Re: Police shoot and kill armed man at San Francisco International Airport terminal...

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San Francisco police officers shot and killed a man they said was armed with two handguns and behaving in a threatening manner inside San Francisco International Airport’s International Terminal Thursday morning.

The confrontation unfolded at 7:26 a.m. after police received several calls reported a man causing a disturbance near the BART [Bay Area Rapid Transit] entrance to the terminal’s Main Hall and outside the Reflection Room, said Officer Grace Gatpandan of the San Francisco Police Department. Officers from the department’s airport bureau rushed to the scene, where the man was brandishing two guns, airport spokesperson Doug Yakel said.

Officers attempted to de-escalate the situation, Yakel said, “but the suspect continued to demonstrate threatening behavior.” Police fired beanbag projectiles at the man but he continued to advance — and officers fired several shots at him “to neutralize the threat,” he said. Gatpandan said police administered first aid to the man but he died on the scene.

Luis, an Air Canada concierge who came upon the conflict as he got off BART to report for work, later heard the shots from a break room where he hunkered down with co-workers.

“Bu-bu-bu-bu-bu-bu-bu-bu,” he said, describing the gunfire. “Oh my God, we said, shots.”

Another man, a bystander, suffered minor injuries, possibly from a ricochet, according to Yakel. He was treated and released from a local hospital.

The suspect’s name has not been released and police have not said why they believe he brought deadly weapons to the airport. But Gatpandan said police do not believe he was a terrorist. The man was described by BART police who arrived at the scene at about 7:40 a.m. as a man in his 20’s, according to radio traffic reviewed by The Chronicle. Officials did not immediately identify the man.

San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe said his office would handle the investigation into the shooting along with the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office and San Francisco police. The San Francisco Police Department provides law enforcement at the airport, but it sits in San Mateo County. A town hall meeting on the police shooting will be held in about 10 days, Gatpandan said, in keeping with a department police on shootings involving on-duty police.

Police did not detail how long, exactly, the encounter between the armed man and police lasted before responding officers fired gunshots, but Gatpandan said “it wasn’t something that happened right off the bat.” She said about 45 minutes passed from the time officers were sent to the scene until a call went out for medical help.

“This was not an encounter that occurred and ended in 10 minutes,” she said. “It was enough time to get resources to this location to help de-escalate the situation.”

Airport officials reported the situation was under control at about 8:20 a.m. BART announced at 8:48 a.m. that it was reopening the SFO station and restoring regular service after briefly re-routing trains to avoid the incident while it unfolded at SFO.

Luis, who declined to give his last name, was getting off of BART at the SFO station at around 7:30 a.m. on his way to work when he saw five police officers with their guns drawn shouting at BART passengers to “go back.”

Though he didn’t see the suspect, Luis said he tried to help police turn other passengers back toward an exit on the other side of the station.

“Just go back! Shooter! Shooter!” he yelled later, Luis said.

“I’m a little shaken,” he said. “I’ve never been through this in my life.”

Although BART service to San Francisco International Airport resumed around 9 a.m., the system canceled several trains, leaving some passengers marooned — and frantic — on the Millbrae platform.

Amy Shipley of Oakland and Magdalena Mielczarek of Canada dashed upstairs to catch an Uber together, with a couple of other travelers trailing behind. Neither was aware of the shooting until a reporter informed them.

“I just hope they have everything under control” Mielczarek said, her eyes wide. Shipley remained tense as they climbed into the Uber and began coasting down Highway 101.

Others making their way to their way to the airport were confronted with a frenetic scene.

“When I got here, the road was blocked and there were lots of police,” said Hetal Panchal, of Crescent City, who was heading to India to visit family.

The incident had a minor impact on airport operations. Passengers were diverted from the International Terminal entrance and the airport temporarily closed a nearby security checkpoint and rerouted passengers to another terminal for screening.

By 9:45 a.m., operations at SFO appeared to return to normal and the buzz of activity resumed, though police barricaded a section of SFO’s international terminal leading directly to the airport’s BART station for the rest of the day.

The barricade appeared to confuse some passengers bound for the BART station while others who wandered through the terminal paused at the sight of the yellow police tape. San Francisco native Keyanti Criswell had just arrived from an Austin, Texas flight when he walked past the police barricade, looking for directions to get to BART.

“It’s disappointing when you hear something like that,” said Criswell, who came to visit his mother. “That somebody had to lose their life because of senseless violence.”
https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/ ... 790748.php
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: Police shoot and kill armed man at San Francisco International Airport terminal...

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SFO gets a lot of international travelers, that must have been scary for them. Different law enforcement jurisdictions, SF International is policed by SFPD even though the airport is located in San Mateo County, its' not in the City and County of San Francisco. The Bay Area Rapid Transit system has their own police force that crosses many county lines.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: Police shoot and kill armed man at San Francisco International Airport terminal...

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A man shot and killed by police officers near San Francisco International Airport's BART station on Thursday morning was armed with two airsoft guns, the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office said. Previous reports indicated the suspect may have been armed with a handgun.

District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe said his team investigated the incident Thursday morning, spending more than six hours at the airport.

"They examined the matter and they were airsoft guns, not firearms," Wagstaffe told SFGATE.

The incident is now under investigation by the California Department of Justice. Under Assembly Bill 1506, which was passed in 2020, it is the procedure for a state prosecutor to "investigate incidents of an officer-involved shooting resulting in the death of an unarmed civilian."

Under the bill, an “unarmed civilian” is “anyone who is not in possession of a deadly weapon” and "replica firearms are not considered deadly weapons unless they are used in some particular manner likely to produce death or great bodily injury (e.g., as a bludgeon)."

"All firearms, and BB/pellet guns, even if unloaded or inoperable, are deadly weapons," the bill says.

