The problem with the knife charge is that this was not the reason why the police chased after Gray. It was only found during the search of his person that took place after he’d been arrested.
Meaning that the knife (legal or not) did not constitute probable cause for the arrest.
Sorry, but I utterly oppose the notion of cops arresting people and then justifying their actions after the fact. Such a thing is an invitation to mischief.
I think we’ll learn Grey wasn’t just standing in the alley...he was dealing and the police saw him doing so. He ran and it went from there.
Police are allowed to arrest someone who runs from them, especially since Gray was observed in a hand to hand transaction prior to fleeing. This was disclosed by another officer with inside information.
I can understand why the officers did not believe Gray’s claims of physical distress, because according to other officers that was his standard M.O. when being arrested. A case of crying Wolf too many times.
Unfortunately for Gray, his attempt to avoid a possession charge may be what ended his life. Gray was not known to be a heroin user, but herion was in his urine test. Heroin used in excess causes slow, difficult breathing, convulsions, heart failure, and coma, all symptoms that Gray exhibited. Convulsions could explain his thrashing around in the back of the van. He definitely had cardiac arrest and was in a coma by the time they reached their destination.
We need to wait for all of the forensic evidence to come out, because it is obvious that this prosecutor is biased and completely unreliable in her demonstrated lack of knowledge of the law.
It is a police officers obligation to find out why someone runs from them. There is a reason he ran; had he just committed a crime; was he hiding drugs; did he have outstanding warrants? If he did nothing, he would have been questioned and let go.
The knife issue came after they captured him. If the knife was not legal (we don’t have the facts yet)that is probable cause. No reason to condemn the officers at this point.