Posted by patticakepatti on May 6, 2008 at 6:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)

What is there to think about??? If he truly tried to kill the officer, it's a no-brainer he should be tried as an adult. Look at the 14 year old in Oxnard...If this boy is tried as a juvenille, there is going to be a public outcry!

Posted by busymommy on May 6, 2008 at 7:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)

If you are gonna do an adult crime then you should do adult time.

Posted by Equitable_Enforcer on May 6, 2008 at 7:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)

The juvenile's name has been released. It is Anthony James Smith. It will be interesting to follow this one ... especially when defense begins to build a story.

Posted by busymommy on May 6, 2008 at 8:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)

What has happened to kids these days? When I was 16 I was doing homework, working a part-time job and obeying my curfew. I was scared to break the law cause who wants to deal with the police let alone my parents. Parents need to start becoming responsible for their children again. I was never afraid of mine but I knew that I didn't want to see what happened when I did something wrong. I think that when juveniles break the law their parents need to be held accountable. Parents need to be placed in parenting classes, etc. Classes that they are responsible for paying not the rest of us. I could go on and on.

Posted by jmarshall on May 6, 2008 at 9:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I understand that people think we should be tough on crime, and I agree with that sentiment. However, to demand that this young boy be tried as an adult without knowing the whole situation is ludicrous. This boy has no previous record, and happened to have recently made some bad choices. Granted, they were very bad choices, but why is there such an outcry that he should be tried as an adult? I am sure the boy's family is sick with worry about him, especially since he was already almost fatally shot. Do none of you remember what it was like to be 16, and sometimes to act before thinking? I say give this boy another chance, and don't pass judgement on him unless you know his whole story.

Posted by jmarshall on May 6, 2008 at 9:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)

In addition, to the person who decided to reveal the boy's name to everyone, I think that was a horrible thing to do. The paper expressly said that they would not reveal his name because he was so young, yet you felt it necessary to tell everyone. How would you feel if it was your son?

Posted by shaver_one on May 6, 2008 at 9:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Allegedly:
The kid stole a car. He then used that car to try to kill a cop.
-----
Try him as an adult.
If convicted, the judge DOES have the option of sentencing him as a juvenile. What could be more fair?
The crime IS a crime. Mitigating circumstances...age, prior arrest record (if any), mental capacity, etc...should be used during the sentencing phase, only.
With that said...
Do the crime...do the time.

Posted by gen on May 6, 2008 at 9:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I agree that if this kid is charged as a juvenile then we will have a huge outcry over the other case, but the circumstances and end result are completely different. The cases are no where near being on the same level. We don't know what caused this kid to charge into the police officer, other than he was probably scared crapless and wanted to get away. The other case is hands-down murder - a gun was taken to a school, pointed at the victim's head, shot and discarded.

I agree with shaver_one - do the crime, do the time. I also agree with busymommy - hold parents accountable. Unfortunately though, it's hard to have both parents heavily involved in a child's life because they have to work full time jobs, if not multiple jobs.

What a shame that the children who are to be our future are acting so careless these days!

Posted by Ms_California on May 6, 2008 at 9:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Oh please, why should someone who commits a crime (regardless of age) be given so much respect to not releasing names? If this were a sexual predator I am sure people would be screaming for a name! This child, just like the kid who killed Larry King, knew! what they were doing. I am sure that it was pretty evident that he was being stopped by a police officer. given the cop car, red and blue lights, and the fact that the officer was screaming at him to stop! I don't feel bad that I think he should be tried as an adult. I do feel bad that his family wasn't there to support him and help teach him to make the right choices in life. As for my thinking at age 16, I would have NEVER EVER went toe to toe with a police officer in a vehicle or on foot simply our of respect for our law, country, my self respect and most importantly MY PARENTS!

Posted by TheTruth on May 6, 2008 at 10:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Headline should read: "Teen who tried to kill Police Officer now in Juvenile Hall"
And the Star wonders why readership is down?

Posted by jmarshall on May 6, 2008 at 10:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)

The headline could also read: "Scared Teen accidentaly hits cop car while attempting to run away" This boy was frightened and attempting to escape, not trying to kill anyone. If you think about it logically, it is obvious the boy wasn't trying to kill a police officer, he was just trying to get away.
Also, while I agree that parents need to teach their children right from wrong, none of you know the circumstances involving this boy's parents. Do not make generalized statements without knowledge. Do not blame the parents, and don't assume the boy was trying to do anything other than get away. The police department and the media are making it seem like he is a would-be cop killer, because they shot an unarmed, frightened 16 year old boy, who should be tried for driving a stolen car, and resisting arrest.

