Though marijuana use is rarely–if ever–fatal, possession and trafficking can be deadly. A New York Times investigation into the aggressive tactics used by SWAT teams across the U.S. revealed that a startling number of people have been killed as the result of a SWAT raid. Of the 85 fatal raids since 2010–in which either a suspect or officer was killed, 20 involved marijuana, according to a Washington Post analysis of the data. In many instances they involved relatively minor infractions.

The Times investigation details episodes in which SWAT teams raided a suspect’s house without a warrant, a so-called “no-knock raid.” Because of the hurried and often frantic nature of the raids, fatal mistakes sometimes happen. In one deadly 2010 raid, for instance, Trevon Cole was targeted after he sold 1.8 ounces of marijuana to an undercover officer. A SWAT team raided Cole’s residence, and shot and killed him as he flushed his marijuana stash down the toilet. He was unarmed.

There are thousands of these raids each year, and the vast majority do not result in fatalities. But that there are fatal accidents, especially involving people who are handling a drug that is legal in some states and illegal in others, is enough to justify scrutiny. Marijuana, which is legal in some form in more than half of the U.S., is not inherently deadly. In fact, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration, “no death from overdose of marijuana has been reported.”

But that does not stop SWAT teams from busting down the doors of those suspected of growing or selling the drug. “These are dangerous people we’re dealing with,” a SWAT commander in Arkansas told the Times. “If you have a dope house next door there’s probably nothing the police can do that would be overreacting.”

Officers have also been killed during these raids. In one unfortunate case, a SWAT team conducted an early-morning raid on the rural Texas home of Henry Magee, who an informant said was growing 12 marijuana plants. The officers burst into the home before announcing their presence, and Magee, thinking his house was being robbed, shot and killed an officer.

A grand jury later declined to indict Magee with capital murder charges, but he was indicted on a drug trafficking charge. “All of us felt that if I were in bed and heard anything that made me get up and get a gun, and all of a sudden my door explodes in, I’m shooting,” one of the jurors involved in the case told the Times. “Why in the world would you do a full-out assault on a guy growing pot?”

Alec Siegel

Alec Siegel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. When he’s not working at Law Street he’s either cooking a mediocre tofu dish or enjoying a run in the woods. His passions include: gooey chocolate chips, black coffee, mountains, the Animal Kingdom in general, and John Lennon. Baklava is his achilles heel. Contact Alec at ASiegel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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If you’ve  been on the internet at all this week you’ve probably (purposefully or accidentally) seen the viral “Damn Daniel” meme. It’s a video with a teenager following his friend around and saying “Damn Daniel” over and over again in a cartoon-ish voice. Sometimes the voice makes comments too, particularly about Damn Daniel’s white vans. I have no explanation for why this has gone viral, but it most certainly has:

Damn Daniel pic.twitter.com/Va10hmpePO

— josh (@josholzz) February 16, 2016

But internet celebrity comes with a side of risk as well–the young man who made the video has now been swatted.

Swatting is when someone calls in a fake threat to an individual’s home, usually claiming that some sort of emergency, like a hostage situation, is taking place there. When, inevitably, a SWAT team arrives, the victim of the swatting is usually scared and the police are confused. The entire thing usually takes a while to sort out. It’s a “prank” that regularly happens to “internet famous” people, including famous video game players, celebrities like Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber, feminists, and journalists. It’s often used as some sort of revenge or intimidation tactic, and it is incredibly difficult to track who has committed the “swatting.”

In this case, the teenage boy who goes by @josholzz on Twitter and lives in California, was targeted by a caller who phoned the police and said that he had shot his mother. Police swarmed the house before realizing that the call was incorrect. It’s unclear at this point who swatted @josholzz and the investigation is ongoing. But the incident is believed to have been linked to the popularity of the “Damn Daniel” video. According to Riverside police Lt. Kevin Townsend:

We believe and the family believes that since their video went viral, it’s somehow connected. Ever since their video has gone out there, they’ve received a number of what they call strange phone calls and emails, and a lot of strange things happening so tonight was just another incident for their family.

Swatting is a serious, but relatively common issue once someone gains enough attention on the internet. Hopefully @josholzz’s family doesn’t get targeted again, but given the popularity of the “Damn Daniel” video, it certainly wouldn’t be surprising.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

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