‘He got what he deserved’: CA sheriff says cop-killing suspect was ‘intentionally’ run over by BearCat
A suspect who had shot and killed a California police officer was also killed when he was run over by a law enforcement BearCat vehicle, and the sheriff is making no apologies for the method employed to stop the armed man.
Tulare County Detective Randy Hoppert was killed while serving an eviction notice. The suspect, David Morales, who was armed with a high-powered rifle, barricaded himself in the home and exchanged fire with SWAT.
Morales, 59, would later leave the home wearing tactical equipment and camouflage.. He was spotted lying prone on the ground and opened fire on approaching armored vehicles. Members of a Kern County SWAT team inside a BearCat vehicle made the split-second call to end the threat by driving over Morales.
“We intentionally ran him over…don’t shoot at cops,” Tulare Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said during a news conference. “You shoot at cops, and we’re going to run you over. He got run over. He got what he deserved.”
Sheriff Boudreaux said Morales had failed to pay rent for 35 days and that he “laid in wait” as law enforcement arrived to serve a final eviction notice. The sheriff added that Morales had made it clear in messages to family members that he was not going to surrender and planned to “go down in a blaze of glory.”
Tulare County Detective Randy Hoppert was killed while serving an eviction notice. The suspect, David Morales, who was armed with a high-powered rifle, barricaded himself in the home and exchanged fire with SWAT.
Morales, 59, would later leave the home wearing tactical equipment and camouflage.. He was spotted lying prone on the ground and opened fire on approaching armored vehicles. Members of a Kern County SWAT team inside a BearCat vehicle made the split-second call to end the threat by driving over Morales.
“We intentionally ran him over…don’t shoot at cops,” Tulare Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said during a news conference. “You shoot at cops, and we’re going to run you over. He got run over. He got what he deserved.”
Sheriff Boudreaux said Morales had failed to pay rent for 35 days and that he “laid in wait” as law enforcement arrived to serve a final eviction notice. The sheriff added that Morales had made it clear in messages to family members that he was not going to surrender and planned to “go down in a blaze of glory.”
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