Posted on 12/09/2005 12:28:29 PM PST by MRMEAN
..., it became increasingly apparent that the Maitland man killed by federal air marshals may have been fleeing in panic as he suffered the symptoms of bipolar disorder.
--SNIP--
A Miami-Dade police spokeswoman said Thursday that multiple witnesses reported that the 44-year-old was yelling that he had a bomb as he made his way down the aisle with a backpack slung across his chest. Later, the agency's chief of investigations insisted that Alpizar was yelling about a bomb but declined to say whether he was on the plane at the time.
Seven passengers interviewed by the Orlando Sentinel -- seated in both the front and rear of the main passenger cabin -- said Alpizar was silent as he ran past them on his way to the exit. One thought he had taken the wrong flight. Another thought he was going to throw up.
"I can tell you, he never said a thing in that airplane. He never called out he had a bomb," said Orlando architect Jorge A. Borrelli, who helped comfort Alpizar's wife after the gunfire. "He never said a word from the point he passed me at Row 9. . . . He did not say a word to anybody."
Two teens seated in Row 26 agreed. So did Jorge Figueroa, a power-plant operator from Lakeland seated a few rows behind first class.
"He wasn't saying anything; he was just running," Figueroa said. "I said to myself, 'It is probably a person who took the wrong plane.' "
What Alpizar's fellow passengers did hear were the desperate explanations from Buechner, Alpizar's wife, who at first seemed embarrassed by her husband's hasty exit. She started to follow him off the plane, saying, "He's sick. He needs to get off the plane," witnesses said.
(Excerpt) Read more at orlandosentinel.com ...
Actually, he was in the jetway; no unless you think any bomb he might have had would have been absolutely no threat to 120 passengers on the plane and God knows how many more at the gate where the jetway was docked, your argument is specious.
yea, thats the unfortunate reality of life these days, but its still really sad since he was mentally ill and still helping others, that struck me as a pretty impressive
The other lesson here is, if you can't trust yourself to behave rationally on an airplane, don't fly. Or fly sedated. Bomb or no bomb, people acting crazy on a plane can endanger everyone on the plane and anyone the plane might crash into.
For some folks who are on medication for various mental issues, even being on the meds is no guarantee of stability. Do we EXECUTE those who under some stress have a panic attack? Do we assume that all TSA inspected bags have a significant chance of having a BOMB in them. And what if someone speaking in a foreign language says a word that sounds like BOMB, do we execute them, too.
All of this high tension because some IDIOTS released a potential bomber. If they hadn't been so stupid, maybe this missionary would still be alive today.
I agree with Joseph20....he was told to stop..instead he starts reaching into his bag while continuing to run. Enough for me. He wasn't deaf, as that is not part of the bipolar illness.
Mr Mean. Bwahahahaha.
Bump.
Two; two is NOT several.
Were you there in the jetway?
If not, how do you know what happened or what was said?
I understand what you're saying, but its' foolish in all situations to assume that all bombers are exactly like what we have seen in the past, or that they're making 100% rational decisions.
susie
Luggage? Two pieces. And they were his.
Somehow, I think that if this had gone differently and the guy blew up the plane and the terminal, you'd be here carping about the sky marshalls not doing their job.
Not true; she was in the back of the plane when she said that to the OTHER passengers.
More people making up "facts" to suit their anti-everything agenda.
I agree it's a sad story. He sounds like a guy most of us would have liked to have as a friend. It's tragic that this happened. I blame the terrorists who have made us have to even think it might happen.
susie
You can't shoot someone just because they run from the cops. It comes down to whether the skycop thought he said he had a bomb, I think.
"...Seven passengers interviewed by the Orlando Sentinel -- seated in both the front and rear of the main passenger cabin -- said Alpizar was silent as he ran past them on his way to the exit. One thought he had taken the wrong flight. Another thought he was going to throw up..."
"..."I can tell you, he never said a thing in that airplane. He never called out he had a bomb," said Orlando architect Jorge A. Borrelli, who helped comfort Alpizar's wife after the gunfire. "He never said a word from the point he passed me at Row 9. . . . He did not say a word to anybody."
"...Two teens seated in Row 26 agreed. So did Jorge Figueroa, a power-plant operator from Lakeland seated a few rows behind first class.
"...He wasn't saying anything; he was just running," Figueroa said. "I said to myself, 'It is probably a person who took the wrong plane.' "
...
"...What Alpizar's fellow passengers did hear were the desperate explanations from Buechner, Alpizar's wife, who at first seemed embarrassed by her husband's hasty exit. She started to follow him off the plane, saying, "He's sick. He needs to get off the plane," witnesses said."
"...But she had forgotten her bag and turned back to retrieve it. That's when passengers heard yelling from the jetway.
BBC reported that the man was shot as he was 'reaching for his bag' after the chase had already been underway.
Luckily, the investigation will be carried out by people other than we armchair generals. My brother is a Chief of Detectives (ret.) from a major city's police force. He explained to me that witness statements rarely are in agreement, and therefore are used preferentially as a backup to more empirical evidence. When witness statements are used as the primary form of evidence, it's a safe bet that no one is 100% sure of the details.
Poor bugger picked a bad time to go off his meds.
What the heck are you babbling about?
Nevermind, I don't want to know.
The witnesses in First Class said he was confronted in their section and told to halt and lie on the floor; instead he turned and bolted out the jetway.
What was that passenger's name?
Got a link to the source that you can cite?
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