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Posted on 11/19/2008 12:57:40 PM PST by fishhound
WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) - A North Carolina sheriff's official has apologized for plunging a funeral into chaos when undercover agents tried to arrest the dead man's son—and used a Taser on him in the process.
It happened as the coffin was being loaded into a hearse. The officers planned to quietly arrest pallbearer Gladwyn Taft Russ III, The Star-News of Wilmington reported Wednesday.
Relatives said two deputies dressed in coats and ties grabbed Russ and kneed him in his back before Tasering him. One deputy's gun fell out of its holster.
Russ' sister, Taffy Gause, said when she got out of the car a deputy "was waving a gun at me and my mom and yelling to get back or he was going to shoot." She said some mourners went home instead of going to the cemetery.
Russ, 42, had failed to surrender after being charged with threatening his ex-wife who lives in another state, officials said. Following his father's death Nov. 11, Russ agreed to surrender after the funeral.
When deputies approached Russ during the Saturday funeral, he "went wild" and spat on the officers, said New Hanover County sheriff's chief deputy Ed McMahon.
McMahon said the officers should have waited until after the cemetery service.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
Are you his wannabe groupie?
Me too! I might not even attend if it isn't.
Don't give these idiots any ideas.
Some thoughts:
“Barricaded” can conjure up the image of a bug eyed loony hiding behind sandbags and boarded up windows, sometimes it is simply LEO speak for “they wouldn’t answer the door when we knocked”.
Timing: Don’t know the LEO motivation for doing this when they did. Maybe they thought it was the only time when they knew the when and where on this guy, BUT it was still a horrible idea to do it the way they did. Funerals are highly emotionally charged settings, grabbing someone at a funeral could have led to a violent response by the mourners.
UC officers: Undercover LEOs frequently dress like street thugs to blend in, it can be easy to mistake them for common criminals
These guys messed up big time. What they did was stupid and they endangered the lives of themselves, the suspect and everyone else at the service. This could have turned out a lot worse if someone thought they were robbers/gangbangers/murderers and picked up the dropped sidearm (time for weapons retention 101) and engaged the officers.
Don’t try this at home kids.
imo
“dressed in coats and ties”
Ok Missed that.
He’s gotta do something to pay the past due mortgage bills...
If you are, you haven't got what it takes and should leave the business for something else.
I hope you're not a perp.
You are one sick, racist puppy...
You don’t like Black cops?
ping
Honestly, he agreed to "surrender" after planting dear old dad. What is it with some of these LEO's?
They stuck on stupid?
I really do think I know the answer.
do you think that modern guns can actually go off if they hit the ground?
And before.
He’s envious of those big LEO billyclubs.
There is no denying those particular LEO's are disgraces to the uniform and galactically stupid.
They should have perp walked him as soon as they spotted him.
I don't like perverts. Sounds like you ought to go register yourself..
You can dream.
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