Posted by Relvd98 on May 6, 2008 at 11:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Excellent comment, jmarshall.

Posted by Ms_California on May 6, 2008 at 11:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Unarmed! He was using a stolen vehicle & used it as a battering ram for heaven's sake! If he was scared why did he not heed the warnings of the officer? I am sorry scared or not he knew what he was doing. He obviously has some problems with regards to the law, he was driving a stolen vehicle and was being stopped prior to that fact for a traffic violation which he began running from. If you are scared to get busted don't do bad stuff to get you busted! Knowing the family or not, if your kids are driving around town in a car that you have no idea where it came from, don't you think that normal parents would question it? Com'on let's give credit to where credit is due here.

Posted by jmarshall on May 6, 2008 at 12:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Very few 16 year olds are competent and assured drivers. Going on your comment Ms California, you could call all 16 year old drivers armed and dangerous, which I suppose some people would agree with. Also, I doubt his mother realized he was driving a stolen car, he probably didn't come home from school that day, and his mother was most likely woken up (if she wasn't already up waiting on his return) by a police officer who told her that her son was in the hospital with a critical gunshot wound.

Posted by busymommy on May 6, 2008 at 12:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)

How do you "accidently" almost run over a police officer? Honestly does it matter if he was trying to hit him or run away? He was breaking the law!! He was not unarmed either. He was driving a vehicle towards an officer. The officer obviously feared for his life and shot the young man.

Posted by Ms_California on May 6, 2008 at 12:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)

ok jmarshall... with respects to your comment regarding him not arriving home after school... what time did this event occur? If my 16 yro child (which BTW I do actually have!) was not home after school, I would have been frantically looking for him. I'm sorry I don't agree with your logic here with regards to it being a "scared teenager trying to escape". Not buying it.

Posted by jmarshall on May 6, 2008 at 12:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I am just asking you to recognize that you do not have all the facts. All you know is what the media has presented; you know nothing about the boy himself or his family. How do you know the mother was not frantically looking for him all afternoon? Everyone seems very focused on the boy being tried as an adult, and that his punishment should fit his crime. I am arguing that his crime is not as bad as the police station is making it out to be. Certainly he committed several crimes, certainly, he should be punished, but his life should not be ruined for making a stupid mistake when he is still so young. If your own child, Ms California, fell in with the wrong crowd, and was caught driving a stolen car, and then a police officer shot at him four times, do you think you would be so ardently fighting for a strict punishment. I doubt it.

Posted by Ms_California on May 6, 2008 at 12:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)

As a matter of fact, if my child deserves to be punished for something then damn right I agree they should be punished. The behavior this boy displayed is not acceptable nor tolerated in my household. What about the innocent people involved here. I mean he did hit other vehicles before he was stopped. Who is going to pay for that damage? Should he not be responsible for that as well because "he was scared"? Maybe it was in his way of trying to escape so it was acceptable to crash into them. Why is this any different if a child at 16 attempted to murder another child or adult?

As for not making accusations as to parenting, you need to take your own advice. If my child was running with the wrong crowd or was involved with things they shouldn't be, I damn well would know because I keep track of my children and their activies. They don't run around all hours of the day and night stealing someones car & then try running people over with it.

Posted by jmarshall on May 6, 2008 at 1:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Ms California, there is no need for dramatics. All I am arguing is that this boy should be tried as a boy, and that he should not be tried for attempted murder, because it is clear to me he was not trying to murder anyone. I am sure you are a wonderful parent, and know every single person who your child hangs out with, however, some parents have one or more jobs just to make ends meet, and may be unable to be as involved as you obviously are. It seems to me that, as a parent, you would understand that sometimes children make foolish choices, and they should not be held to the same standards as mature adults.

Posted by smithjc on May 6, 2008 at 1:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)

"This boy was frightened and attempting to escape, not trying to kill anyone. If you think about it logically, it is obvious the boy wasn't trying to kill a police officer, he was just trying to get away."
how exactly do you know this, jmarshall? are you his defense attorney? is that the fairy tale he told you? a lot of people are "just trying to get away" when they charge at officers with cars, shoot at them, fight with them, or assault them in other ways. they don't care who they hurt or kill, just so they can "get away".

it's been my experience that auto theft and adw on a police officer is not the typical "first offense" of a youth "suddenly" gone wrong. just because he doesn't have a substantial record doesn't mean that he's new at committing crimes, just means he hasn't been caught much.

