Originally Posted by RhinoPherret

Keeping this short:

From my previous career in law enforcement and the information provided in this article, the officers responded and acted appropriately in this instance given the (faulty) information that was provided to them.
If I am advised to handle a situation of a stolen vehicle or airplane (as example) and I come across said item/suspects (regardless of how they are dressed, look, or time of day), I will approach and handle the situation as if it is real until I can determine otherwise. To handle this type of situation in any other manner has resulted in the loss of far too many law enforcement and civilian lives over countless years.
Once again, faulty communications (information sharing) between Federal agencies (DEA, El Paso Intelligence Center, and the FAA) initiated this situation. The police were performing their duties with the flawed information provided to them from the Federal agencies.