Officer has a Shady Past.
A Lakeland police officer was justified in shooting a man who drove a
car toward him, the State Attorney's Office has ruled. Officer Douglas
Brown Jr. shot and wounded 27-year-old Michael Worlds on Jan. 25, after
a traffic stop spun out of control. "Clearly Mr. Worlds' choice to aim
a motor vehicle at a police officer gave that officer a well-founded
fear that violence was imminent," according to a letter written by John
Aguero, an assistant state attorney. Brown spent a week doing
administrative work before returning to patrol duty Feb. 3. Brown, who
earns $39,000 a year, was one of four officers involved in a fatal
shooting of an armed man on Feb. 17, 2002. That shooting was deemed
justified, and Lakeland police describe it as a "suicide by police." On
Aug. 4, 2002, Officer Brown, while speeding, lost control of his patrol
car and crashed into a South Florida Avenue tire store. Investigators
said Brown was driving 90 mph in a 30-mph zone about 6:15 a.m. In March
2002, another internal investigation ruled Officer Brown was justified
in hitting an unruly high school student four times with a metal baton
outside The Lakeland Center during the state high school basketball
championship tournament.
Witness: Police are Lying.
According to police, Brown was giving a ticket to a motorcyclist for
speeding, and Gleaton motioned Worlds to pull over for going 52 in a
35-mph zone as he traveled north on Kathleen Road. Worlds did not
follow Gleaton's motion to pull into a nearby turn lane, stopping
instead in the middle of the northbound lane. As Gleaton, approached
the driver's side of the car, Worlds put the Taurus in reverse and
backed up toward the west. Gleaton ran to the car and struck the
driver's window with the laser device when Worlds failed to stop the
car. By this time, Brown had approached the car to help Gleaton.
According to Worlds' arrest affidavit, Brown saw Worlds "looking around
as if he were looking for an avenue of escape." Brown then drew his gun
when "he saw the passenger fidgeting with something." As Worlds backed away in
the Taurus, Brown found himself in front of the car. So when Worlds
stopped backing up and drove forward, he was heading toward Brown.
Fearing for his safety, Brown fired twice at the car's windshield as he
moved sideways to his right. He hit Worlds once in the chest. But an
eyewitness said the officer's life was not in danger when he started
shooting. "I saw the police run and holler, `Stop,' and then they
started shooting," said Albert Callaway Jr., who lives in the area.
Callaway said the Taurus was moving away from Brown when the officer
opened fire on the car. "His life was never in danger," Callaway said.
Worlds remained at Lakeland Regional Medical Center late Wednesday.
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