Posted by Ms_California on May 6, 2008 at 1:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)

no dramatics here, just being realistic. I work a full time job as well as does my husband. We have more than one child and are active in all of their sports activities, so yes, I do know the kids my children are hangin out with and I also know their parents. I know kids make foolish choices but this was not a foolish choice this was/is a life changing decision for this child. Maybe his parents should have been more involved and knew where he was and what he was doing. Maybe he should have made better choices unfortunately now he has to pay the price for his; as you call it "foolish choice". Too bad it may be attempted murder on a police officer with a deadly weapon.

Posted by daugtherofimmigrant on May 6, 2008 at 2:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I guess "escape" is the key word. Escaping from whom or what? A Police offer? Because he had commited a crime? The truth is exactly that "he committed a crime", he stole a car, driving around without his lights on in the dark,had hit other cars, failed to pull over when the officer turned his lights on him, rammed an officer's car, after the officer shot twice he continued to push the patrol car with the stolen car. After another car was coming in to the complex the officer felt that person could also get hurt. So he had to do what he had to do. In this case stop the kid how ever possible.
I have a 15 year old child and we have conversations and truly I am amazed on how mature she is compared to when we were growing up. BUT then the kid in her comes out at times, sometimes she doesn't know something I may see as a no brainer, then I realize she is only 15 and she is a kid. Yet she knows that borrowing anything from my closet without asking is not acceptable. Taking lunch money from my wallet with out asking is definetly not acceptable. As parents we can teach them so much. Yet reality is they are out exploring life, school, friends, and so much more, truth of the matter is they are influenced by the outside world more than they are by us, we see them what? 6 p.m. till they go to bed, that's if they don't have other activities, there have been times that I really don't spend time with my kids, between an 8-5 and their sports schedules, we will be lucky if we have dinner together. Ultimately they will make their own decisions. Hopefully the right ones. Unfortunately this kid didn't. I am sure he has parents who tried to teach him right from wrong and he chose wrong. All we can do as parents is TRY to raise our children the best we know how, and PRAY that they will make the right choices. This kid could have hurt other innocent people. Fortunately it didn't happen. Fortunately he will have to pay consequences.
My only question is why did the officer wait so long to call for back up? I would have called for back up when I found out this was a stolen car I was after. I think it was obvious that who ever was in that car was not going to give up so easily. But then I'm not a cop, so who knows why he chose to wait so long before he called.

Posted by Face on May 6, 2008 at 2:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I will wait for the facts to come out, but if it is shown that this kid in fact went out of his way to try to run down and kill the officer, then it should be attempted murder. Also, it is an adult mindset that kills to escape the police.

Posted by steveb36701 on May 6, 2008 at 2:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)

jmarshall, your comments dramatically represent much of what is wrong with our society today. Parents and other adults continually make excuses for the little darlings. Their brains aren't fully developed, the poor baby was scared and trying to get away, he was being harassed and couldn't deal with it, on and on ad nauseum. Kids today are becoming more violent and more overt in their criminal activities because they know there is always someone out there who will try to transfer the blame elsewhere. They need to start being responsible for their own actions and if they're gonna play they're gonna pay. As long as excuses keep getting made and accepted, the situation is going to continue to deteriorate. To throw your own words at you, "If your own child, Ms California, fell in with the wrong crowd, and was caught driving a stolen car, and then a police officer shot at him four times, do you think you would be so ardently fighting for a strict punishment. I doubt it." As a matter of fact, in my case, my child did exactly that,and a very long list of other crimes, barring getting shot by the police, and that was sheer luck. My child ended up spending 3 years in state prison after I did the investigative work and prosecutorial work that others would not. Guess what, my child is now a productive member of society no longer involved ith any of those things. However, my child ALSO, did not commit murder or attempt to run down a police officer. Trust me, I would be the first in line to demand the stiffest penalty possible. Parents can raise their children in a loving, economically and otherwise stable household and the children may still go wrong. If they do, the punishment should be swift, sure, and severe and quit making excuses for bad behavior. This is a country founded on laws and as a society we have to abide by them or that society will fall apart, as we are well on the way to doing. No, jmarshall, NO EXCUSES, NO EXCEPTIONS. If you do the crime, you can do the time. 16 yo is well old enough to know that stealing a car, running from the police, ramming a police car, and attempting to run down a police officer (intentional or not)is not only stupid but wrong. The young man is very lucky he is not dead wrong but if he were, I could not and would not blame the officer. Wake up and smell the roses, jmarshall. Your "kumbayah" mindset is not going to accomplish anything when it comes to criminal activity.

