Family Says 911 Tape Caught Cops Planning Cover-Up After Shooting

PHOENIX (CN) - A homeowner says a Phoenix police officer shot him six times in the back during a 911 home-invasion call, and the 911 tape recorded the officer's partner saying, "That's all right. Don't worry about it. I got your back. ... We clear?" The family says the officers were not aware that the 911 call was still recording as they spoke about covering up the shooting.

In their complaint in Maricopa County Court, Anthony and Lesley Arambula say an armed intruder "crashed through the front window" of their home on Sept. 17, 2008 and ran into one of their son's bedrooms.

Anthony, worried about his son who was still in his bedroom, says he "held the intruder calmly at gunpoint" and called 911.

Phoenix Police officers already in the neighborhood heard the crash of the Arambulas' window. When they approached the house, Lesley says, she told Sgt. Sean Coutts that her husband was inside holding the intruder at gunpoint. Lesley says Coutts failed to pass on that information to the two other officers.

Inside the house, the Arambulas say, Officer Brian Lilly shot Anthony six times in the back while he was still on the phone with the 911 operator - twice when he was on the ground.

The officers ran into the bedroom after Anthony told them, "You just killed ... you just killed the homeowner. The bad guy is in there."

The complaint states that Officer Lilly "admitted that it was only after Tony was laying, bullet-ridden, on the ground that he assessed the situation. The 911 tape continued to record what happened even after Officer Lilly unloaded his weapon into Tony, including Officer Lilly's post-shooting, one-word 'assessment': 'Fuck.'

"Tony believed he was going to die; the 911 tape records his plaintive goodbye to his family: '... I love you ... I love you.' Then Tony made what he believed was a dying request to the officers; he did not want his young family to see him shot and bloodied. Officers callously ignored his request and painfully dragged Tony by his injured leg, through the home and out to his backyard patio, where they left him bloodied and shot right in front of Lesley, Matthew and Zachary."

The Arambulas say the officers later dragged Anthony onto gravel, then put him on top of the hot hood of a squad car, and "drove the squad car down the street with Tony lying on top, writhing in pain."

According to the complaint, Lilly can be heard on the 911 tape telling Coutts, "We fucked up."

Lilly says on the tape that he did not know where Anthony's gun was when he shot him and that he "opened fire because he heard loud noises and saw someone who looked like he might be the 'Hispanic' male they were pursuing" before getting to the Arambulas' house, according to the complaint.

The complaint states: "Sgt. Coutts knew that officers has just shot up and likely killed an innocent homeowner and the husband of Lesley, with whom he had spoken before entering the home, instead of the armed intruder. Sgt. Coutts was quick to commence the cover-up of their terrible mistake. Sgt. Coutts asked Office Lilly where Tony's gun was at the time Officer Lilly had opened fire on Tony. Officer Lilly admitted that he did not know where Tony's gun was: 'I don't know. I heard screaming and I fired.'"

Lilly later told a police internal affairs investigator that Anthony had pointed his gun in his direction, "in the 'ready' position," the complaint states. But Anthony Arambula says he was facing away from the officers, who could not have even seen his gun.

The complaint continues: "Still not knowing that he is being recorded n the 911 tape, Sgt. Coutts interrupted Officer Lilly's admission and apology with his assurance that the cover-up would commence: 'That's all right. Don't worry about it. I got your back. ... We clear?'"

After the shooting, the Arambulas say, the Phoenix Police Department treated them "like suspects in a drug bust," denying Lesley, Michael and Zachary information about Anthony's condition and denying friends and family members access to him at the hospital.

Anthony Arambula survived, but continues to suffer pain, which he expects will last for the rest of his life.

The City of Phoenix and Officer Dzenan Ahmetovic also are named as defendants.

The Arambulas seek punitive damages for gross negligence, civil rights violations, failure to supervise, excessive force, deliberate indifference to medical needs, false arrest, and emotional distress. They are represented by Michael Manning with Stinson Morrison Hecker.

http://www.courthousenews.com/2009/09/23/F...er_Shooting.htm

sprinkle some crack on him

Sick assholes...

