Now THAT could have been messy... but it wasn't

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Broomstick
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Now THAT could have been messy... but it wasn't

Post by Broomstick »

Too often we hear about police over-reacting to tense situations. That, and my neighborhood is getting weird (there's a reason August is considered the "silly season"). From my local news:
Police: Man marched with sword on I-65

Officials were unable to verify the identity of a man who was found marching on a local expressway Sunday with a "samurai sword."

Indiana State Police troopers came across a man marching with a large sword on the inner shoulder of Interstate 65 south of 61st Avenue about 2:30 p.m. Sunday in Merrillville, a state police news release shows.

The shirtless man was discovered south of an abandoned Toyota, which was left in the middle lane of the expressway near U.S. 30.

He appears to be in his mid- to late 40s, police said.

The man swung the 35-inch-long sword in a defensive manner as officers approached him but dropped it when ordered, police said.

When Merrillville police showed up at the scene, a motorist had to swerve to avoid hitting the police car and the man. When that Chevrolet SUV came to a stop, the man attempted to get into it until he was ordered to the ground at gunpoint, police said.

After being taken into police custody, the man did not give officials consistent names or addresses, making it difficult for them to identify him, police said.

At Lake County Jail, the man told police he was "cuckoo for cocoa puffs" instead of giving them his name and remained unidentified as of late Sunday night.

The man was charged with attempted carjacking, resisting law enforcement and possession of marijuana.
OK, the guy is obviously a crazy, but he was taken into custody with no one getting hurt. Good job.

And yes, this is my local area, I pass by that spot frequently, both on and off the freeway.
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Kamakazie Sith
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Re: Now THAT could have been messy... but it wasn't

Post by Kamakazie Sith »

It ended well because this man followed instructions and he's batshit crazy. Makes me have even less sympathy for people that don't follow instructions, aren't crazy, and end up getting hurt by police.
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Re: Now THAT could have been messy... but it wasn't

Post by weemadando »

Kamakazie Sith wrote:It ended well because this man followed instructions and he's batshit crazy. Makes me have even less sympathy for people that don't follow instructions, aren't crazy, and end up getting hurt by police.
There was a similar case in Australia back in the 90s where a guy with a history of mental issues and a large knife ended up being surrounded by police on a highway. He had his back to one of the sound-proofing walls and the police couldn't advance without risking getting stabbed/slashed (and IIRC the guy was occassionally lunging out trying to make a break). And because this is the days before pepper spray and tasers, they didn't have another option but to shoot him if they wanted to avoid going in with batons. It ended when one officer walked down the highway a bit, grabbed a fallen length of board from the highway soundproofing fence, came back and whacked the guy from about 6t away to safely bring the situation to an end.

And then was the subject of all sorts of allegations of inappropriate use of force etc.

Sigh. At least the guy in the OP actually complied.
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Kamakazie Sith
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Re: Now THAT could have been messy... but it wasn't

Post by Kamakazie Sith »

weemadando wrote:
There was a similar case in Australia back in the 90s where a guy with a history of mental issues and a large knife ended up being surrounded by police on a highway. He had his back to one of the sound-proofing walls and the police couldn't advance without risking getting stabbed/slashed (and IIRC the guy was occassionally lunging out trying to make a break). And because this is the days before pepper spray and tasers, they didn't have another option but to shoot him if they wanted to avoid going in with batons. It ended when one officer walked down the highway a bit, grabbed a fallen length of board from the highway soundproofing fence, came back and whacked the guy from about 6t away to safely bring the situation to an end.

And then was the subject of all sorts of allegations of inappropriate use of force etc.

Sigh. At least the guy in the OP actually complied.
Yeah, with persons such as this we usually find/or have a standoff tool of some kind that can be used to pin the subject. The critical time frame is usually when the first initial officers arrive which is usually two to three. Sometimes it is just a regular person having a lapse of judgement walking down the street with a sword so you have to make that initial contact.
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