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 ...
His dad died and the guy called the police to tell them. That doesn’t sound like someone who is trying to leave the area. It sounds like someone who is grieving over his dad’s death.
They could have arrested him BEFORE the funeral or AFTER the funeral but it was more than just a little DUMB to try to arrest him DURING the funeral!
Are you a Barney, or just a mindless groupie? Your constant apologizing for such incredible behavior by the jackboots is creepy.
And we know ex-wives never lie. /s
After reneging on his previous promise to appear earlier. He should have been arrested the instant they saw his face.
Nothin to “get over”
So would you agree the officers that went to arrest him at least showed poor discretion, or none at all?
LOL!
Ya knows, ya just can't trust them criminals.
He barricaded himself in a house to evade the warrant days before the death.
some cops need a lesson in etiquette...hmmm Dear Abby..is it ok to disrupt a funeral or..
Maybe you can send the perp a letter of solidarity and visit him in the pokey.
There are a few posters on this thread who seem to want to erect him a statue.
maybe the cops reasonably thought they would lose sight of him and HAD to go on a grab him. in that case they might have been correct.
but they also could have been over zealous and totally jumped the gun. i've known cops who would do this. they would never take the suspects circumstances into account. that's too bad.
but all that being said, the suspect should not have lashed out.
So, they should have arrested him then! What genius figured out the ‘great idea’ of arresting him DURING the funeral?!
LOL!
Does anyone have a video of this event? If so, I'd pay good money to watch it!
I think the cops here are a riot!
Someone could have been killed with the fly away gun hitting the pavement.
I am as pro police officer as anyone but this bunch sounds like the keystone cops.
With a cavity search and a Black Sheriff.
As an observer, I would have died laughing.
Watch this make the talk show rounds. I can just hear Leno now.
I asked you a specific question. Are you a jackboot or just an Apologist?
But I'll play your childish game, and ask another question surely to garner another mindless response:
If the jackboots knew who he was, why didn't they simply stake out all exits of the cemetery, and if he didn't hold to his promise and tried to bolt after the funeral, then they could've tailed him and nailed him?
Which brings us to the question of their not holding their end of the bargain. Why did they bargain with the perp to begin with? Why did jackbooted thugs choose to destroy a sacred ritual for all the others in attendance? I suppose from this day forward you approve of the jackboots ruining any and all services (Mass, weddings, funerals, etc) for any reason, such as unpaid parking tickets?
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