Posted on 11/29/2006 5:21:42 AM PST by Hazcat
Five Bethlehem police officers used excessive force to restrain a man high on crack cocaine who killed a drug dealer with a samurai sword and set him on fire, a federal jury ruled Tuesday night.
The verdict, after four hours of deliberation, stunned officers Matthew Crenko, Matthew Lazur, David Strawn, William Kissner and Louis Csaszar, and surprised Senior U.S. District Judge John P. Fullam, who called it ''remarkable.''
(Excerpt) Read more at mcall.com ...
Thomas, 50, who testified he suffered bruises and recurring migraine headaches as a result of the violent scuffle, sought $35 million in damages but was awarded $1.
I thought I posted enough to pique interest and ensure the article would be read.
What I find of interest (though in a very negative sense), is that the jury apparently took the word of the plaintiff against that of the entire police force. And that given the man is a crack user. I'm not sure what that says about east Pennsylvanians, but the thing is just weird.
What else is odd: if the police were guilty, why was the plaintiff only awarded $1? Just plain news of the weird, IMHO.
Nothing "ensures" the article will be read. I would argue that enough of the article should be posted to keep half-baked comments to a minimum. Rational folk will click-through, regardless.
A jury award of $1 indicates that the "people" think what the accused did was wrong/bad/negligent, but not serious enough to warrant damages.
The award would be paid out as a thirty year annuity according the the court. ;-)
And the operative word is "liable," not "guilty." /arcane info
LOL! I like your thinking!
I guess that means his attorney gets forty cents.
Watch the liberals complain that this award didn't meet minimum wage levels.
LOL! Keep 'em coming folks.
That would be enough to get my adrenalin pumping.
when Thomas carried several officers within feet of the samurai sword in Garcia's back.
I'm sure the officers didn't want to look like the next skewered hot dog.
Sonny Thomas claimed he didn't resist police efforts to handcuff him,...
Would I take the word of someone who stabbed another person 80 times and set fire to his body while high on crack?
If brought as a civil rights suit, I think all of the plaintiff's lawyers' fees are paid by the defendants, even though he only gets $1.
Well, now, THERE'S justice. ROTFLOL!!
Federal court. You're probably right.
For your list...? :)
After the O.J. Simpson jury, nothing surprises me.
"I guess that means his attorney gets forty cents."
He had three attorneys. Each should hget 13.3 cents.
I call BS. This guy is so high on crack that he could have looked in the cockpit window of an airliner that was cruising at 30,000 feet and he can still remember exactly what went down.
High enough to stab someone 80 time AND set fire to the body INSIDE a building, but he's gonna give himself up peacefully?
There's so much BS going on here that I need boots just to read the article.
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