Jim Finnel
Fallen Cannabis Warrior & Ex News Moderator
Early on the morning of August 5, 2005, 23-year-old Anthony Diotaiuto returned home from his job as a bartender. Diotaiuto, a regular churchgoer, also worked as a DJ to support himself and his mother, and he studied restaurant management part-time at a local community college. He was planning his first vacation, which was to include a visit to his grandmother. Diotaiuto had no criminal record other than a marijuana possession arrest at age 16.
Two days earlier, Sunrise, Florida, police obtained a search warrant for Diotaiuto's home, based on a previous tip from a confidential informant that marijuana and cocaine were sold there. Police conducted surveillance of the Diotaiuto residence before staging the raid, but the warrant did not require Diotaiuto to be home at the time of the search.
At 6:15 a.m., an armed SWAT team entered Diotaiuto's home. A neighbor reported hearing a bang and seeing a flash but never hearing officers say, "Police!" as they entered the house nor pounding on the front door.
Diotaiuto, who was in the living room when the SWAT team entered, ran to his bedroom and grabbed a loaded handgun, for which he held a permit. He was then shot in the head, chest, torso, and limbs, a total of 10 times.
Police found a total of 30.2 grams (a little over an ounce) of marijuana and marijuana residue in various locations throughout the household, as well several packs of rolling paper and a digital scale. Possession of over 20 grams is considered a felony under Florida law, resulting in fines of up to $5,000 and up to five years' imprisonment.