That's what gangbangers do. They help each other commit crimes, and then they help each other cover up the crimes. Perhaps if "the Man" is threatening to come down on them they will, being cowards at heart, turn and snitch on each other.

this represents all cops.

thankfully when you cried out for help they didn't show up and shoot you!

i understand and share your anger towards these types of people HB - but they are not the but the tiniest of minorities in a field of people that risk their lives....

doesn't make it right, but just saying.

No, no, no. They typically insert the caveat, 'most' cops. This way, they can cast the same borderline-retarded generalization while pleading innocence regarding any specifics.

First of all, HB didn't once say anything to the effect of "this represents all cops".
Secondly, there shouldn't be ANY cops like this. Do you know why there are?
Because it's allowed and someone is letting assholes like this get away with shit like this.

This was caught because it was on tape... how many situations like this happen where it isn't caught because it's not recorded? I don't know how easy it would be for YOU to ignore the murder of an innocent while without hesitation, letting your collegue know that you had his back in a situation like this... but I couldn't.

Cops aren't the poor discriminated against group that you make believe they are.
They weren't born cops, and being a police officer isn't (or shouldn't be) as easy as picking a religion.

Not only are they required to go through physical training, tests and psychological evaluations, they're also paid to do a job. So... what asshole is allowing this to go on? Who sees the warning signs and ignores them so that there can be another corrupt piece of shit patrolling the streets with a gun?

The idea that the job is dangerous doesn't in any way dismiss them from following the rules and acknowledging that it's a job, not a personal power.

ONE of these assholes on the street is TOO MANY. Completely unacceptable by anyone who isn't gurgling cop balls.

Yeah... how dare people "generalize" about cops, when so many of these stories show up. :logik:

If you do not see the flaw in taking a relatively tiny number of incidents a year and using it to generalize the behavior of hundreds of thousands of people, then there is not much more to say.

There's a lot to say... but let's focus on the here and now. You and Oak have decided to come into a thread and be champions for cops, regardless that the thread is about piece of shit cops.

I'd say it's the two of you that generalize...

Bewildering planet you reside on, Kali. I did not 'champion' for any cop in this thread. I did not defend the cop in this topic. I merely pointed out the pathetic logic employed by some here. YOU have made a nice little history of generalizing on this very topic, but please, carry on with your little Bizarro-world.

:lol:

bingo. i stopped trying to figure out special-k awhile back.

What's so hard to figure out? She's an idiot who can't think for herself.

So you agree with stereotypes and profiling then, correct? Both are caused by generalizations.

First of all, it is not a "relatively small" number. This sort of thing happens over and over and over and over again all over the country, and those are only the incidents we actually know about, because there's some sort of absolute proof. If not for the happenstance of a 9-11 call still being recorded, the victim here would be facing serious charges and prison, and the cowardly thugs who shot him would be facing no penalty whatsoever, because there word would be taken as gold, and the word of the victim and his family, the witnesses, dismissed outright. The system as it currently exists is designed to protect scumbags like this from facing consequences, not to protect the people from them. And what is more, although perhaps most of their fellow cops would not have acted the same way, most of them WOULD have done nothing to stop them, would not have turned them in. Most of their fellow pigs would have turned a blind eye to their behavior. This IS a systemic problem, and not a matter of a few bad apples.

You may believe that, but you don't know it.

Not even worth responding to. Just more of your unsubstantiated, blathering, generalizing, hyperbolizing, hand-wringing, hair-pulling, drugged-out tripe. I used to get somewhat irritated with you, Harry. Now, it just fits firmly into the category of 'consider the source'. Please carry on in your little fantasy world where drug dealers are to be defended and law enforcement is to be attacked. Says all that needs to be said about you.

I apologize...

You certainly did not come into this thread and champion these particular cops.
Rather than that, you came into a thread and remembered things said from other threads, instead of responding to the thread itself. :D

After spending a couple of years with you on a message board, I've concluded that someone in your life is a cop and therefore you're defensive. I understand that.
Try not to let that get in the way of these specific instances where the behavior is absolutely NOT ok and acknowledge that any thinking person has the right to call these pieces of shit out on their actions.

you should do that more often as you tend to jump to conclusions

Bzzz. Wrong answer. You tried, before, your little failed game at pinning my view on personal relationships with law enforcement. Sorry, there are none. YOU, on the other hand, are the one with a failed relationship with a cop, which, very obviously, impacts your views on the profession.

