If you haven’t seen this bodycam video already it’s worth watching. This is a perfect example of a worst case scenario for a police officer. Officer Karli Travis rolled up to the scene to investigate reports of a disturbance only to have a deranged man with a hammer charge at her for no reason.

The Office of the Inspector General on Tuesday released a 30-second clip from Middletown Det. Karli Travis’ body-worn camera as part of an investigation into an officer-involved shooting in Middletown.

Travis was responding to complaints of excessive noise and breaking glass… pic.twitter.com/7AkcOP0o1H

— D. Scott @eclipsethis2003 (@eclipsethis2003) August 19, 2023

It’s a terrifying attack but fortunately at the start of it, Winston Tate was holding the head of the hammer in his hand rather than the handle. That probably limited the damage he did initially, though by the end of the attack he is holding the hammer by the handle. Officer Travis did go to the hospital but was released with stitches and bruises. Apparently one of her own shots grazed her hand.

Also, fortunately, the shots the officer fired at Travis didn’t kill him, though he was hit several times. If they had killed him, this might have become another officer involved shooting highlighted by Black Lives Matter as an example of white supremacy.

Since Tate survived and is facing trial for assault, we’re learning a lot more about his long history of criminal convictions which includes at least two previous attacks on police officers. In fact, he was out on probation for one of those previous attacks which took place in 2020:

Tate was on probation for assaulting another police officer in October 2020, per records.

Initially, he was sentenced to three years in prison, but that sentence was “suspended” in favor of probation, per state records.

Two years prior to that, he was sentenced in a New Britain court to a year in prison for attempting to assault another police officer.

Court filings on both of these incidents have been “disposed of,” per a representative with the Connecticut State Judicial Branch, and could not be retrieved at press time.

Since 2018, Tate has been arrested in eight different Connecticut municipalities and convicted on 14 separate charges.

For some reason, Tate’s convictions prior to 2018 aren’t visible on the state’s website, but Fox News found evidence his criminal history goes back to 1996. I did my own search and turned up this DUI/hit and run story from 2016:

Witnesses told police that the operator of a Mazda, later identified as Winston Tate, 45, passed about four vehicles that were stopped at a red light at the intersection of Washington Street at Newfield Street, into oncoming traffic as he was attempting to make an illegal left turn onto Newfield Street, according to the police report.

Another driver, who was heading north on Vine Street, attempted to turn left onto Washington Street at a green light but was struck by Tate’s vehicle, according to the report.

Tate then fled the accident scene and sped off north on Newfield Street, according to the report.

Police found the Mazda parked moment later with Tate sitting at the wheel. They could smell alcohol but he refused to say if he’d been drinking or to take a field sobriety test. Nevertheless, the victim in the crash identified him and he was arrested. While being booked he started making comments about police officers being shot.

“During the booking process, Tate made alarming comments that cops are getting shot and that he has guns,” police wrote in the report.

This is pretty clearly someone with a long history of wanting to see police officers hurt and of trying to hurt them. And yet, despite the dozens of convictions he has racked up, Tate has only spent a total of three years in jail since 2003. At every turn, the justice system seems intent on giving him another chance. Hopefully, this time will be different.