Arrest of Officer Goes Terribly Wrong

FBI equals Famous But Incompetent. I doubt Parker could be considered an expert in anything police related. If Albert would have been allowed to leave and then harm happened to the 17 year old girl or her family Parker would criticized that! That is the thing with these pundits they are always right after the fact. If Albert was willing to shoot a friend that was in his wedding he was capable of doing some bad things to others. Sounds like SMPD tried to do the right thing and it went horribly wrong, with one person to blame, Albert.

Why did they have to 'take him out'? Why not call him in to the office (immediately if necessary) and give him the bad news?

This guy shoots at a fellow officer and the community is blaming the department? S.O.S.
Whether or not the SMPD should have handled this differently will be determined through an investigation. There is nothing they could have done so badly to excuse the jackass who pulled his weapon when he knew he was busted for having a relationship with an underage woman.

And if you call him in and he runs kidnaps the girl and is off to Mexico how do explain that one? Sounds outrageous right? Well so does a married cop having a relationship with a 17 year old and that cop trying to shoot a friend that was in his wedding! The blame for the outcome is unfortunately with Albert.

This guy committed suicide by cop and would probably have done so wherever they attempted to arrest him. Police officers are allowed to carry guns off duty and many (if not most) do. It will be very easy to Monday morning quarterback this thing because a million little changes could have happened to result in a different outcome. This is very sad. We should all wait for the official investigation to be completed before we make judgments as to whom made mistakes.

By what little is actually revealed in the article, it seems to me that Covarrubias might have immediately suspected his groomsman (Kline) of ratting out his relationship. Pure conjecture on my part, but the thought occurred to me.

I read in the Orange county news paper that his X wife committed suicide 13 months ago after their bad divorce. Now he is here messing around with a 17 year old three weeks after getting married again? Using his power and authority to get underage female into $%@! relationship when she wanted to be a cop in the future? Wow, the hits just keep on coming. I think this cop made his bed and knew what was ahead. It is sad that this poor decision making individual had to die, but I am having a hard time with blaming anyone but him for the end result. How many other lives has the selfish actions of this person affected?

It's not every day that you see a police department turn out one of their own instead of trying to cover it up. Someone aware of the investigation must have leaked the info to him. Makes it tough to investigate your own. Good job SMPD. Unfortunate outcome though.

Just one question... Why would SMPD superiors cold call (have the 17 year old girl make a call) while Officer Covarrubias was on duty? Do you think it's possible that's what caused this tragic event to end the way it did?

There's a pretty informative AP story about this on the SM Times website today.

The facts known to date read like the plot of a bad/exploitative movie.

The actions of the suspected officer certainly led to his death, but I have to wonder about the decision-making processes in place at SMPD as well as the tactics used. The fact that the dead officer is Hispanic in a primarily-Hispanic city serves to inflame public opinion even further.

The girl had aspirations & he knew it.
His use of power was unethical & he knew it.
Having sex w/ a minor is against the law & he knew it.
There was an investigation against him & he knew it.
He got ratted on by his groomsman & he knew it.
His supervisors showed up for a bad reason & he knew it.
This guy was up the creek w/out a saddle & he knew it.
His only way out was suicide by cop & he knew it.

The question here is this: What DIDN'T this guy know? Well, that's $$$ saved on a trial. Sounds like the Bourne thing from last week :) henry

Perhaps, Hank, but it should not have gone down the way it did. Some inquiry into how the investigation proceded, how decisions were made, and the tactics used is both necessary and appropriate.

Yeti, I totally agree, investigations into such matters are always a learning experience.
But the fact remains: It ultimately came down to Officer Covarrubias' actions & decisions, all of which he knew :) henry

Hank, I agree with you - the officer chose to go out the way he did. But BEFORE circumstances reached the point where the suspected officer pulled his sidearm, popped off a few rounds then pointed the weapon at the other officer, nothing in the allegations that prompted the investigation warranted a death sentence. SMPD will face some hard questions about what they did and how they did it.

Do you remember this case?
Residents of the San Antonio Creek Road area preparing for their day this morning were interrupted with the sound of gunshots. Police officers and Sheriff’s deputies arrived at 4621 Via Gennita in response to an 8 a.m. disturbance call from Carol George, wife of 64-year-old Don George, said Deputy Sheriff Bill Caldwell. According to a report issued later today by Sheriff’s Department spokesman Erik Raney, deputies located Donald George on the back porch of his house. When they saw that he was holding a gun, they reportedly told him to drop it. According to Raney’s report, Donald George refused and deputies then fired at him, shooting him several times. The man later died in surgery at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. The man had a brain tumor, perhaps it was pressing on his logic part of his brain, who knows???

The sheriff department could have injured the man, but chose to shoot him several times, killing him of course!
This case is a little different, but they could have chose to shoot him in the knees, but again they chose shoot to kill!

So Covarrubias was just married three weeks ago?

I wonder if his relationship with the 17 year-old was a threat to his new marriage and he had nefarious plans in the works? Perhaps that was the urgency the Santa Maria PD spoke of.

