
Before anyone across the nation could see the fine job the officers of Las Vegas Metro Police Department had done to clear a mobbed casino during a reported active shooter event, before anyone could witness the heroic actions of a few running into danger as all others fled, and before anyone could relive the sheer chaos of the scene described on a police sergeant’s bodycam – they got spoon fed the racism pitch. Why? A self-righteous purveyor of divisive racial identity politics had already taken to Twitter to take political potshots at the police and send the masses into a frenzy.
On the morning of September 6, Seattle Seahawks Defensive End Michael Bennett put out a lengthy public statement on Twitter that offered lots of melodrama and some pretty stunning accusations of police misconduct, but presented no actual evidence. Not surprisingly, the media ate it up and reported on it as if there were no such thing as “two sides to a story”.
After several hundred thousand Retweets, TMZ footage of Bennett belly down yelling, “I didn’t do nothin’!”, and endless pontification by every sports columnist and on-screen personality from ESPN to Fox Sports 1, the “I stand with Colin Kaepernick” pro-athletes crowd began to weigh-in, the lawsuit talk began to heat up, and the feet of the LVMPD were held directly over the blue-hot flame of a public shaming. The officers involved in the run-in with Bennett were being declared guilty in the court of public opinion based entirely off one man’s Tweet. It’s amazing how fast it happens nowadays.
LVMPD Undersheriff Kevin McMahill had to respond quickly, which he did. The LVMPD’s official statement regarding the incident, along with an approximately five-minute video of one on-scene sergeant’s bodycam footage, was released the same day Bennett’s accusations of police brutality were made.
Even though the “shots fired” reports turned out to be bogus, McMahill explained the circumstances of the incident by pointing out that officers “were met with large groups of people running for cover, hiding, and lying on the ground hiding and people screaming.” There was every indication of legitimacy to the call from the very moment the officers arrived.
Bodycam footage confirms this. As they make their way in, people can be seen “getting off the X” and fleeing for the exits. When the officers get further in, you can see people lying on the ground all around. Things are knocked over and loud screaming adds to the urgency of the situation. The scene is dripping with chaos. As they make their way through the crowded casino floor, these officers don’t know if any of the downed bodies have been shot or are bleeding out, but they don’t have time to stop. They must continue to search for the threat and eliminate it to end loss of life as active shooter response protocol dictates. Officers clear the casino floor, regroup outside, then head back in for another sweep.
It is on their second run through of the building, officers encounter Michael Bennett. This is the key point that Bennett leaves out of his attempt to race-bait the entire nation. Rather than mentioning that he fled on foot and scaled a wall after refusing to stop when officers shouted demands for him to do so, Bennett sums up the encounter by claiming “Las Vegas police officers singled me out and pointed their guns at me for doing nothing more than simply being a black man in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
According to the bodycam footage of what actually took place, Bennett was hiding behind a slot machine but fled when one officer looked in his direction. The bodycam footage shows the sergeant’s first-person perspective as he turns around and runs out of the casino double-doors behind the officer who spotted Bennett. “Got one running!”, you can hear him shout. The officer jumps the four-foot wall onto Flamingo Blvd with his gun still drawn and then detains Bennett in handcuffs.
It certainly does look to me that the officer had his firearm out as he crouches over Bennett – and that’s ok. I’m sorry to break it to all the computer-cops out there criticizing his tactics, but this was completely reasonable. The moment Bennett alerted the officer’s suspicions and refused to comply with orders to stop, he became a suspect in a possible shooting. It’s assumed that shooting suspects are armed and dangerous and should be treated as such so that officers can have a fighting chance to make it home alive. This isn’t rocket science, folks.
Of course, the footage released up to this point does not show the gun pointed at Bennett’s head, nor is there any audio of the officer telling Bennett that he was going to “blow his f*cking head off”. Despite wide-spread belief that Bennett’s word is as bonding as holy scripture, his claims remain completely unsubstantiated by video evidence as of now.
Here’s something else for computer cops to consider. Even if the officer hypothetically did say this – he assumes the suspect has a gun and he tells him what the result will be if the suspect tries to use it against him. Does it sound or look cuddly and cute? No, of course not. It’s not a game out there when your job involves confronting armed and dangerous people.
Here’s another thing no one is talking about. When you watch the officers making their way through the casino on the sergeant’s bodycam, you can see one patron exhibit the perfect common-sense behavioral reaction for someone who wants to not be mistaken for a suspect. This happens literally seconds before the detaining officer shouts that Bennett is fleeing the scene.
Said black male was then arrested by two Hispanic police officers and he cries racism instead of acknowledging his own bumbling behavior.
The man I’m talking about can be seen kneeling on both knees out in the open with his hands up in the air. Smart enough to understand the situation he’s found himself in, he makes himself appear as non-threateningly as humanly possible – fully assuming the universal surrender pose before he is ever commanded to do so. As a grown man, Michael Bennett should have known to do this in the same way toddlers are taught to look both ways before they cross the street. Michael Bennett, however, did not possess the common-sense to do so – the one incredibly idiotic stooge out of thousands to make himself look like a suspect. Think about that.
Let’s really spell this out because it is important. A single black male in a crowded casino managed to make himself look guilty of a crime as several armed police entered with guns drawn. Meanwhile, a thousand other black, brown, and white citizens fared just fine. Said black male was then arrested by two Hispanic police officers and he cries racism instead of acknowledging his own bumbling behavior. Here’s the kicker. The mainstream media, his peers, and the NFL applaud him like a small child making fart noises with his hand clasped over his armpit. It’s pure insanity.
Police leadership doesn’t stand up for itself enough in today’s climate. I want to take a moment to applaud LVMPD for allowing Undersheriff McMahill’s response:
“I can tell you as I stand here today, I see no evidence…that race played any role in this incident. In fact, as you’ll notice throughout this video as I play for you, while officers were searching the casino, they were able to safely evacuate many patrons of all races. It’s also important for me to note for you both of the officers involved in this incident in question were of Hispanic origin.
In case you’re wondering what the NFL’s position is now that video delivering a blow to Bennett’s credibility has surfaced, you should know that they’re standing firmly with their player. The Las Vegas Police Protective Association penned an open letter to the NFL demanding an investigation into Bennett for the false statements he’s made. The NFL publicly announced their stance that there’s no reason to as quickly as I’d tell my kid she can’t get a tattoo. Goodell and company can sink with the stones they tie themselves to as far as I’m concerned.
