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Amtrak passengers subdue armed man
Trainorders.com ^
| 1/6/03
| MELISSA TRESNER
Posted on 01/07/2003 5:37:24 PM PST by Hermann the Cherusker
Amtrak passengers subdue armed man
By MELISSA TRESNER
BIG SANDY Passengers aboard an Amtrak train apparently took matters into their own hands Sunday when a man wielding a plastic knife threatened to kill them while screaming profanities against America.
"It could have been a lot worse. The passengers did a fantastic job of restraining him," said Big Sandy Police Chief Ronnie Norman.
According to arrest reports, passengers already had Gerardo Damien Bedia, 21, restrained in an upstairs compartment when Big Sandy Police Officer William Lakes arrived on the scene just before 8 p.m. Sunday.
Amtrak personnel had contacted the agency, reporting a problem with an intoxicated passenger.
Witnesses told police that Bedia, armed with a knife, made threats against other passengers and said that "all Americans will die."
Norman said the knife, described as a black all-plastic polymer folding knife, is typically used to defeat metal detectors.
He said police aren't sure where Bedia resides or where he boarded the train, but his destination was Chicago.
"We haven't been able to determine exactly where he's from. We know he's spent time in Pennsylvania," Norman said.
The chief said Bedia apparently is a U.S. citizen and had Army identification.
According to officer statements, Bedia was screaming "I'll kill you," as well as profanities. He spoke in English as well as Spanish and "some kind of Middle Eastern language," the report states.
Passengers and train personnel were visibly shaken but no one was injured in the incident, Norman said. He said the passengers should be commended for restraining the suspect and compared them to the United Flight 93 passengers, who attempted to overtake their hijackers on Sept. 11, 2001.
Reports show that Bedia repeatedly tried to kick the officer and take his weapon before being placed in custody and later told Lakes he would "die from a bullet to the head."
The train was delayed about 30 minutes while officers took witness statements and took Bedia into custody.
Bedia was transported to the Upshur County Jail where he remained on Monday, charged with making terroristic threats. His bond was set at $10,000.
Norman said case information was forwarded to the FBI for review and wasn't sure if Bedia would face other charges.
http://www.news-journal.com/
TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: amtrak; islam; knives; religionofpeace; security; terorrism; waronterror
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To: Rebelbase
....and don't call me Shirley
21
posted on
01/07/2003 6:26:15 PM PST
by
steveo
To: demnomo
Gosh, were any of the subduers white guys? According to that fat, sniveling, greedy, hypcritical fool Michael
Moore, only non-white guys are tough and willing to fight back. In London, over the holidays, Moore had the audacity to mock the victims of 9/11 who didn't overtake the hijackers of the first three planes. Moore said that because the victims were mostly white, they were obviously cowards. Of course, the stinky slob never mentioned the heroes of Flight 93 who were a definite mix of gender, races, etc. and led by a couple of WHITE GUYS because he was too busy being PC, SMUG and playing to his incredibly stupid fans who actually paid to listen to this sort of racist, intolerant, anti-American garbage.MAN, I wish that fat slob would show up in the local watering hole and spout off his tripe...
22
posted on
01/07/2003 6:26:28 PM PST
by
meyer
To: Hermann the Cherusker
"The passengers did a fantastic job of restraining him"Would read better as, "The passengers did a fantastic job of restraining killing him"
23
posted on
01/07/2003 6:37:51 PM PST
by
TomServo
To: steveo
Roger.
To: demnomo
Moore is a slobish dirt bag who can only dream of courage. The guy is a pig who's soul is empty and whose deepest love is for the next triple cheese burger. Homer Simpson is a God compared to Moore!
To: TaZ
I think we really need to have a national "dialogue" on the whole issue of bail bond. When an individual has clearly, in front of many witnesses, engaged in violent, threatening, illegal behavior, there is no reason whatsoever for ANY level of bond to be set. Bond is appropriate only when there is a realistic possibility that the individual in custody will ultimately be found to be neither guilty nor dangerously insane. I have a law degree, but don't remember the subject of bond EVER being covered in any class, so I'm actually not sure where the legal basis for the whole thing lies -- historic common law? state statutes? Anybody know?