Difference between you and me: I, on a consistant basis, have denounced these actions by cops when they came up. However, at the same time, I am capable of understanding that these little anectdotes are not indicative of the hundreds of thousands of law enforcement officials in the country. You denounce these actions, and claim they are proof that MOST (you are usually careful to use that little word) cops are dirty/scum/whatever insult you especially like that day.

And YOU sit here and try to pretend that I am the one with a bias and an agenda. Truly Bizarro.

No, my relationship failed due to the fact that we were still teenagers when we got married. Him being a cop, had nothing to do with it... in fact, we're friends now and respect one another. :)

I've met most cops through him, and the rest would be through reading about.
Every ride a long that I went on, had an instance where a cop abused his power in some way.

I don't think I can remember a time when you've "denounced" these types of actions by ANY cop.
All I can remember is when you become upset over anyone who finds this behavior to be disgusting.

I most certainly DO use the word "most"... which describes more than half. Obviously it's my opinion - whether it makes you upset or not.

You are. Face it, CHAZ... you're the one worked up over the fact that we don't all share in your and Oak's opinion... no one else.

That's fine. You just keep clinging to your pathetic little fantasies wherein cowardly thugs are to be honored and defended.

Never mind that "drug dealers" have nothing to do with this particular incident. This was just business as usual for the state sanctioned gangbangers. Shoot first, ask questions never. And as for reality? You don't need anything to do with it. It isn't PC enough for you, so cling to your fantasies.

Then your memory is failing terribly. I have done it time and time again. My only problem with you and Harry is your insane generalizations, that you still insist upon.

YOU telling ME that I am the one who is biased and worked up on this, or any other matter, is simply laughable.

Kali, I do not have a major problem with your opinion. Opinions vary and everybody is entitled. However, you take your opinion, based upon anectdotal experiences, and apply it, with a giant brush, to hundreds of thousands of people. If your statements were to the effect of, "Most of the cops I have met are scum/assholes/etc..", that would be one thing, but your statements, instead, are "Most cops are......". My opinion is not driven by bias. I am not a cop, no family member is, no close friends. Nor is it based on personal experiences, though it would be easy to do so. In my youth, I was a bit of a 'hell-raiser', had a few run-ins with the law. He11, twice I had police-issue shotguns jammed into my ear. Since I grew up, I have had the normal encounters with police, and have personally met many due to the location I was at. Plus, I was an EMT for 12 years. All-told, without exaggeration, I have had at least 500 encounters with police, on the job, responding to incidents. And, I can count, on one hand, the number of times I witnessed them behaving improperly. And, of those, only one would have constituted criminal actions. And, guess who reported that one incident to the state, even though it was very understandable, considering the circumstances?

Regardless of my past experiences, my opinion is based strictly upon the fact that I try not to generalize whole groups of people. I still do it, of course, as do most people, but it is not an admirable trait that a aspire to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kjmC8KpGF4

Chill out little man. Another act of utter hilarity: you accusing ANYBODY of clinging to little fantasies.

those 2 kids are off their rocker --- seriously

where did anyone in this thread defend those cops?

the argument isn't (or shouldn't be about that) its the ridiculous
assertion that this is prevalent within law enforcement.

hunker down HB! :lol:

Well then I guess you'll have to work out that little "problem" of yours, yourself. :D

'Cause you giggled and moved on, right CHAZ? :nope:

No... I take the horrendous actions by power tripping piece of shit cops, and point out how any thinking person should be enraged. You see CHAZ, this particular group of people are being paid to do a job... and that job isn't terrorizing innocent people.
It's pretty sad when you have to fear for your life upon a routine traffic stop, because cops see these stories and then realize how easy it is to get away with being corrupt trash.