Or maybe I've been watching too much TV.

Well imaginepeace4ever you may have seen too many Lone Ranger episodes where Lone Ranger always shot to wound (unmentioned that a bullet wound to nearly any part of your body in the 1880s would have killed you sooner or later). First thing you learn about surviving a gun fight in the police academy is that you shoot for the center, to kill, so that the shooter does not kill you as his or her last act in life. That is why suicide by cop is so effective. All you have to do is aim a gun at a police officer's chest (you really don't have to fire, just aim) and you are guaranteed to get several rounds in the center of your chest, which will probably kill you.

Imagine peace4ever: "This case is a little different, but they could have chose to shoot him in the knees, but again they chose shoot to kill!"

Sorry to burst your peaceful bubble there bro/sis, but that "shooting to injure" is just NOT a reality of a gun battle, especially w/ a handgun. It is also NOT A CHOICE.
Training teaches you to aim for the central mass, in other words the body. Why? Because the body IS the biggest target & even a 9mm Parabellum round will have stopping power there.
This "shooting for the knees" is a Hollywood made up thing, never really happens.
In the heat of a gun battle there is plenty of movement by ALL participants & the easiest target is the body because again, it is the biggest target to aim @.
Well, @ least they didn't use the Mozambique Method, very popular w/ the Israeli Mossad, that's 2 to the central mass & 1 to the head, just to make sure the job is finished :) henry

SO, there was another "rapist" in the news who took advantage of someone, and many people came to his rescue claiming he was a victim of the "system". (hint-there was an elevator involved) Anybody want to call that card on this one also?

AZ2SB: "Anybody want to call that card on this one also?"

Alright, I'll do it: RAPIST! :) henry

Maybe this was suicide by cop, maybe it wasn't. Either way, it doesn't mean his colleagues had to kill him -- especially if there had been less loose talk about the investigation and his imminent arrest (which he had heard or been told) and better planning and execution (no pun intended) for such a dangerous arrest. Was there anything so urgent about this incident that would not have allowed the cops to arrest him in a safer environment? And, come to think of it, why was this female cadet allowed to work on this DUI checkpoint with him if they were already investigating the allegations? A lot of stuff doesn't add up here -- especially with the other shooting debacle back in December where two other SM cops were also shot by their fellow officers in yet another example of either failed training programs, or bad planning, or faulty supervision and fire control.

Forgot to include another thought............since Covarrubias had reportedly earlier mentioned something about killing himself if this illicit relationship was discovered, and obviously his best, closest buddy on the department would have known this, any chance there was a pre-arranged scenario in play here?

female cadet?

From the City of Santa Maria website: POLICE EXPLORER SCOUTS
The Police Explorers are a group of young adults ages 14 to 21, who are interested in pursuing careers in law enforcement. These Explorers assist the Police Department during various community events providing traffic and crowd control that enable the public to enjoy the events. The Explorers are very active and sponsor many fund-raising activities to finance their community service projects.

Doesn't seem to be a whole lot of female cadet. I would say 17 year old vulnerable highschool senior girl is more like it. What sort of @#$%@#$ gets married 3 weeks earlier and then pulls this garbage? Being a cop carries a lot of power/responsibility with it. Like it or not, power in judgement, morality and firepower. I often wonder what a 20 something is doing running around wielding this so much power in the general public? Does a maturity and morality screening come along with the psych screening when they sign up for cadet school?

Covarubias did make a mistake, but that wasn't a way to handle the situation. His personal life such as his mirrage is no ones bussiness. The 17 year old knew what she was getting into so before everybody goes blaming this 4YR VETERAN look at the rest of the facts. The stupid detective told covarubias about the investigation that's error number one. Then they try to do it while he was on duty come on now has no one ever heard of respect that's just like getting fired infront of employees and customers. I have always been against shoot to kill theres other methods and it's stupid that everybody tries to make excuses and cover up law enforcement. How many killings have you seen by officers, but I bet if it was if it was a civilian they would have him arrested. FYI Covarubias shot towards his best man/ best friend cause he felt betrayed since he was one of the arresting officers. I don't know Covarubias but i'm putting myself in his shoes and in his family's shoes. The worst thing the department did was deny him of his officer burrial. The guy was a police officer, he served 4yrs, and just because he's human and made a mistake like everybody make mistakes the department is just going to erase those 4yrs risking his life out there. Use your brain. President Bush made the biggest mistake on his first term that the country is still paying as a whole and he still got re-elected. Oh and Denise L get a fkn book and read it before you speak go buy yourself a new brain that actually works and not makes stupid comments. It's amazing to me that just because SM Police want to cover up their mistake the dept. and prees is bring out all the dirt they can find. His last and new mirrage is no ones bussiness it had nothing to do with what happened. Thats some nerve dirting that 4yr veteran's memory when his family hasn't even burried him yet. Learn some respect.