Posted by Relvd98 on May 6, 2008 at 3:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Should be sent back to his country when his name is Anthony James Smith?

Posted by mityphew on May 6, 2008 at 4:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)

You guys sure have a big opinion without more than a few sentences of details. Let's see; a local reporter has summarized an event and we are good to prosecute. I sure hope I never have to tried by a jury of these peers.

Posted by patticakepatti on May 6, 2008 at 7:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that something has to be done for the long run. Hey I know, let's lift the ban on keeping juveniles until 25. The punishment should fit the crime and if by chance they still have time left when they are 25, ship their sorry arses off to prison.

Who is the bright one who implemented the 25 year old rule??? As if by magic a criminal is going to change his/her evil ways when they turn 25.... I hardly think so. People governing this wonderful grief stricken society need to take their head out of their rear ends and deal with the real problem at hand. Never should a trial be delayed because they stupid idiots can't figure out whether or not to try a child as an adult or a child.

Someone asked what is wrong with our children today??? It isn't the children, it's the parents or lack thereof. Drug addicts, alcoholics rarely produce offspring that can function normally on a day to day basis due to basic life skills they didn't recieve because of their parent's unfavorable choices. Parents are not teaching their children responsibilities.

I can't tell you how many of my children's friends come over for dinner and chew like pigs, eating with their hands, makes me sick. I know this doesn't sound like much, but it's where it all begins. If you have decent morals, you are more likely to turn out okay.

It all starts at home folks. Take a long hard look at your life. How many of you come home every night and fix a drink in front of your children??? How many of you even come home at night???

Posted by 50Luva on May 6, 2008 at 7:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Armando - You're just plain foolish. Why make comments like that? It's just hurtful. You're what's wrong with our society today.

Posted by rmd630 on May 6, 2008 at 9:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Jmarshall-

In ASSUMING (how would you know?) the 16 year old was just trying to get away you fail to take into account the manner in which he struck and pushed the police officer's car (and the resulting damage), the fact he continued driving erratically towards another person's car, and that he eventually struck several parked vehicles. That was no fender bender, no mishap. That kind of initial acceleration in a short distance when there were TWO driveways he could have exited from show some of the kid's mindset.

Also, the police officer did not shoot at the kid for just for driving a stolen car (as you state in the hypothetical you posed to Ms. California). The police officer was trying to protect his life and the lives of others (specifically another person entering the apartment complex). You should be so lucky that this police officer will still be alive to do his job to protect people like YOU.

I suppose had the police officer been killed you still would have explained the kid's actions away.

Next time just crumple up your guesswork and put it in the hole of your bleeding heart.

Posted by AnnaWhaat on May 7, 2008 at 8:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)

daugtherofimmigrant ,Very good comment and question.
steveb36701 , I am not questioning the fact they are trying this 16 year old as an adult. But it seems your mixing two stories into one. A kid who barely turned 14 and had mental stress against a true criminal? To me there are alot of different factors from this case and the other.

Posted by BeaHappi on May 7, 2008 at 10:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)

This happened at 9:30 PM...presumably it was dark. How do we know that the police officer knew it was a teenager? Some kids look older than they are.

And regardless, if this kid was big enough to steal a car, he's big enough to suffer the consequences. He's lucky he wasn't killed. If he was my kid, being shot by a police offier and facing jail time would be the LEAST of his worries.

We need to stop coddling these "kids" and hold them accountable for their actions.

Posted by steveb36701 on May 7, 2008 at 11:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)

AnnaWhaat, I am not confusing the two stories. What I was doing was citing examples of the ridiculous excuses that some people come up with for bad behavior. Go back and reread my post.
"Parents and other adults continually make excuses for the little darlings. Their brains aren't fully developed, the poor baby was scared and trying to get away, he was being harassed and couldn't deal with it, on and on ad nauseum."