YOU needing me to pose my sentences and opinions a specific way is AGAIN Your Problem. Not mine. I don't need YOU to pose your statements any sort of way.

Then you should probably pull your head out and acknowledge that there was no good reason for a piece of shit cop to jam a shotgun into your ear.

I'd agree with you if the group of people were a race... however, that isn't the case here.
Not one of these individuals was born a cop, nor do they have to be a cop.
This is a career, nothing else.

Most lawyers are garbage IMO. Does that mean that one kind lawyer out there is crying herself to sleep each night over that well known opinion?
If she's smart, she'd just prove herself instead. Open your eyes, CHAZ... whether or not you view even ONE cop as a piece of shit, the very fact that he/she would get away with the crap he/she does, says that SOMEONE in charge is oking this. Is that good with you, CHAZ?

Having a nice little ball ride, Oak? :lol:

wow. simply wow.

Then you should probably pull your head out and acknowledge that there was no good reason for a piece of shit cop to jam a shotgun into your ear.

Classic example of somebody talking about something they know nothing about. I did not give particulars but you make this judgement. Actually, in both instances, it was justified, and I had no problem, at all, in their actions.

YOU needing me to pose my sentences and opinions a specific way is AGAIN Your Problem. Not mine. I don't need YOU to pose your statements any sort of way.

I don't 'need' you to pose your statement in any way either. I am just pointing out the obvious fault in your statement, as made. If YOU have a problem with that, it is YOUR problem.

No shit. And, if a specific law enforcement officer is terrorizing the citizenry, he deserves to be held accountable. However, just because that one cop, or even a dozen, or a hundred perform such acts, does not mean I am going to condemn the whole, Oops, sorry, MOST of the profession.

Makes you wonder why you come here.

first thing that jumps out at me: "In their complaint in Maricopa County Court"

translation: it's a civil complaint, which means that there has probably been an internal review and a criminal investigation...I suspect that neither found the officer guilty of anything...

and deciding the merits of the case based solely on what the plaintiff writes in his/her civil complaint is not, in a manner of speaking, the American way...I suspect that the officer has a different perspective...

either way, these people get paid...

just spent 5 minutes on google...learned that the police review took place - cleared (cue the "police protect their own")...same review board found another officer violated policy in separate shooting, and the thousands of officers fired, demoted and suspended annually would not agree that IAB protects wrongdoing by police officers...

I also listened to the 911 tape...actually pretty clear...can't hear any of the "attempted cover-up" (which proves it worked!)...not that it would matter...hearing "clear" and "got your back" used by officers "clearing" a home for suspects in a burglary in progress would cause me to examine context instead of existence...

as for looking for the gun, it happened between the time they shot the homeowner and found the suspect...

news accounts from the time describe homeowner with shots to the stomach, leg and hand...wife was hysterical outside...this was an ongoing drama with shots fired before police arrived, a suspect who had been in another home and chased by police before entering this one...

sorry to interrupt...resume discussion of fact-rich civil complaint...

police DO protect their own on these issues, suggesting they do not is naive. that a use of force board cleared lilly or that IAB exists and has punished police officers doesn't demonstrate otherwise. the Serpicos and Dudley do-rights out there are few and far between by comparison. police will lie and skirt the law when it is in their interests, whether it's to protect themselves, a fellow officer, or to make an arrest stick or obtain a conviction. whether they lie about getting consent, lie about a suspects behavior, lie about a partner's behavior, lie on police reports, whatever, they DO lie, and they DO protect their own. it isn't all cops. but do most lie? yes, i suspect the overwhelming majority will and do.

Not to defend any bad or illegal behavior, but police are certainly in a unique situation in our society. They put a lot on the line and make themselves targets to do what they do for us. Again, doesn't justify bad or illegal behavior but we should at least put it in some kind of perspective.

the one thing that unites police officers and the citizens they routinely abuse is a shared certainty that IAB is on the side of the other...phoenix is one of many boards that is comprised of citizens, as well as sworn personnel...

"overwhelming majority lie"

I hope this felt good typing, so that it isn't completely meaningless...

returning to the facts at hand, anything to add?

illegal behavior is not contextualized, nor should it be...