Posted on 12/13/2012 11:45:40 AM PST by servo1969
NEWTON, Mass. —
A local family says a language barrier may have resulted in police using a Taser on a woman after she tried to buy too many iPhones at a local mall. Police, however, say the incident isn't that clear cut.
Xiaojie Li, of Newton, said she is embarrassed by Monday's Pheasant Lane Mall in New Hampshire incident.
"So my mom says she don't know why they called the police, because she doesn't understand what they are talking about," her 12-year-old daughter Jiao Jay said.
Jay said her mother bought two iPhones last Friday, and was told that was the limit. When she took video of others she claimed were buying more, the store manager asked her to leave.
The confrontation involving the Taser happened when Li went to the store on Monday to pick up two iPhones she ordered online.
"The management of the store asked us to have her removed. The officer approached her, told her she wasn't welcome in the store, and she refused to leave," Nashua Police Capt. Bruce Hansen said.
Police say the store had issued a stay-away order against Li.
"Two days prior to that, she had been asked to leave the store by store personnel for doing something that they didn't want," Hansen said, referring to Li's photographing other customers in the store.
A video posted on YouTube shows Li and police officers on the floor outside the Apple store at the Nashua mall. The crackle of the Taser and Li's screams can be heard on the video.
"She was scared, she didn't understand," said John Hugo, who said he was Li's fiance'. "I was outraged. You go into a store, and you end up getting brutalized by the police."
Hansen said the woman had been resisting arrest for about 15 minutes before a second officer arrived at the scene.
"So then the police took my mom's phone and tried to take my mom's bag. And my mom tried to ask them why, and they just threw her to the ground," Jay said.
The 44-year-old mother of two was charged with trespassing and resisting arrest.
"My mom feel really upset with what they did," Jay said.
Nashua police see the situation differently.
"She wasn't mistreated in any way. If she left the store when she was told to leave the store, it would've been done at that. She was told she was under arrest after repeatedly being told to leave the store. She didn't submit to the arrest. The officer used the Taser on her to get her to submit to the arrest," Hansen said.
According to Nashua police policy, Tasers may be used "when the subject has signaled his/her intention to actively resist arrest in an aggressive, hostile manner or when a need arises to incapacitate a dangerous, combative, or high risk subject where other use of force techniques exposes the officer, the subject or the public to unnecessary danger, or when other force techniques have been or may be ineffective."
The policy continues, "The weapon is a level of force normally required to overcome passive, defensive, or offensive resistance that is intended as an act of overt aggression toward the officer where an individual refuses to comply with verbal instructions."
Li will be in court in January.
The store asked her to leave. She refused. The store called the cops so there is more time where she refused to leave before the cops arrived. The first cop is then on the scene and she resists arrest for 15 minutes. The second cop arrives and after even more time she was finally tased. Seems to me the cops were bending voer backwards for her. The judge should sentence her to the max jail time and then add another 5 years of not coming within a hundred yards of a cell phone.
A 100 pound 44 year old Chinese woman should be easily controlled with minimal arm twisting, until she is in cuffs. There should never be a need to taser her.
Was the cop was also a 100 pound woman?
“She was tasered for not following instructions,.... not buying IPhones. When you resist the cops, you get the cops. This is what they are for. If you are in my store and I want you to leave and you don’t, the cops will remove you.”
The question I have is, the article seemed to indicate that she had already paid for the iphone online, was she given the property she paid for? If not what is the procedure for obtaining that which you rightfully own?
“This is a principle that used to be respected, but today, everyone seems to have some sort of law degree that disagrees with that. Don’t argue with cops, argue with the judge in court. The cop will hurt you and he can’t judge the case on the spot.”
This I think is a bit unfortunate, I think there are many cases particular in the small towns where the on seen police officer should be able to make a judgement on the spot. Most crimes are generally obvious(Even if this one wasn’t), if the officer is wrong than you can still fall back on a trial with judge or jury. But given the great costs of a trail, we should desire to avoid that as much as possible.
Police officers should not be “dumb” force, they should have minds & judgement of their own to help resolve simple & obvious cases out of court.
“She should have just bought Samsung or went to another store with a straw buyer. Don’t resist arrest.”
Not being a Mac fan I can agree with that. ;)
A whole lot of talk and no action. Lots of hot air, but nothing of substance. Maybe it’s time everyone settles all of this once and for all and stops trash talking. All of you talk big words, but do nothing at all. You are a bunch of anonymous cowards hiding behind computer screens. If you’re not going to do anything, then be quiet.
