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.
There's definitely some things missing in this article. Sure, being roughed up could cause a heart attack to happen a little sooner than it would have otherwise. And sure, the cops who did this (if it really happened as reported) should be disciplined or fired.
But there are some odd things in this article that make me wonder how accurate it really is. For example, when was the last time you read an article about cops gone wrong where the names of the officers were not given?
Are you suggesting deathly fright cannot cause a heart attack absent plaque build-up?
Clearly you aren't a lawyer.
Under no possible interpretation of the statute could a wisecrack be considered evidence of such a charge - in fact it would tend to automatically exonerate her.
I sure wish I weighed only 150 pounds. I would be a whole lot healthier.
“You know what I always say?
“Only if you resist.””
Guess you have a different definition of stress. Getting beat up would be stressful to me.
If I ever have a heart attack, that's the kind I want -- where the doctors can wait until the next month to take care of it.
Doesn't mean he didn't have plaque build up.
Says you are from Indiana. If you are in Northern Indiana, then wouldn't that be a GOOD thing?
Can you point me to a peer-reviewed article containing a study which says it is impossible for a 150 lb man to have an arterial-plaque related heart attack?
That would be some fascinating reading.
“Doesn’t mean he didn’t have plaque build up.”
Guess that means its ok then right. Its ok for the cops to brandish their weapons, physically abuse people, and then leave them to live or die on their own.
I used to have mixed feelings on this type of thread, until recently I got a scanner and actually heard what cops 'put up' with constantly, day in, day out, 24/7. No amount of training can eliminate the erosion of "cool" most people demand of their police.
Are there bad or incompetent cops? Sure. But the overwhelming majority are professional and competent. The bad ones are eventually usually discovered and dealt with.
If you don't believe that, call your local gang-banger next time you need help.
One day these A**holes are gonna mess with someone who can fight back and doesn't give sh** about their guns.
stress-induced myocardial ischemia
yeah sure.......a month later?........and he had a bypass for it?
Nah....try some other schlep on someone else.
These cops will get screwed, the taxpayers will get screwed, and you guys will cheer.
Oh, I’m enjoying, I’m enjoying...
“Are there bad or incompetent cops? Sure. But the overwhelming majority are professional and competent. The bad ones are eventually usually discovered and dealt with.”
Why is it the cops aren’t dealing with these problem officers? Why does somebody always have to die first?
Police departments have been recruiting hot dogs for a while now. And thats what we have, folks who want the power and prestige. Folks who wanna play with automatic weapons and an APC.
Which means we are only getting one side of the story concocted by the plaintiff's lawyer, but that's not going to matter to the FR cop haters.
some people say the same thing about the military.
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