The department announced an official investigation Thursday and confirmed in a statement to SFGATE that the "preliminary investigation indicates that the decedent appeared to have been in possession of an airsoft gun, which is considered a replica gun," the Department of Justice said.

The situation started Thursday morning when multiple reports were made about a suspicious individual in the international terminal, officials said.

The San Francisco Police Department responded to the scene near the entrance to the airport's BART station at 7:26 a.m. Thursday and established that the suspect "appeared to be armed with a handgun," the police department said in a statement.

Re: Police shoot and kill armed man at San Francisco International Airport terminal...

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highdesert wrote: Sat Jan 22, 2022 9:56 am Interesting twist. He must have brandished them but did he fire them? Air soft pistols look like the real thing, not the first police shooting involving those pistols.
https://www.airsoftmaster.com/pistols-1/
Dang, now I need a full auto. Thems some pricey airsoft guns.
My ruger was like 30 some bucks.

I painted the red tip of my Ruger airsoft. My bad. It just bugs me but no kids will be allowed to have possession of it. Oh well.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing,”

Re: Police shoot and kill armed man at San Francisco International Airport terminal...

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tonguengroover wrote: Sat Jan 22, 2022 11:13 am
highdesert wrote: Sat Jan 22, 2022 9:56 am Interesting twist. He must have brandished them but did he fire them? Air soft pistols look like the real thing, not the first police shooting involving those pistols.
https://www.airsoftmaster.com/pistols-1/
Dang, now I need a full auto. Thems some pricey airsoft guns.
My ruger was like 30 some bucks.

I painted the red tip of my Ruger airsoft. My bad. It just bugs me but no kids will be allowed to have possession of it. Oh well.

The orange tip is required in CA, is a red/orange tip required in AZ?
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: Police shoot and kill armed man at San Francisco International Airport terminal...

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highdesert wrote: Sat Jan 22, 2022 11:28 am
tonguengroover wrote: Sat Jan 22, 2022 11:13 am
highdesert wrote: Sat Jan 22, 2022 9:56 am Interesting twist. He must have brandished them but did he fire them? Air soft pistols look like the real thing, not the first police shooting involving those pistols.
https://www.airsoftmaster.com/pistols-1/
Dang, now I need a full auto. Thems some pricey airsoft guns.
My ruger was like 30 some bucks.

I painted the red tip of my Ruger airsoft. My bad. It just bugs me but no kids will be allowed to have possession of it. Oh well.

The orange tip is required in CA, is a red/orange tip required in AZ?
I've never heard about it if it is. Good question though.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing,”

Re: Police shoot and kill armed man at San Francisco International Airport terminal...

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tonguengroover wrote: Sat Jan 22, 2022 11:53 am This is all I can find.
Arizona has no state laws regulating the sale of airsoft guns.
Apparently the orange tip is federal law.
However, federal importation laws in the United States simply require that all Airsoft guns transported within or imported into the country have barrels with a minimum 6mm wide blaze orange tip, so as to avoid confusion with real firearms. Most retailers of Airsoft guns have disclaimers stating that their Airsoft guns are sold with an orange tip, and that it is illegal to remove the orange tip.

Furthermore, individuals in the U.S. must be 18 years of age or older to purchase an Airsoft gun. On the other hand, Airsoft guns are not classified as firearms and are legal for use by all ages under federal law. However, some municipalities and states place restrictions on Airsoft guns. New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, and parts of Michigan outlaw Airsoft guns entirely.
https://www.findlaw.com/injury/product- ... -guns.html

They many not be legal in San Francisco County and by extension to SFO the airport, but that would only be a misdemeanor not a felony.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: Police shoot and kill armed man at San Francisco International Airport terminal...

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It must've been "Suicide By Cop", as why else would anyone go to the airport waving realistic looking firearms/air-guns around, knowing the airport security will not think twice about trying to avoid a mass-casualty event any way possible?

As to the orange tip, it has been reported that bad guys have painted orange tips on their real firearms as well, so there needs to be some intelligence involved as well when dealing with air-guns and the LEO's (i.e. put it down and obey the officer's commands etc).

Re: Police shoot and kill armed man at San Francisco International Airport terminal...

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highdesert wrote: Sat Jan 22, 2022 12:25 pm
tonguengroover wrote: Sat Jan 22, 2022 11:53 am This is all I can find.
Arizona has no state laws regulating the sale of airsoft guns.
Apparently the orange tip is federal law.
However, federal importation laws in the United States simply require that all Airsoft guns transported within or imported into the country have barrels with a minimum 6mm wide blaze orange tip, so as to avoid confusion with real firearms. Most retailers of Airsoft guns have disclaimers stating that their Airsoft guns are sold with an orange tip, and that it is illegal to remove the orange tip.

Furthermore, individuals in the U.S. must be 18 years of age or older to purchase an Airsoft gun. On the other hand, Airsoft guns are not classified as firearms and are legal for use by all ages under federal law. However, some municipalities and states place restrictions on Airsoft guns. New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, and parts of Michigan outlaw Airsoft guns entirely.
https://www.findlaw.com/injury/product- ... -guns.html

They many not be legal in San Francisco County and by extension to SFO the airport, but that would only be a misdemeanor not a felony.
In order to sell them, thats the federal law which requires the man to put them on there.
I did have to check the box that I was of age and I was supposed to sign for the delivery but the guy said I didn't have to sign due to covid.

This kinda reminds me of the shooting at the El Al ticket counter at Los Angeles International Airport on July 4, 2003.

We had the kids at Disneyland and when trying the fly out the next day, it was a nightmare. Extreme security and wouldn't let me take a rubber snake on board.

Who knew the Israeli's had submachine guns under the counter.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing,”

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