To: Hermann the Cherusker
Stop immigration. Deport the illegals. End the H1-B visas. Have the US army guard the borders. Is that so hard to understand?
To: Hermann the Cherusker
He was demanding (in Arabic) that the engineer take the train to Cuba.
To: GovernmentShrinker
I have a law degree, ... Hope you didn't pay for it; if so, you were robbed.
Try the VIII Amendment.
29
posted on
01/07/2003 7:12:10 PM PST
by
brityank
To: brityank
"Excessive bail shall not be required" doesn't begin to address the question of when bail of any amount must be an option for the accused. I read it as meaning that when bail is set at all, it may not be set at levels that only the rich could come up with -- not as requiring bail setting as a matter of course. Obviously we have many cases where bail is denied completely on the basis that the accused is a "flight risk", even if the crime was non-violent (e.g. financial crime); it is also frequently denied for very violent criminals (but then again it often ISN'T). So I don't think the 8th Amendment accounts for the widespread practice of setting bail (often very low, as in this case) for people who are obviously guilty or dangerously insane.
To: brityank
Well, since this guy made terroristic threats and we are in a so-called declared war on terror, I would say he waived his Constitutional rights when he said that "all Americans will die."
And if he was a foreign national, green card or not, he never had any Constitutional protections anyway.
No bail for terrorists!
31
posted on
01/07/2003 7:41:05 PM PST
by
TaZ
To: TaZ
Well, since this guy made terroristic threats and we are in a so-called declared war on terror, I would say he waived his Constitutional rights when he said that "all Americans will die." Hey, it's Texas. Based on that and carrying the knife, couldn't some passenger have liberated him from his head, legally?
To: GovernmentShrinker; TaZ
Well, here's a start:
In medieval England, methods to insure the accused would appear for trial began as early as criminal trials themselves. Until the 13th century, however, the conditions under which a defendant could be detained before trial or released with guarantees that he would return were dictated by the local Sheriffs.x As the regional representative of the crown, the sheriff possessed sovereign authority to release or hold suspects. The sheriffs, in other words, could use any standard and weigh any factor in determining whether to admit a suspect to bail. This broad authority was not always judiciously administered. Some sheriffs exploited the bail system for their own gain. Accordingly, the absence of limits on the power of the sheriffs was stated as a major grievance leading to the Statute of Westminster.xi
The Statute of Westminster in 1275 eliminated the discretion of sheriffs with respect to which crimes would be bailable. Under the Statute, the bailable and non-bailable offenses were specifically listed.xii The sheriffs retained the authority to decide the amount of bail and to weigh all relevant factors to arrive at that amount. The Statute, however, was far from a universal right to bail. Not only were some offenses explicitly excluded from bail, but the statutes' restrictions were confined to the abuses of the sheriffs. The justices of the realm were exempt from its provisions.
History of Bail
Bail is to guarantee appearance in court, while granting latitude to provide for obtaining witnesses and testimony. There are a number of footnotes for you to pursue.
As for terrorist bail; cement shoes and a bucket in the Mariannas Fault, and they can work on their own bail. ;^)
33
posted on
01/07/2003 8:56:46 PM PST
by
brityank
(The more I learn about the Constitution, the more I realise this Government is UNconstitutional.)
To: Hermann the Cherusker
Stupid White Man would have just soiled his drawers.
34
posted on
01/07/2003 9:00:26 PM PST
by
js1138
To: Hermann the Cherusker
I would have attacked this SOB with everything I had. The only talk of bail would be for me.
35
posted on
01/07/2003 9:01:15 PM PST
by
Spruce
To: Hermann the Cherusker
Amtrak passengers subdue armed man
Gee, were they black?
36
posted on
01/07/2003 9:32:15 PM PST
by
mass55th
To: KSCITYBOY
Homer Simpson is a God compared to Moore!
Compared to Michael Moore, Bart Simpson is a god.
37
posted on
01/07/2003 9:39:51 PM PST
by
Xenalyte
To: Hermann the Cherusker
He was released on bail.
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