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Because of limited manpower, Thorpe instructed officers not to pursue anyone who ran from the front yard; they were already stretched thin enough without chasing rabbits in four different directions. As Je

Usually the team parked around a corner and approached the target on foot, but the logistics of this particular warrant required a faster response. The neighborhood contained too many spotters for a foot approach to be feasible; any drugs would be well on their way to the Arkansas River via Tulsa’s sewage system before officers made entry. The same concerns prevented Thorpe from having a surveillance team monitor the residence prior to their arrival. An unfamiliar vehicle or pedestrian would be noticed by lookouts. Spotters were most often young men who patrolled the area on foot or bicycles. They were either paid cash or given small amounts of crack they could then sell on their own. Sometimes the spotters were addicts who received free product for their security services.

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The team poured from the van with the distinctive sound of weapons being unloosed from molded laminate holsters. One of the suspects broke into a run for the backyard. Another ran through the open front door, slamming it shut behind him. The third froze—eventually dropping to the ground in compliance with officers’ commands.

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Thorpe went directly to the front door, and since the team had been compromised, was permitted to forgo the “reasonable amount of time” rule. He ordered Do

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The rear containment team broadcast they had a suspect in custody in the backyard but another had dived out a window fleeing west toward a drainage culvert. Police One advised they were “10-97” (on scene), and were tracking the target ru

Back inside the residence, a black male stepped out of the kitchen, both hands stuffed in oversized coat pockets. Officers were ordering the suspect to get on the floor, but he chose to ignore their commands; he stood there expressionless, hands removed from view. The suspect very slowly and with exaggerated enunciation said, “Fuck you, cracker motherfuckers… Get out of my house.” Thorpe inched his way across the room, weapon out and pointed at the nose of the now smiling tough guy. Thorpe got to within three feet, then, with gun still trained on Smiley, brought his right foot up and used his weight to heel-kick the man below the sternum. Smiley went sailing, a countertop stopping his backward flight as he bounced off cheap Formica onto the rotting linoleum. Thorpe stepped into the kitchen and cleared it of additional threats before bending over the grimacing clump of meat on the floor.

“Who’s smiling now, asshole?”

Smiley tried to talk shit, but the wind had been knocked out of him. Instead he made squeaking noises as Thorpe secured him with handcuffs.

Cops love search warrants or “legalized home invasions,” as they sometimes refer to them. Because of search warrant’s inherent danger, failures to comply with commands were not tolerated. Where else can a person find this kind of adrenaline pump and get paid for it?

Thorpe and his team cleared the rest of the residence, finding no one else inside except for the crackhead with the cracked head and Mr. Smiley. The crew of Police One advised they had observed the window diver run north through a culvert underneath 56th Street North. The suspect continued from there to another street they couldn’t identify from the air. When he passed beneath, he never exited the other side.

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Thorpe posted Jake and Tyrone on the south side of the culvert where the suspect had entered. The interior was ink black, and Thorpe didn’t relish the idea of silhouetting his pumpkin to have a look. He called for a K-9 officer, Justin Adams, who arrived five minutes later with Thor, a very large German shepherd who found much enjoyment in biting humans. Thor didn’t care if the victim was a bad guy, another cop, or sometimes his own handler; if something got near his muzzle, he was going to eat it.

It’s standard practice for K-9 officers to give the bad guy a chance to surrender before releasing their dogs. Adams gave no such notice before setting his partner loose into the lightless cavern. Scent-gathering snorts and the clicking of nails echoed out of the chamber as the dog worked his way down the tu