Police Shootout: Marijuana Bale Defensive Wall
Back in the late '70s there was a police shootout involving some dope smugglers.
Two guys had driven a big RV down to Florida and loaded it up with marijuana bales. The RV was so packed with bales of pot that there was barely room to walk down the aisle and get to the bathroom.
These two guys drove up I75 to Atlanta. The cops were all over the deal from the get go, and they were staking the smugglers out as they pulled into an Atlanta motel. The guys had to rent a room, as they could not get to the beds of their RV, there was so much pot on board.
The next morning, the guys headed up I85 towards South Carolina. There were about six police vehicles discreetly following the RV, and the smugglers had no idea that the jig was up.
They got about 80 miles north of Atlanta, just below the South Carolina line, and the cops decided to make the bust, I suppose, because they were way out in the country.
The cops had been discussing their tactics on the radio, and by now there were about 15 cop cars following the RV. These included GBI, Ga. State Patrol, some Atlanta cops, and many local city and county cops.
A cop car pulled in front of the RV, a couple cop cars pulled along side it, and they pulled the RV over onto the shoulder of I85.
Fifteen or more cop cars pulled up and surrounded the RV. At least 30 law officers got out, and surrounded the RV. All were pointing their weapons at the RV.
One cop was standing directly in front of the RV. While he pointed his pistol at the driver, he ordered the driver to pull ahead ten feet, to get completely off of I85. The driver complied. A cop who behind the RV did not know that the driver had been ordered to pull forward. He thought the smugglers were trying to escape. He fired three shots into the right rear tires.
The cops at the front of the RV thought that the smugglers were firing. About a dozen cops in front of the RV opened fire into the RV. The two smugglers dove to the floor in the back of the RV, into the aisle between the marijuana bales.
The cops on the back side of the RV saw bullets coming out from inside the RV. They all opened fire into the RV. Every cop on the scene emptied his weapon into that RV.
When the smoke cleared, one cop was wounded, and one GBI agent, who was black, was dead. He had been hit in the back with buckshot.
The smugglers were uninjured, and there were no guns inside the RV.
There were hundreds of bullets stuck in the marijuana bales. The marijuana had saved the smugglers' lives.
The GBI and State Patrol did a massive investigation, most especially to find who had killed the GBI agent. There were only two shotguns in use in the shootout, and both were being carried by local sheriffs. GBI never did determine who was at fault. No charges were ever brought against any law enforcement officers involved.
Guys, I googled this incident up for an hour yesterday, and found nothing. It happened too long before the era of google to be on the internet. I clearly remeber it, as I was a Georgia resident at the time, and this incident was headlines for about a week.
If any of y'all were LEOs in Georgia or South Carolina at the time, I am sure you will remember it.
Two guys had driven a big RV down to Florida and loaded it up with marijuana bales. The RV was so packed with bales of pot that there was barely room to walk down the aisle and get to the bathroom.
These two guys drove up I75 to Atlanta. The cops were all over the deal from the get go, and they were staking the smugglers out as they pulled into an Atlanta motel. The guys had to rent a room, as they could not get to the beds of their RV, there was so much pot on board.
The next morning, the guys headed up I85 towards South Carolina. There were about six police vehicles discreetly following the RV, and the smugglers had no idea that the jig was up.
They got about 80 miles north of Atlanta, just below the South Carolina line, and the cops decided to make the bust, I suppose, because they were way out in the country.
The cops had been discussing their tactics on the radio, and by now there were about 15 cop cars following the RV. These included GBI, Ga. State Patrol, some Atlanta cops, and many local city and county cops.
A cop car pulled in front of the RV, a couple cop cars pulled along side it, and they pulled the RV over onto the shoulder of I85.
Fifteen or more cop cars pulled up and surrounded the RV. At least 30 law officers got out, and surrounded the RV. All were pointing their weapons at the RV.
One cop was standing directly in front of the RV. While he pointed his pistol at the driver, he ordered the driver to pull ahead ten feet, to get completely off of I85. The driver complied. A cop who behind the RV did not know that the driver had been ordered to pull forward. He thought the smugglers were trying to escape. He fired three shots into the right rear tires.
The cops at the front of the RV thought that the smugglers were firing. About a dozen cops in front of the RV opened fire into the RV. The two smugglers dove to the floor in the back of the RV, into the aisle between the marijuana bales.
The cops on the back side of the RV saw bullets coming out from inside the RV. They all opened fire into the RV. Every cop on the scene emptied his weapon into that RV.
When the smoke cleared, one cop was wounded, and one GBI agent, who was black, was dead. He had been hit in the back with buckshot.
The smugglers were uninjured, and there were no guns inside the RV.
There were hundreds of bullets stuck in the marijuana bales. The marijuana had saved the smugglers' lives.
The GBI and State Patrol did a massive investigation, most especially to find who had killed the GBI agent. There were only two shotguns in use in the shootout, and both were being carried by local sheriffs. GBI never did determine who was at fault. No charges were ever brought against any law enforcement officers involved.
Guys, I googled this incident up for an hour yesterday, and found nothing. It happened too long before the era of google to be on the internet. I clearly remeber it, as I was a Georgia resident at the time, and this incident was headlines for about a week.
If any of y'all were LEOs in Georgia or South Carolina at the time, I am sure you will remember it.
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all that over a little columbian. in the end the cops still got to save the world from that weed. except for one 0 -
That's really funny! When I was in elementary school, we learned about bales of hemp being used for cover under fire during the War of Northern Agression; said war was the theme for the homecoming parade that year, so the theme for the 4th grade class marching in the parade was "The Battle of the Hemp Bales". We all walked down the street hiding behind little red wagons with bales of straw in them. I never understood why my parents were unhappy with the whole idea. 0
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