Ohio SWAT Team Raids Wrong House, Seriously
Injures Baby With Flashbang Grenade, Denies Responsibility

Have SWAT teams going a little crazy lately? Who's giving them the wrong addresses or are they just going to the wrong place on their own? They really should be better organized. Poor baby. Yes, parents, sue!

I have historically supported the police, but lately it is becoming increasingly difficult to do so. Spend a few hours watching YouTube videos regarding police violating law-abiding citizens' rights and you will feel as I do. Qualified immunity leads to police being immune from repercussions for their horrible actions.

what was the warrant, for the 14yo (that didn't live there) for? Insurrection? That isn't a SWAT "Team" that is an army...

Sooner or later someone attacked like this will snap and it will be UGLY!

Inexperienced, gung-ho attitude. Not the first time it's happened and won't be the last until we stop scraping the barrel for new LEOS. In most cases, Qualified Immunity shields cops from wrongful anything.

It's funny Judge Engoron was swatted, No flash bangs and no ripping down his door.

I'd love to be on the jury in a lawsuit. This requires a big settlement.

Saw a documentary a while back in which a suspect deliberately provided police with a wrong address at which to find his accomplices. Without checking any of his story for corroboration, they went in with guns blazing - and it turned out bad for that innocent family, also. A legal expert offered the view that something all criminals have in common is that they're serial liars and that the cops should have known better.

"We investigated ourselves, and found we did nothing wrong."

Not all SWAT teams are created equal. I was a SWAT team leader for pert near twenty years and served as a regional director of the Texas Tactical Police Officer's Association, where I was able to observe SWAT officer selection and training for many officers from different cities and departments for years and testified before the Texas Legislature on recommendations regarding career path and training requirements for SWAT officers in Texas. Even the best trained tactical police officers have their skills and training blunted by being used as muscle for otherwise routine drug busts and/or other high risk warrant executions. Such activities, as opposed to hostage rescue and barricaded suspect apprehension, dull the edge of hyper awareness that is crucial for successful SWAT call-outs. Put a crack team executing routine warrants for a month and said team is no longer elite, and will require intensive re-training. By successful call outs, the criteria/mantra was bad guy goes to jail, good guy citizens and especially children are safe and unharmed, and your fellow cadre goes home to their families. In a real tactical unit, one cannot over emphasize the imperative to avoid accidents and injuring the innocent. Buying a bunch of hyper aggressive street cops surplus military hardware and dressing them up in black or urban cammo does not a SWAT team make. Professional outfits employ psychological testing, far more rigorous and illuminating than one's physical prowess. In my unit, all SWAT officers selected had to first pass the training and become state-certified firefighters and EMTs. Those unwilling to enter a burning structure to rescue a trapped or incapacitated person, would never be chosen for SWAT, regardless of their physical conditioning or firearms proficiency. You couldn't trust the motivations of those chomping at the bit for SWAT but refusing to learn the skills and gain knowledge in fire science or emergency medicine, knowledge that actually helps people and protects property I could train most anyone to shoot well with multiple weapons but cannot train someone to care deeply about those whom they are sworn to serve. You also can't train someone to think, which is the number one attribute looked for in SWAT officer recruiting. I left the field 20 years ago, after finally accepting an alternate career path, but I care deeply about the profession and those who ply that particular trade. I have to believe the Ohio team had signs of problems in training and/or oversight and that the signs were overlooked due to multiple issues. Things like banging a baby with minor explosive and incendiary distraction devices, or flash bangs should never happen - ever. SWAT must expend resources on Intel and redundant comms. Our world-class snipers spent far more time on spotting scopes and ear microphones, relaying observations to the entry team, than they spent behind the triggers of their McMillan and Steyr rifles.

Who gave the SWAT the wrong house number? Fire that person or at least prosecute him/her.

Police said: “At approximately 2:12 p.m., the Elyria Police Special Response Team (SRT) executed the search warrant at 331 Parmely Ave. which was the correct address of the search warrant.” That is doublespeak. The raid occurred at a house with an address that matched the address on the warrant. But the address on the warrant was incorrect. Those responsible for the inaccurate address on the warrant deserve to be fired. The police chief also has to go because he did not have systems in place to prevent this stunning mistake.

Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. It takes a special breed to handle power. Not everyone is equipped with what it takes. Power is an aphrodisiac that must be welded with intelligence and restraint.

This crap must stop! The police must be purged of wanna be navy seals! They ain’t! They are usually fat and out of shape! Protect and Serve Only!

The family should be awarded the entirety of the Chief's retirement fund and all his equity in his home and Bank accounts as well! Then go after the city and all the individual officers as well! Having been told six times the criminal mover two years prior there is NO EXCUSE good enough to exonerate their actions!

Attorneys are lining up at the Price residence for an easy 30%of this judgement.

