PURSE SNATCHER SUES DEPUTIES OVER SHOOTING

By PAT MOORE Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

STUART

A Stuart purse snatcher who survived nine bullet wounds from a 53-shot barrage of gunfire filed suit Thursday accusing five Martin County sheriff's deputies of maliciously using excessive force during a police chase last year.

Glenn Tuhey, 30, is serving a two-year prison term stemming from his actions the night of Oct. 26, when he snatched a woman's purse, sideswiped a parked car and nearly ran down a deputy while leading deputies on a chase from Port Salerno to East Stuart.

Tuhey was high on drugs that night, but he never had a gun.

Investigations by the sheriff's office and the state attorney's office concluded deputies were justified in firing the shots.

"We are not surprised that a case of this magnitude has resulted in litigation," Sheriff Robert Crowder said. "But it is our practice not to comment on ongoing litigation."

West Palm Beach attorney Richard Slinkman, who represents Tuhey, called the deputies actions "clearly excessive and unnecessary."

The entire incident was captured by video cameras mounted in the deputies' patrol cars.

"What's most disturbing was when they stopped him - before the barrage of gunfire - they never commanded him to put his hands up or commanded him to get out of the truck with his hands up," Slinkman said.

"When he got out of that truck, in what I believe was almost a helpless type of position, they continued to shoot him," the attorney said. "What was most egregious and almost criminal was when he fell to the ground in a defenseless position face down with his arms and legs spread, they continued to shoot him. That is incredibly disturbing to me."

The lawsuit, filed in Martin Circuit Court, also accuses deputies of maliciously kicking Tuhey after he was face down on the ground.

Defendants named in the suit are Crowder, as employer, and deputies James Warren, James Sanders, Carlo Sciandra, William Weiss and Anthony Biasella.

The deputies claimed Tuhey jumped from his disabled truck and pointed at them as if he had a weapon and was threatening to kill them, sheriff's reports state.

Sciandra told sheriff's investigators he fired at Tuhey after he got out of the car and said something like "I'm gonna kill you" or "You're gonna have to kill me," investigative records show.

Sanders testified Tuhey opened the door and started screaming, "I'm gonna kill ya. Kill me." Warren also testified he heard Tuhey say, "Kill me."

But attorney Slinkman said he heard differently when viewing the videotapes.

He claimed in the suit that after Tuhey lay on the ground in a defenseless position, deputies yelled, "I'll kill you (expletive). I'll kill you," and Tuhey responded, "You're going to kill me."

The suit claims a deputy then said: "I wish I would have."

Deputies also are accused in the suit of using excessive force by kicking Tuhey in the side after he lay on the ground.

Tuhey, formerly of 5746 Rosemont Ave., was struck by eight bullets that made nine wounds during the hail of gunfire, records state.

When he was sentenced to prison in August, Tuhey told the judge about his injures.

"I have a colostomy bag. I got shot in the bottom of my foot. A bullet ripped my Achilles tendon. I got shot in the chest. . . . I got shot in the wrist, and there's still two bullets in my body."

Slinkman said his client has lived in pain and fear every day since the shooting.

"This young man was shot at least eight times. . . . He's going to live in pain the rest of his life, because these people chose to act dangerously with the amount of force they used."

Slinkman said he has not determined an amount of damages he will seek at trial. "Whatever a jury feels is just."

8 hits out of 53 rounds fired?

The cops should be ashamed of their shitty shooting.

I guess they should have used a Tazer.  

Quoted: 8 hits out of 53 rounds fired? The cops should be ashamed of their shitty shooting.

True. However auto glass plays hell with JHP handgun  bullets, so many of those rounds fired may have been stripped by the windshield, or stopped by the door panels and dashboard.

One of my partners was in a shooting with a bank robber.  bank robber stepped infront of the patrol car and started shooting. Cop layed down in hi seat to get below the incoming rounds, pointed his pistol in ther genearal direction of the suspect (Bad cop, no donut!) and emptied the mag.  NONE of the 16 147GTn 9mm bullets exited the cab of the car. He shot through the very edge of the dashboard, which stripped the jackets off the bullets and the remaining lead core lacked the mass/energy to penetrate the windshield.

that and several other shooting in and around motor vehicle have taught me that when cars are involved expect a high round count.

Helllllllllllooooooo, suspect tried to run over the deputy with a car.  Doesn't matter if he was armed with a conventional weapon, he had the most deadly weapon of all... a vehicle.

Quoted: Quoted: 8 hits out of 53 rounds fired? The cops should be ashamed of their shitty shooting. True. However auto glass plays hell with JHP handgun  bullets, so many of those rounds fired may have been stripped by the windshield, or stopped by the door panels and dashboard. One of my partners was in a shooting with a bank robber.  bank robber stepped infront of the patrol car and started shooting. Cop layed down in hi seat to get below the incoming rounds, pointed his pistol in ther genearal direction of the suspect (Bad cop, no donut!) and emptied the mag.  NONE of the 16 147GTn 9mm bullets exited the cab of the car. He shot through the very edge of the dashboard, which stripped the jackets off the bullets and the remaining lead core lacked the mass/energy to penetrate the windshield. that and several other shooting in and around motor vehicle have taught me that when cars are involved expect a high round count.

True on the glass....
I was under the impression from the article that they shot him after he was OUT of the car

The rounds that impacted him, probably were fired when he exited the vehicle.  I know some people in Stuart; I'll try to dig up some info on this

If the asshole gets a liberal jury with similiar ethnic background, you can bet your ass this son of a bitch will get some money out of the deal.

Fucking liberals!

Now if they guy would of had a dog in the car....