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Scott Raid Update
Mar 31, 1993
L.A. Times
This is an update on the L.A. County Sheriff's deadly raid on 61
year-old reclusive millionaire Donald P. Scott's scenic 200 acre
Malibu Canyon ranch.  Mr. Scott had refused on several occasions
to sell his property to the state.  He was then raided and shot
to death when he responded to his wife's screams with a gun in
his hand.  Mr. Scott, having just had eye surgery, could not see
very well, but started to lower his gun when officers at a
distance identified themselves and told him to drop the gun.  It
is at this time he was shot.

Shortly after the shooting, Mr. Scott's attorney accused the
assault team (consisting of L.A. Sheriff's Deputies and Federal
Drug Enforcement Officers), of staging the raid simply to seize
land that was otherwise unavailable.  The Sheriff's Department
was, of course, indignant that anyone could suggest such a thing.

A 5 month investigation by Ventura County Dist. Atty. Michael
Bradbury has just been completed.  It is his findings that the
raid WAS staged in order to seize Scott's $5M ranch and there was
NO LEGAL JUSTIFICATION for the raid.  His evidence includes a
copy of the pre-raid briefing which contained local area property
value appraisals and the key finding that the Deputy securing the
search warrant used FALSE information to do so, then led the
multi-agency assault team to the isolated ranch in hopes of
finding drugs.

It is my understanding that even with this evidence, the District
Attorney is reluctant to prosecute any of the assault team
individually.  Scott's widow and attorney, on the other hand, are
demanding that the officer who shot her half-blind husband be
tried for murder.

COMMENT:  The common defense for shootings of this type consists
of "the officer's life was in danger."  That seems to relieve the
shooter of any personal responsibility.

Unfortunately, with the various government assault teams more and
more using flash-bang tactics in the dead of the night, the death
toll of INNOCENT people will continue to rise, ...and no one will
be held accountable.