People that state police should not shoot to kill have no concept what they are talking about. A gun is a deadly weapon meant to stop someone that is posing grave danger to someone else. Anyone that has had handgun training knows in an adrenalin rich situation you don't point a deadly weapon at anything but the biggest available target and you do not point it unless the situation is sufficiently grave. This jackass cop screwed up, he pulled his weapon and the rest is correct history.
This former officer does not deserve respect from anyone.

He is a disgrace to himself and the department, I really doubt even McDonalds would have given a 4 year veteran (not a very long time to work at any job btw) any honors if he would have gone out like this guy. Your logic is flawed buddy.

@Henry, Bullcrap! They could have injured him, but they chose to aim in a spot to kill! They're trained to shoot to kill! You do not know what your talking about!
Sorry to burst your peaceful bubble there bro/sis, but that "shooting to injure" is just NOT a reality of a gun battle, especially w/ a handgun. It is also NOT A CHOICE.

Sorry to burst your bubble my dear, but it is a Choice! Everyone has a choice and Matt Klein made his choice with shoot to kill!!!
Those cops should never have taken him down in that fashion, who was the idiot cop that informed Alberto what was going on?
Why couldn't they have waited until he was back in the office and surround him by catching him off guard??? Yes, he made an error( I'm not condoning what he did) in judgement so did that 17 yr old very immature gal, who choose to fool around with a married man...She probably got upset with Alberto and told on him to get back at him! Now she lives with her misjudgment!

Nancie Grace News Flash: MOST COPS STILL CARRY A WEAPON WHEN THEY ARE OFF DUTY. Granted, maybe they could have tried it in the station. Any where they would have tried it would have been risky. A restaurant or a public gathering when the guy was off duty, potentially the same result, but maybe with more non cop people getting hit. And regarding his "personal life" of hitting on 17 year olds, sorry but 3 weeks after his wedding...this is a ridiculous statement. When someone becomes a cop, the rest of us hope there isn't moral turpitude running rampant in our police force. Yep, that was a double negative, and I will take it.

imaginepeace4ever: "Bullcrap! They could have injured him, but they chose to aim in a spot to kill! They're trained to shoot to kill! You do not know what your talking about!"

Sorry to disappoint you my law enforcement clueless friend, I come from a family of law enforcement & military, know the training & tactics well & can tell you the training when dealing w/ an armed individual is as I stated: SHOOT FOR THE CENTRL MASS.
Sometimes hitting the central mass doesn't kill, most times it does, depends on:

1) The caliber used.
2) The muzzle velocity of the round.
3) The type of round used (hollow point, fragmentary, incindieary, armor piercing, tracer, etc.).
4) The distance of the shot from it's point of origin to the point of impact.

Those are but a scant few factors, there's lots of other factors involved such as the physical structure of the intended target.
This all is probably way over your head, don't worry, many of your limited knowledge of law enforcement & military training don't/won't ever understand.
The ONLY time a "shoot to injure" tactic is used is usually when there's precision sniper work involved.
In this case the intended target is usually either stationary or slow moving, is NOT aware of imminent threat & is predictable therefore offers plenty of shot opportunities.
Remember the case in Tennesse (I think that's where it was, so long ago) where the SWAT sniper took out the perp's gun from his hand w/ 1 shot? So much for "shoot to kill in all cases" as you're led to believe.
Like many of us here have said, shooting for the knee(s) s a HOLLYWOOD thing, not reality.
Central mass is where it's @ when dealing w/ a moving, threatening target, get used to it, especially if YOU ever choose to point a weapon (or what can be perceived as a weapon) @ a law enforcement officer (which I hope you never choose to do). It WILL produce consequences.

imaginepeace4ever: "Why couldn't they have waited until he was back in the office and surround him by catching him off guard???"

I totally agree w/ you on this, the way it went down was a cluster. The ONLY problem w/ that scenario is that like bimboT pointed out: "MOST COPS STILL CARRY A WEAPON WHEN THEY ARE OFF DUTY."
In that type of closed quarters combat scenario it could've gone a hell of a lot worse.

imaginepeace4ever: "Yes, he made an error( I'm not condoning what he did) in judgement so did that 17 yr old very immature gal, who choose to fool around with a married man..."

They were fooling around BEFORE he got hitched, or so it seems to be indicated.

imaginepeace4ever: "She probably got upset with Alberto and told on him to get back at him! Now she lives with her misjudgment!"

You're probably right about this, wouldn't doubt it. Jilted lovers are usually capable of doing wacky things, this probably is the case, maybe the investigation will show that :) henry

Officer Covarrubias was large and in charge to the very end, all right. Wrong, too. It's great to see most commenters giving credit exactly where it's due.

There may be lots of good things to say about the guy, but they're beside the point.

Perhaps Sir Hank you adjudge unfairly. A school of trained dolphins could have jumped up behind him and brought him down by a good old fashioned nip on the arse.

5dolphins: "A school of trained dolphins could have jumped up behind him and brought him down by a good old fashioned nip on the arse."

I thought you guys would ram him w/ your snouts? THIS CAN'T BE A REAL DOLPHIN! :) henry