Posted on 03/01/2005 11:04:12 AM PST by socal_parrot
AURORA, Colo. -- Aurora police are reviewing a weekend incident in which a man accused of stealing salad from a Chuck E. Cheese salad bar was hit with a stun gun twice by officers.
The incident began at 4:05 p.m. Sunday when officers were called to the restaurant at 145005 East Exposition on a report of a larceny in progress.
Police talked to the Chuck E. Cheese manager who told them that a customer had refused to show proof that he had paid for food. The manager said the man was seen "loading" his plate at the salad bar.
The officers confronted Danon Gale, 29, who was at the restaurant with his children, aged 3 and 7. Patrons said the popular kids pizza parlor was packed with children and families at the time.
According to police, Gale was asked to step outside to discuss the incident.
"According to witnesses (Gale) refused to cooperate with police and a struggle ensued," said Larry Martinez, a police spokesman. He said that Gale became argumentative and shoved one of the officers, a fact disputed by another patron.
"One of the officers kept poking the gentleman in the chest," Felicia Mayo told the Rocky Mountain News.
She was there with her 7-year-old son. She told the newspaper that Gale told the officer "You don't have to do that." She said Gale never put his hands on the officer who was confronting him
The argument escalated until Gale was shoved into the lap of Mayor's sister, who was sitting two booths away, holding a 10-month-old baby. That's when police pulled out a Taser stun gun to subdue him.
"They beat this man in front of all these kids then Tased him in my sister's lap," Mayo told the newspaper. "They had no regard for the effect this would have on the kids. This is Chuck E. Cheese, you know."
Gale's two children were "screaming and hollering and crying" as Gale was tasered with two times with the stun gun.
Police arrested Gale as his children and other customers watched. They took him outside, leaving his children inside the restaurant.
Gale was arrested for investigation of disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and trespassing.
His two children were picked up by a relative.
The manager of the restaurant declined comment and Gale said he couldn't talk about it, after hiring an attorney.
"Don't you crap your pants if you get zapped? Just another pizza topping I guess...."
Urban Legend!
I used to teach my kids to always respect the uniform. Not any more. The police have forgotten they work for us.
Tasers-always funny.
So in other words, larceny against lawful property owners is okay as long as someone is determined to commit it, eh?
That's pretty funny.
"This guy should have just walked outside to talk to the cops. HE is the one responsible for forcing the cops to subject children to violence."
Absoloutely. Some people on here seem to fail to realize that the manager of the restaurant called the police on this man for stealing. Did the man produce a reciept? No. Did he offer to pay? No. Did he comply with the manager of the business? No. Did he comply with the officer? No.
The guy did NOTHING right.
Is there an end to this story? Did the guy have a reciept or not. If not, he brought it on himself. If he did, I hope he sues the crap out of everybody. I wouldn't be a cop for any amount of money, but there are too many Barney Fife wanna-bees out there with badges and guns.
It's all about the power.
Go spin your crap with somebody who likes ya...... I said nothing of the sort ya loser.
Probably grounds to fire the"big dork". I doubt
the police dept. issues the taser as a toy.
LOL!!!!
Can't anyone write a news story anymore? A disputed "fact" is an assertion. Why did the police spokesman quote witnesses instead of the officers, and that's horrible sentence structure. The opening clause leads the reader to believe that the reporter spoke to the witnesses. The reporter should have pressed the police spokesman to either characterize or refuse to characterize officer reports of their own actions. This would have led to a cleaner report, "The officers reported that Gale refused to cooperate, and state that witnesses corroborated the report."
This one doesn't pass the smell test. I think a little more investigation of officer conduct is in order. I'm not saying they did anything wrong, but if the other patron had no connection to the suspect, I'd look for other customers to get a better accounting.
Owl_Eagle
"You know, I'm going to start thanking
the woman who cleans the restroom in
the building I work in. I'm going to start
thinking of her as a human being"
That has got to be the funniest thing I read all day. Thanks!
"I used to teach my kids to always respect the uniform. Not any more. The police have forgotten they work for us."
All 140,000 of them? What a sweeping statement. Methinks your kids may end up like the guy in this article.
I don't think all, no. Majority? Possibly. The police have set themselves up as a little super society that is there to control us rather than the old protect and serve and they have adopted a kind of us vs them mentality. The solution, beware of strangers, whether they wear a uniform or not.
And I think you probably behave like the cop.
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