DA: Police justified in chasing drug suspect with bulldozer

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press


Michael Rubinkam, Associated Press
Updated 5:43 pm CDT, Tuesday, August 28, 2018

A marijuana suspect who was crushed by a bulldozer that police were using to look for him had likely tried hiding under the machine as he sought to avoid capture, a prosecutor said Tuesday.

Gregory Longenecker, 51, was fleeing Pennsylvania State Police when the bulldozer ran over him in dense brush, said Berks County District Attorney John Adams. The coroner's office ruled Longenecker's July 9 death an accident, and Adams determined that state police acted reasonably in their search.

Tests revealed Longenecker was high on methadone, methamphetamine and marijuana.

His "judgment, perception and coordination would have been considerably impaired at the time of his death due to this intoxication," Dr. Neil Hoffman, a forensic pathologist, wrote in an autopsy report.

Read more: https://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/DA-Police-justified-in-chasing-drug-suspect-with-13188964.php

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https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--Z7tFwdkP--/c_fill,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_north,h_264,q_80,w_470/aqywnjoqw9vx9sfk17pz.jpg

Gregory Longenecker, bulldozed.

[Honeycombe8]

1. Horrible accident.

Maybe he was passed out and didn't realize what happened. I hope. But it sounds like just a horrible accident.

[mr_lebowski]

3. Passing out on methamphetamine is very unlikely ...

I mean, it's a question of ratios, but most people on methadone get it from a clinic and your dosage is typically as low as possible to keep you out of withdrawals. Plus opioid tolerant persons (which you likely would be if you're on methadone) are generally pretty immune to the sedative effect of opioids unless they have a LOT. So, practically any amount of meth is going to easily counter-act methadone, more likely this guy just chose a bad spot to try to hide while frantically running away ... probably out of breath and just couldn't run any farther ...

In any case, unless he was known armed and dangerous, chasing him with a bulldozer was reckless and fucked up ... period.

[Honeycombe8]

5. I disagree. It was his fault. If he couldn't go farther, he could have walked out & surrendered.

He didn't. He was hiding. He's responsible for the whole horrid affair. Blaming law enforcement for the crazy things that perps do is wrong. It was looked at & decided they were not at fault. Hopefully he was too out of it to know. I suspect so, or he would've gotten out of the way. I mean...you can hear a bulldozer coming literally a mile away. And they don't go very fast.

[keithbvadu2]

2. Even slower than OJ's white Bronco chase

[angrychair]

4. "A marijuana suspect who was crushed by a bulldozer"

Is an absurd miscarriage of justice.
Not saying this person was a good person but he was not armed nor was he suspected of a violent crime.
That society, that a sitting DA, is “ok” with this is disturbing at best and down right scary in its disregard for human life and justice.