Lakeland Officer Who Shot Black Man back on the Job; Witness Says Police are Lying

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Officer has a Shady Past. A Lakeland police officer was justified in shooting a man who drove a car toward him, the State Attorney's Office has ruled. Officer Douglas Brown Jr. shot and wounded 27-year-old Michael Worlds on Jan. 25, after a traffic stop spun out of control. "Clearly Mr. Worlds' choice to aim a motor vehicle at a police officer gave that officer a well-founded fear that violence was imminent," according to a letter written by John Aguero, an assistant state attorney. Brown spent a week doing administrative work before returning to patrol duty Feb. 3. Brown, who earns $39,000 a year, was one of four officers involved in a fatal shooting of an armed man on Feb. 17, 2002. That shooting was deemed justified, and Lakeland police describe it as a "suicide by police." On Aug. 4, 2002, Officer Brown, while speeding, lost control of his patrol car and crashed into a South Florida Avenue tire store. Investigators said Brown was driving 90 mph in a 30-mph zone about 6:15 a.m. In March 2002, another internal investigation ruled Officer Brown was justified in hitting an unruly high school student four times with a metal baton outside The Lakeland Center during the state high school basketball championship tournament.

Witness: Police are Lying. According to police, Brown was giving a ticket to a motorcyclist for speeding, and Gleaton motioned Worlds to pull over for going 52 in a 35-mph zone as he traveled north on Kathleen Road. Worlds did not follow Gleaton's motion to pull into a nearby turn lane, stopping instead in the middle of the northbound lane. As Gleaton, approached the driver's side of the car, Worlds put the Taurus in reverse and backed up toward the west. Gleaton ran to the car and struck the driver's window with the laser device when Worlds failed to stop the car. By this time, Brown had approached the car to help Gleaton. According to Worlds' arrest affidavit, Brown saw Worlds "looking around as if he were looking for an avenue of escape." Brown then drew his gun when "he saw the passenger fidgeting with something." As Worlds backed away in the Taurus, Brown found himself in front of the car. So when Worlds stopped backing up and drove forward, he was heading toward Brown. Fearing for his safety, Brown fired twice at the car's windshield as he moved sideways to his right. He hit Worlds once in the chest. But an eyewitness said the officer's life was not in danger when he started shooting. "I saw the police run and holler, `Stop,' and then they started shooting," said Albert Callaway Jr., who lives in the area. Callaway said the Taurus was moving away from Brown when the officer opened fire on the car. "His life was never in danger," Callaway said. Worlds remained at Lakeland Regional Medical Center late Wednesday. [more] and [more] and [more] and [more]