The evidence is, to my view, not that it was in a positive sense, a one-off and likely targeted. But that it was an MO is the less likely due to that various baggage an MO carries with it and earlier reports, by now, would have surfaced.

Questions:

Do two or more Scorpion cars travel together? Given their task and the areas to which they are assigned, probably a good idea so probably. Okay. That there were two there at the same time does not indicate some kind of pre-planned op.

Is there reporting of similar treatment for routine traffic offenses? Similar except for the dead thing, I mean. Now, if the guy happened to be going 90mph the wrong way in a 25mph school zone as the school was being dismissed, the cops might have been more than ordinarily annoyed. Any evidence this wasn’t a routine traffic offense?

When you pare off such possibilities, what’s left is suspicious.

We have very little evidence of why this happened, or of whether it was a one-off or their usual m o and only drew attention this time because the victim died.

Or this was the first in a series that this crew was likely to do just because, but they got caught. That’s bad luck for them, but it brings up the question of…really, the first time?

Or they were planning on doing this as a tactic and…the first time was this time…or it wasn’t the first time and we’ll hear about earlier attempts.

There are any number of crazy, stupid, rotten things these guys could have done and been thrown off the force much earlier. But they didn’t, which is why they had as much time in the force as they had. So they have some rational capacity. But this….

“Public knowledge” is, in this case, another term for “unsubstantiated internet rumor.” So far it’s nothing but a rumor, one that Nichols’ family has denied is true. Here’s the Newsweek article.

Going on a century ago, Lucius Beebe practically invented cafe society to have something to report on and make a living at it. Wasn’t about knitting socks for the homeless.

Said he had a picture in his mind; Dark, windy night. A woman, homeless, holding an infant, sees a train going past. In the well-lit windows of the firstest of the mostest first class is, surrounded by all the good things, the father of her child. “I want to be that man.” Kind of a joke, I suppose. But not so bad as to get him consigned to oblivion. Probably didn’t actually mean it, but that he could accurately presume his readers would find it funny…. Which they could afford to do since they didn’t do such things, or if they did, there was a trip to Switzerland….

Doesn’t have to be either or. Also other things can contribute, e.g., the sexual revolution. Well off white liberals live conservative lives generally, and a period of wild behavior may do little damage if culturally you then settle down and get your life together.