A SWAT team needed to capture a single suspect? The police in some cases should lose qualified immunity and be subject to being sued for damages.

Decades ago the US Supreme Court upheld a lower court decision that police could pick dumber recruits over smarter ones. Their "logic" was that smart police might leave for other jobs sooner rather than later while dumber police would make it a career. How's this policy working out for us? Just watch Clockwork Orange. The gang members became the police by the end of the movie.

Flash bangs aren't deployed outside a house, so there is a lie. The address was correct but the intelligence was not if the family of the boy the police were looking for had moved out two years prior.

One reads stories of this happening quite often. Then if the occupant of that home tries to defend himself and the family, that person becomes the bad guy. Plus, the city then refuses to pay the damages done to the home and the homeowner then has to go to court to receive compensation.

If these cops are as bada** as they think they are why does it take 20 of them to arrest one person? Sue the hell out of them.

I miss the old journalistic standard for a news story that the first paragraph of an article should contain the who, what, where and when of the event.

Seems like insanity to use a swat team to go after a 14 year old boy. Granted, we don't know why the cops were looking for him, but they had been to the house several times and told the boy didn't live there. So because they didn't believe the residence, they use a swat team, and apparently without doing any surveillance that might have proven the kid didn't live there. The police chief also sounds like a liar. I have never heard of a flash bang being used outside a house when the interest in inside the house. Swat teams are getting out of hand, both at the federal and state levels.

One of the things I love most about our L.com community forum is---in addition to the thoughtful selection of posted articles---the personal, and often expert and inside information and experiences of our posters. My observation today applies on countless occasions, but is prompted today particularly by 10s contribution. I am in accord with all the other posters too.

#10~ “I have to believe the Ohio team had signs of problems in training and/or oversight and that the signs were overlooked due to multiple issues. Things like banging a baby with minor explosive and incendiary distraction devices, or flash bangs should never happen - ever.” Thank you for the very much appreciated enlightenment regarding SWAT teams as well as for personal dedication and service in such a valued and vitally needed tactical unit. Having had occasion to visit the city of Elyria throughout many years and, on several occasions having been in passerby encounters with police officers, want to come to the defense of Elyria’s police officers in making clear that they appear to conscientious, dedicated, decent men and women. Elyria is located in a Rust Belt with a 2024 population of 53,074. Residents had a “23.1% income below the poverty level in 2022, which was 41.9% greater than the poverty level of 13.4% across the entire state of Ohio.” Ldotter #10’s presumption of Elyria’s SWAT team having problems in training and/or oversight may be correct and due, possibly, to the economic situation in Elyria and other similarly populated Rust Belt cities. While criticism of some police forces may be justified, criticism should not be a “blanket” conclusion regarding all police forces. Juxtapose police force responses to swatting and the most unfortunate situation in Elyria. In both a swatting call and pursuit of a criminal, police forces are sent to an address; a swatting call might result in officers forcing entry into the premises that might terrify and/or injure innocent dwellers; pursuit of a criminal to a last-known address is no different. In the Elyria incident, the current home owners said they told officers five times that the teenager being pursued no longer lived at that address—that property ownership had changed. There is NO reason to doubt that this family was being truthful, however, reality is there are some family members who would lie to protect their kin. With police officers having been told five times the property ownership had changed, it is appropriate to question whether any effort was made by the Police Department to verify that property’s ownership, and/or other “leads” to the whereabouts of the teenager were made. Without question, hearts and prayers go out for dear little Waylon. Although it may seem implausible, perhaps the need to transfer the little guy to a higher-ranked hospital, Cleveland’s Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, may be a blessing in disguise. Perhaps there this precious little one will get an examination, diagnosis, and course of treatment that may be of greater benefit than what existed prior to this most unfortunate situation. Chances are the police officers involved in the raid have a heartfelt concern for the child as well. In conclusion, having visited Elyria through the years, feel compelled to point out that the location of the property involved is in an area that may not appeal to Ldotters as an appealing, safe location for personal residence. Police officer apprehension and safety venturing into such areas is understandable.

"behind the triggers of their McMillan and Steyr rifles" and therein starts the problem with SWAT. I can see no reason for any SWAT team to have such rifles. Do they usually need to shoot over 300 yards? Over 200? Probably not. Why does any SWAT team/police department have a .50 caliber rifle. Not many do, but enough have them. A well-made, off the shelf Remington or Ruger rifle in .308 or 30-06 will do the job just as well and cost a lot less. But it is the "adventure" of having "military style/grade" weapons that seems to be so important. Off the shelf weapons and ammo is really all they need. IMHO

"SWAT" teams need to be outlawed. "SWAT" teams are un-Constitutional militarizing of police. Instead of trigger-happy Rambos attacking political enemies, we need cops willing to arrest thugs. Even more, we need judges willing to impose bail and keep thugs locked up.