Posted on 12/08/2005 12:21:37 PM PST by Rennes Templar
A passenger on Flight 924 gives his account of the shooting and says Rigoberto Alpizar never claimed to have a bomb
By SIOBHAN MORRISSEY/MIAMI
At least one passenger aboard American Airlines Flight 924 maintains the federal air marshals were a little too quick on the draw when they shot and killed Rigoberto Alpizar as he frantically attempted to run off the airplane shortly before take-off.
"I don't think they needed to use deadly force with the guy," says John McAlhany, a 44-year-old construction worker from Sebastian, Fla. "He was getting off the plane." McAlhany also maintains that Alpizar never mentioned having a bomb.
"I never heard the word 'bomb' on the plane," McAlhany told TIME in a telephone interview. "I never heard the word bomb until the FBI asked me did you hear the word bomb. That is ridiculous." Even the authorities didn't come out and say bomb, McAlhany says. "They asked, 'Did you hear anything about the b-word?'" he says. "That's what they called it."
When the incident began McAlhany was in seat 24C, in the middle of the plane. "[Alpizar] was in the back," McAlhany says, "a few seats from the back bathroom. He sat down." Then, McAlhany says, "I heard an argument with his wife. He was saying 'I have to get off the plane.' She said, 'Calm down.'"
Alpizar took off running down the aisle, with his wife close behind him. "She was running behind him saying, 'He's sick. He's sick. He's ill. He's got a disorder," McAlhany recalls. "I don't know if she said bipolar disorder [as one witness has alleged]. She was trying to explain to the marshals that he was ill. He just wanted to get off the plane."
McAlhany described Alpizar as carrying a big backpack and wearing a fanny pack in front. He says it would have been impossible for Alpizar to lie flat on the floor of the plane, as marshals ordered him to do, with the fanny pack on. "You can't get on the ground with a fanny pack," he says. "You have to move it to the side."
By the time Alpizar made it to the front of the airplane, the crew had ordered the rest of the passengers to get down between the seats. "I didn't see him get shot," he says. "They kept telling me to get down. I heard about five shots."
McAlhany says he tried to see what was happening just in case he needed to take evasive action. "I wanted to make sure if anything was coming toward me and they were killing passengers I would have a chance to break somebody's neck," he says. "I was looking through the seats because I wanted to see what was coming.
"I was on the phone with my brother. Somebody came down the aisle and put a shotgun to the back of my head and said put your hands on the seat in front of you. I got my cell phone karate chopped out of my hand. Then I realized it was an official."
In the ensuing events, many of the passengers began crying in fear, he recalls. "They were pointing the guns directly at us instead of pointing them to the ground," he says "One little girl was crying. There was a lady crying all the way to the hotel."
McAlhany said he saw Alpizar before the flight and is absolutely stunned by what unfolded on the airplane. He says he saw Alpizar eating a sandwich in the boarding area before getting on the plane. He looked normal at that time, McAlhany says. He thinks the whole thing was a mistake: "I don't believe he should be dead right now."
Another hallmark of conservatism is the concept of "actions have consequences". We've ALL known for over 30 years that it's a bad idea to claim you have a bomb while on an airplane. We've known for the last 4 years that's it's REALLY stupid to run down the length of the airplane towards the cockpit waving your arms.
Imagine the "wait and see" standard being used on future hijackings. Well, I know he has a knife...but is he really going to use it?
LOL
Missing his meds once shouldn't have bothered him. This guy stopped taking them days ago.
OMG, he really has convinced himself he's a player!
Bogus if indeed his wife was attempting to explain his behavior was due to no meds.
May be he was running to get a balm out of his luggage.
"I HAVE A BONG."
I can see how it could be confused with "I Have a Bomb."
I smell a Cindy Sheehan-type story brewing. Undoubtedly, Greta Von Cistern will be all over this for months.
He does sort of resemble Arnold Broussard.
Maybe he'll get a crying gig on Meet The Press this Sunday.
Like a pair of real terrorists couldn't run the same scenario? And if the libs succeed in trashing the FAMs over this, you can bet that terrorists WILL use that scenario or something similar.
We all need to speak up on this right now.
But he knows that this guy definately did not say he had a bomb? This guy's testimony reeks.
"I'm going to see Rahm!" (Emmanuel)
I'm guessing most lawyers are going to steer clear of this one. I can't imagine it's going to be very easy to get a jury to decide that the air marshals were out of line, considering the extraordinary circumstances.
Sure sign of a liar when they start adding more and more details.
/s
I had read that a passenger sitting nearer to the couple had heard the wife trying to calm him down, saying things like "calm down", "help me out" and "we just have to get through customs".
Like you, I doubt that Tom, sitting so far away, heard anything.
He's apparently going to be the replacement for the retiring Mr. Greg Packer, All Around All Purpose Media Man-On-The-Street
He learned that from the democrats. Don't you know you are not supposed to remember what they said before, only what they said last?
And his choice of donating to a specific political party influences his testimony how again? I know this is going to come as a shock to the more ardent statists here (I wouldn't use the word conservative) but there is a possibility the agents of the state are wrong in this instance. I also realize this would seriously affect the world view of some of the more gung-ho Republicans amongst us but it is very possible
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