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And if you don’t, MeneMeneTekelUpharsin is gonna post something really, really mean.
hard to have that knowledge since you have zero idea of what my family heritage is
and you can go be self righteous with someone else
so the lefties have finally convinced you that the police are the bad guys..... mores the shame
They’re not going to shop elsewhere for NH has no sales tax. Which is why the Massholes are there to begin with.
I RESEMBLE THAT REMARK! *chuckle*
There’s another reason some “Massholes” buy phones in NH. The drooling microcephalic slack-lipped mongoloid idiots in the state house passed a law that MA residents pay tax on the full MSRP of phones even if they’re discounted.
A friend of mine calls that “expanding our shopping radius.”
HTH, HAND,
Peet
This kind of thread, invariably, brings out reflexive responses from the cop-haters. You know the type: the ones who talk sh#t from afar! I was always told that you’ve got bring @$$ to whup @$$. Anyone dumb enough to resist a cop deserves their lumps. It ain’t like she was asserting her Constitutional rights! She was being a dumbass!
Is it true that others were buying more than 2 phones?
Based on the limited info in the article, I side with the woman picking up her online order of 2 phones.
The percentage of bad Cops is analogous to the percentage of bad Muslims. It is a safe bet that the cops were wrong.
Thug Nation getting carried away or what? the store doesn’t want the business.. maybe apple ought to drop their store..
btw,, why would anyone expect some police to be any different than union thugs considering the state of the nation as is, they are in unions too so.. sorry the lady learned a hard lesson. android would be a smart move for her.
(ducks and dons tazer proof mesh)
I don;t know what state you live in,, but the populace here is full of communication issues.. you work thru it and deal with it,, but tasering folks shopping, come on.. Welcome to FR, btw.
This is my local Apple store. They DO have a daily limit on purchases of popular items, and the staff does their best to enforce it. They don’t pay any attention to who the customer is or where he is from. Two phones per person per day, if stock is available.
They have to deal with “regulars” who come in nearly every day, buy the limit (usually for cash), and turn them over to an “organizer” outside the store. The staff doesn’t try to control what happens outside the store, but they are aware of it. At very busy times, they limit how many people come into the store at once. Sometimes the “regulars” get pretty obnoxious, trying to sneak in ahead of their turn.
I’m confused about the store. They don’t want to sell merchandise!?! Fine, I won’t buy any of the crap you’re selling.
I lurked for a long tie before joining.
The story doesn’t how long the woman has been in the states. She is 44 and has a name that sounds very Chinese but say it is anywhere in the Pacific Rim Asiatic states......It changes not my statement. It was nt the first time the woman had problems at the store. I have run into some immigrants (legal and illegal) who speak and understand English (may not be perfect but it is more than good enough to get by) but as soon as it suits them they feign ignorance...no comprende. Oh I don’t understand. The truth is that if the person is that non functional in the host countries language they need someone to go with them to the store. They also need to get enrolled in English language classes
Try any of this in France or Greece or Russia or China or Mexico....if you are in part of the country that does not speak your language it is darned easy to find someone else who will translate for you.
I am tired of having the US borders, language, and culture treated like trash just so we can be PC. Learn our language or leave. That is not an unreasonable request of those who come here and want to live here
There are certain towns in California where English is not spoken at all. No wonder VDH calls it Mexifornia. So enjoy yourself in your once golden state
Like most Apple stores, this one sells out of iPhones essentially every day.
Before they had the daily limit, the same group of “regulars” would be waiting every morning, and would buy all the iPhones/iPads as soon as the store doors opened. This would continue for months, until supply caught up with demand. Ordinary folks waited in the line outside for the mall to open, and found that the “regulars” were already lined up at the Apple store. Someone lets them into the mall early.
The per-person limit cramps their style somewhat, since they have to hire a bunch of associates to reserve phones and stand in line en mass. It makes it easier for regular folks to buy merchandise.
The staff in the store doesn’t care who buys the phones. They don’t make commission, and they can count on selling out every shipment that arrives. They DO have the normal, justified desire to minimize their interactions with obnoxious customers. This woman must have behaved pretty badly if they asked her to leave and not come back. I don’t know if this woman was one of the “regulars”, but the story indicates that it wasn’t her first visit to the store.
That’s the free market. F that store.
It's also UN BUDDHIST and Steve Jobs, in life, was a Buddhist ~ think he attended a dojo where I know some folks.
I suspect the problem isn't one of having stock on hand for 'murican customers ~ more like trying to enforce the sale to foreigners restriction ~ which is just a guideline ~ nothing you would be tazering a customer over.
We've had the top selling Apple store near here for years and they've never tazered anyone.
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