Pubdate: Sat, 09 Feb 2002
Source: Windsor Star (CN ON)
Copyright: The Windsor Star 2002
Contact:  http://www.southam.com/windsorstar/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/501
Author:  Donald McArthur

UNDERCOVER COPS RATTLE COMMUTERS

Guns Drawn, They Surround Wrong Car

A serene drive home from the office turned into a surreal episode of Cops 
for two Windsor co-workers and a three-year-old boy when they were 
surrounded at gunpoint by four undercover Windsor police officers.

"I thought somebody was going to  rob us or kill us. I couldn't move. I was 
terrified," said Brenda Dean, 31.

"I thought it only happened on TV."

Dean had just dropped off co-worker Peter Sapusak at his home in the 1400 
block of Henry Ford Centre Drive after their shift at Accucaps Industries 
when the incident occurred. It was about 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 25. Sapusak 
began climbing out of the vehicle when it was boxed in by two unmarked 
vehicles. Four men, in plainclothes, charged out with their automatic 
pistols drawn.

"I was terrified. I didn't know who the hell it was, if it was the mob or 
(a motorcycle gang)," said Sapusak, 41. "I couldn't sleep for two nights 
after that. I was tossing and turning."

Sapusak screamed three times that there was a child in the car and one of 
the officers looked in the window and realized a mistake had been made.

"Police. Right kind of car, wrong people," was all that was said before the 
guns were holstered and they drove off, claim Sapusak and Dean.

Sapusak phoned 911 in an attempt to determine who the gun-wielding men 
might have been but received no answers.

Windsor police Staff Sgt. Ed McNorton confirmed Friday the men were 
undercover officers with the force's drug unit. He said Dean's vehicle was 
an exact match of a "target" vehicle sought by the squad as part of a 
"high-level investigation."

Police have requested a description of Dean's vehicle not be published 
because the suspect vehicle is still on the road.

Dean and Sapusak said the men never identified themselves as Windsor police 
officers and offered no explanations or apologies for their actions.

"I understand they had a job to do and made a mistake but an explanation 
would have been nice," Dean said.

The officers told McNorton an explanation and apology were offered at the 
scene but that they had to rush back to their vehicles and continue their 
search for the suspect vehicle.

Came from raid

The officers had just conducted a raid and were wearing blue jackets with 
"Police" written on the front. The officer who spoke with Sapusak had his 
jacket open but was wearing a badge around his neck, McNorton said.

Sapusak said one of the vehicles followed her for more than a block and 
questioned why police didn't run her licence plate number and discover they 
were tailing the wrong suspects.
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