Nonsense. The guy was living in London for at least three years for crap's sake. You can't seriously expect him to forget he's not in Brazil anymore. I never forget where I'm living whenever I move from the Third World to the First (which I've done four times in the past year and a half).
The guy is either affiliated with the terrorists OR he is incredibly stupid. Only an absolute IDIOT would behave the way he did during that exact time. Either way, it wasn't the police's fault.
Look, if *I* dress and act like a suicide bomber during a period of suicide bombings; I deserve to be shot. The police have no way of knowing I'm not a suicide bomber and any hesitation on their part may result in the deaths of dozens of people on the train. Just think of their dilemma! Hesitate and if he's really a suicide bomber, dozens will die. Bravo to the police for doing the right thing!
I have had guns pointed at me on several occassions while in another country, and once during an attempted coup. I made sure I kept my hands up and didn't make any sudden moves and obeyed all their orders. As a result, nothing happened to me, but if I behaved suspiciously, I probably would've been shot.
So, it's too bad the guy died, but it was HIS fault, not the police. What an idiot, a real candidate for the Darwin Awards.
I want to make it clear that I am not blaming the British Officers. What I am trying to do is understand why Jean Charles fled.
I experienced several years of Noriega and his goons and know what can happen if one didn’t try and flee even after they yelled “alto” (halt). But, Panama is not Brazil; therefore, I don’t know how things are in Brazil. Definitely, though, Panama and Brazil are not US and Britain.
Well anyway, we’ll continue with this interesting discussion later. I need to go to lunch.
Look, I’m not pretending to have the answers. I’m sitting here guessing like everybody else.
It will be interesting when we get to the bottom of this.