Libertarian ping! To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here.
Posted on 10/08/2007 9:23:47 AM PDT by SubGeniusX
A mild-mannered Brooklyn high school teacher says he was nearly scared to death by NYPD cops who mistook him for a perp.
When the violent encounter was over, Lester Jacob, 50, suffered a heart attack and was left on his own in the street by cops, who accused him of "acting."
In July he underwent open-heart surgery.
Jacob had the misfortune to be driving home through Brownsville, Brooklyn, on June 22 around the same time cops were on the lookout for a hit-and-run driver. Jacob, an earth science teacher at James Madison High School in Midwood, heard a siren, looked in his rear-view mirror and dutifully pulled over for the radio car behind him.
He wasn't prepared for what happened next. Two officers rushed up to Jacob's vehicle and pointed their guns at his head, according to a lawsuit filed in Brooklyn Federal Court.
Cursing at him, they ordered Jacobs out of the car and roughly cuffed him.
"One officer crushed his knee into Mr. Jacob's back," the complaint states. "They then repeatedly slammed his head onto the car and then pressed his head against the car for some time."
Additional officers arrived on the scene with a witness to the earlier accident. The witness told them Jacob was the wrong guy.
"'I told you it was a white Maxima,'" the witness reportedly said, according to the complaint. Jacob drives a white Infiniti.
Jacob told the cops he was experiencing chest pains and began coughing uncontrollably.
A female cop said, "Nice acting," according to Jacob, and then drove off. Jacob said he struggled to drive home, stopping to vomit on the side of the road.
His wife rushed him to the hospital, where doctors determined he had suffered a heart attack.
"I was scared to death," Jacob said of his brush with the NYPD. "I was feeling terror."
His attorney John Lambros said there was no reason for the cops to handcuff or use excessive force against the 150-pound teacher while they were waiting for the witness to show up.
The cops were not identified, but their radio car number has been turned over to the Civilian Complaint Review Board. A spokeswoman for the city Law Department said the complaint is being reviewed.
Just remember: this is a lawsuit story -- you should know by now never to trust the details related by the plaintiff's lawyer, especially when there's big bucks at stake.
IF what this guy says happened, really did happen, and IF there aren't a few other inconvenient facts that haven't been provided in this article, then maybe we can start talking about what should happen to the cops.
I'm sure the lawyers ofr the police involved in the incident have their own highly-stylized account as well.
I'd like to see a statement from the wintess the police brought to the scene to ID him - he's probably the least biased participant in all this.
Not rendering aid to a citizen and leaving the scene; even though they caused the problem.
Well for her I guess there wouldn't be any. But she certainly needs to be fired.
The cop(s) that manhandled him need to face assault charges, firing and jail. The same charges I'd face if I walked up to a random person and did the same thing.
“..doesn’t make it any less their fault for setting it off.”
cardiac artery plaque buildup?
Set off by cops?
You’re too funny......and have no clue what plaque or its dynamic is.
Maybe the stress of the assault had more to do with the heart attack than any medical condition you assume to have existed.
Have you seen the man’s medical records or are you just being a jerk?
I think it is a “libertarian thing” wherein authority is construed as an unnecessary evil. I believe it has something to do with premature weaning. LMAO.
On what charges?
Do you know anything about American law?
the city needs to pay dearly for hiring assh*les for cops
What other big soak-the-taxpayers schemes do you have up your sleeve?
Libertarian ping! To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here.
NYPD, to prosecute and enslave.
Dont heart attack me bro.
OK - queue the cops can do no wrong posts.
“Does anything else matter?”
Yeah, it matters that they’re not firemen, thank goodness.
/sarc or /something, I’m not sure.
Thanks, I got it off....
Now sir, as for yourself...
Have one...
Your breath smells like boot polish....
I don't hate all cops, but I do hate this pair. Understand?
please turkey tell me what rhythm problem would require “open heart surg”?
and while you’re at it, define “heart attack”....and be specific......oh?.....you can’t?.....wonder why?.....can’t find any such diagnosis in DSM?
Did you happen to notice that he only weighs 150 lbs?
Didn't think so...
Well, we've certainly gotten enough "plaintiffs in multi-million dollar lawsuits against the city never lie" posts.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.