Police Storm Wrong Apartment, Resident Dies of Heart Attack

WABC News NYC ^ | May 16, 2003 | Art McFarland

[Unknown Freeper]

(Harlem-WABC, May 16, 2003) — Police smashed down an apartment door and used a flash grenade in their search for a potentially dangerous suspect. But it was the wrong apartment, and the woman who lived inside is now dead after suffering a heart attack.

Police smashed down an apartment door and used a flash grenade in their search for a potentially dangerous suspect. But it was the wrong apartment, and the woman who lived inside is now dead after suffering a heart attack.

What happened at 310 W. 143rd Street was meant to be the end result of a drug investigation based on confidential information from a police informant. But it is now among the most tragic errors of the NYPD.

Lucille Ross, Building Resident: "She was such a lovely person. If something was to happen with her like this, I want to know why."

The search warrant was apparently issued for apartment 6F in the multi-unit building. It was the home of Alberta Spruill.

Today Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said it was based on what investigators thought was reliable information. But it all turned out to be a terrible mistake.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly: "Entry was made by officers from our Emergency Services Unit who used a flash grenade during that entry. Once inside the officers found the occupant, a 57-year-old woman, identified as Alberta Spruill. She was briefly handcuffed while police conducted a cursory search of the apartment. The patrol captain then entered, and saw that the apartment did not match the description given by the informant, and immediately ordered that the handcuffs be removed."

The commissioner said Ms. Spruill soon told officers she had a heart condition, and then complained of chest pains. EMS was called to the scene and administered aid. But Ms. Spruill died a short time later at Harlem Hospital.

Commissioner Ray Kelly: "On behalf of the entire New York City Police Department, I want to offer my condolences and sympathy to the family of Alberta Spruill. I also want to offer my apology. This is indeed a profound tragedy."

Calvin Alston, Building Resident: "We're all just devestated. Really devestated. Because this is a woman that got up and went to church every day ... went to work every day. And we're all just devestated that this would happen to someone like this."

Police Commissioner Kelly did say a "flash grenade" was used at apartment 6F before officers entered. It may be the use of that flash grenade broke procedure. The ESU lieutenant who used it is now on administrative leave pending the investigation. Those grenades have been used 85 times this year.

And NYPD tells us only four mistakes out of 1,900 search warrants have been made this year. The investigation of this tragedy continues.

[Amelia]

So the question is why aren't the teachers the lawyers the police officers or the judges homes doors busted down?

The question is, how do you know all these people are using drugs?

I'm sure there are some people in every profession who use drugs. In fact, there was an Army major arrested near where I live last year for selling drugs.

But I don't think MOST people in these professions use drugs.

[Timesink]

I'm sure they WILL settle out of court. No doubt about it.

Yep, and who ends up paying? The already-overburdened taxpayers of New York City. The cops involved probably won't even get one day's suspension. (And if they do it'll be with pay.)

My guess is these sorts of "mistakes" would drop by 95% within a day if a law was passed making the cops involved PERSONALLY financially liable for drug busts that storm a wrong/falsely accused address.

[A CA Guy]

There's nothing to buy. Dead is dead, but a person of normal health would survive.

They use that same think to break up some crowds that won't disperse and I don't think it is COMMON for all the crowds to hold their chests and drop dead as a regular thing or they would halt the use of that particular tool.

She obviously had some condition that caused her poor health before this.

You are right though and they should hold the illegal drug users and dealers in this instance up to charges of unintentional murder as well...good idea!

Could work before a jury as well, unless they do drugs of course!

[Wolfie]

You have to admire the machinations of capitalism. Viva le Free Market!

[daylate-dollarshort]

"If it keeps one joint out of a kid's mouth, her death was worth it.<'

To you maybe.....How about to the victim and her family?

[harrowup]

Legal drugs are approved and regulated for use of the ill.

Mood altering chemicals, including alcohol, are not all regulated for use by prescription.

Illegal drugs are used by the addicted for a cheap or expensive thrill in an otherwise pathetic life. They are unregulated and used by people out of control.

In the unlikely event you might be encouraged to learn some facts about addiction and the status of those so afflicted, I would be pleased to direct you to some educational information on the subject.

There is a difference.

No. Mood altering chemicals are generally addictive whether legal or not. The only difference is the classification.

Do you drink alcohol? Smoke cigarettes? Chew gum? If so, are you out of control?

The fact remains that an innocent lady is dead because some testosterone pumped rambo incompetents knocked a 57 year old lady around after blasting their way into her apartment....

Let me put it to you that even if her son was in the apartment and even if he was the one they were after, they don't need to knock down doors to get these guys off the street.

If they are on the street...a danger to society...find out which street...and let some 8 time DWI regular church goer have a brand shiny new police cruiser and let him loose on that street.

[Freedom2specul8]

terrible tragedy!

[A CA Guy]

Great spin, keep saying it and you might find another drunk falling out of the bar that might consider joining the local Libertarian party.

[A CA Guy]

"We had to destroy the village in order to save it." by ActionNewsBill

What village are you talking about? The ones the illegal drug users are called "The village of the dammed".

[daylate-dollarshort]

Oh I see....it's her fault! How dare she have a heart condition? I guess the cops did her a favor...after all now she won't have worry about her heart.

[TLBSHOW]

get your head out of the sand.

[SarahW]

The Senator was being sarcastic.

[Joe Hadenuf]

No spin to it......It's the absolute truth.....Oh, and I am not talking about your green cop, 6 months out of the academy. I am talking about seasoned LEOS that know what they hell they are talking about.....

[supercat]

You take the laws of the land that have been voted in by our representatives in this Democratic Republic and have them accountable by enforcement of those laws. Why? You weren't going to just go out there and just take them out on your own were you? That is against many similar type laws of the land as well. Leave it to the professionals.

Isn't that what the government is already doing? Given that the current strategy doesn't seem to work, how would you suggest changing it?

[SarahW]

He was being sarcastic.

[A CA Guy]

Between this and the guys you know who slap their wives, you don't hang out with good people, do you? LOL

[A CA Guy]

think = thing in that one

[FreeLibertarian]

The War On Drugs is a War on the American People. It is a counterproductive waste of public money and it is destroying America and our Rights. The people who are most interested in keeping the War On Drugs alive are those who profit from it. Legalizing Marijuanna or any of the stuff Congress likes to call &quot;controlled substances,&quot; would eliminate the multibillion dollar profits and quickly reduce the market size. Users would be buying in licensed government stores, with the profits and taxes going into rehabilitation programs. Even worse for the drug barons, the glamour of doing somethin illegal would be gone for the teenagers, and there would be no reason left for the drug gangs to hire them to push the stuff in school yards and keep the list of customers multiplying. No more knife fights and gun battles for market territory. No more no-knock raids on innocent people. No more confiscated property. Legalizing and licensing knocks out the profits. Congress critters who support the War On Drugs are doing so for one reason only, they have a lobbiest funded by a drug baron slipping large quantities of cash into their pockets to keep the drug profits flowing.

[supercat]

They use that same think to break up some crowds that won't disperse and I don't think it is COMMON for all the crowds to hold their chests and drop dead as a regular thing or they would halt the use of that particular tool.

When the police use any sort of area-denial weapon on a crowd, they generally assess the crowd so as to figure out how to deploy the weapon with minimal serious injury. When the police throw a concussion grenade into a dwelling as part of a raid, no such consideration is given. Rather, it's just a matter of luck whether anyone happens to be within maiming or killing range.

[PatrioticAmerican]

"drug investigation"

WOD, kills again. Cops out of control.