LaPorte County police fight man with sword

[Keyser Soze]

In reference to suicide, yes. Let them. Their choice, not yours. Once again, a classic sign of police, often being hyped up maniacs like the criminals themselves, wanting to control other's lives and be control freaks. Obviously, since we don't know what is best, we have to have someone else do it for us...

Even 1 hour is too long in my book. I hear of folks being pulled over and having to wait 45 minutes before they can go about their business due to "officer safety" being used for reason to disarm and hold citizens. Psych evals are an example of slippery slope government incrementalism. Don't like what I write on Facebook, mark me insane, haul me off, find me "crazy" by the "state", strip my rights. Don't like the words on the sign I am holding during a rally? Same SOP, strip me rights. Once again, it's power hungry police and bureaucracy that feeds a feeling of control in the individuals in government.

The circumstances your using are totally unrelated and really irrelevant to the circumstances in the article posted. OP knows this was good police work, your getting trolled. Article is about a person who may or may not be 10-96 lighting fires in his living room while wielding a sword. Smoke was seen from outside the residence. This was not a traffic stop. Nothing was posted on facebook.

Yea power hungry police. I show up to work every day hoping I get to kick in the door to a smoke filled house not knowing whats inside. I love going hands on with a guy holding a sword. Then I get to do a bunch of paper work for an immediate detention. My favorite part is the long drive to the hospital, the long check in process. Boy oh boy the power rush I get knowing someone is sitting in a hospital.

 

[jeremy]

The circumstances your using are totally unrelated and really irrelevant to the circumstances in the article posted. OP knows this was good police work, your getting trolled.

You just might need to re-read the OP post...

 

[col132]

I can't believe some of these idiotic responses. Let's see. Third party call of smoke in a house and a moron with a sword. Sounds rational, doesn't it? What the hell, everything looks all right, let's go get a cup.

Behavior of wielding a sword against armed cops is not normal. Maybe if someone would have spotted abnormal behavior a couple of weeks ago, we wouldn't have had that gutless slaughter in Arizona.

 

[Bill of Rights]

The problem here is that suicide is presently against the law and the officers are supposed to act in the best interest of what a "reasonable, prudent person" would be expected to want. The officer entered the home in the presence of a possible life threat. He found a man acting in a manner that is not only unlawful but also inconsistent with reason and prudence.

That they entered his home for that reason is praiseworthy; how many of you would run into a smoke-filled house? Those of you who are firefighters, how many would do so without bunker gear and a B.A.? Ok, now next question: How many would do so for someone you don't even know?

That they tasered him was acceptable and proper in light of their mandate. That does not in any way mean that I agree with the mandate or the actions; I think if he wants to off himself and burn his house to do it, that's his own choice.

Keyser, yes, immediate detentions may save lives, but they have the potential to destroy individual rights, and personally, I think that those should come first.

Blessings,
Bill

 

[TiminMishawaka]

The real question here is did they have to take the naked fat girlfriend off his back before tasing him?

 

[sparky241]

We're trying to save your life!! STOP RESISTING!!or we will gun you down


Basically the same scenario as this one.
64 year old man refuses trip to hospital, gets tasered.

fify

 

[Keyser Soze]

Keyser, yes, immediate detentions may save lives, but they have the potential to destroy individual rights, and personally, I think that those should come first.

Blessings,
Bill

Your right it does have the potential for abuse, and I am sure as long as its been around...I think sometime in the mid 80's? I am sure it has been abused. When used correctly it is an excellent tool.

 

[Disposable Heart]

The real question here is did they have to take the naked fat girlfriend off his back before tasing him?

Boom! Love inter-forum references!

 

[Eddie]

The circumstances your using are totally unrelated and really irrelevant to the circumstances in the article posted. OP knows this was good police work, your getting trolled. Article is about a person who may or may not be 10-96 lighting fires in his living room while wielding a sword. Smoke was seen from outside the residence. This was not a traffic stop. Nothing was posted on facebook.

Yea power hungry police. I show up to work every day hoping I get to kick in the door to a smoke filled house not knowing whats inside. I love going hands on with a guy holding a sword. Then I get to do a bunch of paper work for an immediate detention. My favorite part is the long drive to the hospital, the long check in process. Boy oh boy the power rush I get knowing someone is sitting in a hospital.

I think you are misstating the OP somewhat. The man was sitting on the couch with the sword in a sheath and covered by a blanket. The police removed the blanket and put their hands on him. Only after that did the sword come out of its sheath, at least according to the article. At that point he was tasered.

 

[sparky241]

Brilliant. Let him burn his house down, endangering other houses in the neighborhood, and commit suicide. I'm sure the police wouldn't catch any flack for failure to act.

Did you not read the part where this guy has mental issues? Here, maybe the actual law in cases like this will help you understand:

IC 12-26-4
Chapter 4. Immediate Detention
IC 12-26-4-1
Law enforcement officers; authority to apprehend, transport, and charge an individual with a mental illness
Sec. 1. A law enforcement officer, having reasonable grounds to believe that an individual has a mental illness, is dangerous, and is in immediate need of hospitalization and treatment, may do the following:
(1) Apprehend and transport the individual to the nearest appropriate facility. The individual may not be transported to a state institution.
(2) Charge the individual with an offense if applicable.
As added by P.L.2-1992, SEC.20. Amended by P.L.40-1994, SEC.55; P.L.99-2007, SEC.129.

where does it say he was trying to commit suicide? im not seeing it in the article

 

[nawainwright]

All right, I'm gonna have to back the Po-Po up on this one. Someone calls in a potential fire, police show up first, they see smoke coming out of the door when they arrive, they rush in (at potential peril to their lives), find the man sitting on the couch and he doesn't respond to "get out, there's a fire", he pulls a sword and begins threatening the officers....yeah your butt gets tazed.

This isn't an ego issue, this isn't someone getting beaten up for standing up for their rights, this isn't power-hungry JBT roaming the streets accosting people. This IS the police acting to save someone that, from all apparent evidences, was in mortal danger. He then proceeded to attack them.

+1 for the Po-Po

 

[Kirk Freeman]

1. How did a case this goofy not happen in Tippecanoe County?

2. I hope the dueling banjos CD was playing when the officers arrived, as state law requires.

YouTube - Deliverance - Banjo Duel

 

[Keyser Soze]

I think you are misstating the OP somewhat. The man was sitting on the couch with the sword in a sheath and covered by a blanket. The police removed the blanket and put their hands on him. Only after that did the sword come out of its sheath, at least according to the article. At that point he was tasered.

The fact that he had the sword contributed to the totality of circumstances when the immediate detention decision was made, or at least I think it did.

 

[ATOMonkey]

It's not the responsibility of the State to save people from themselves.

Running into a "burning building" is commendable. That's where it should have ended once they found out what was going on in there.

Good intentions, bad execution. They get a D- from me.

 

[jeremy]

I think you are misstating the OP somewhat. The man was sitting on the couch with the sword in a sheath and covered by a blanket. The police removed the blanket and put their hands on him. Only after that did the sword come out of its sheath, at least according to the article. At that point he was tasered.

That is the way I read it also...
Of course you have to take into account I am just a dumb mechanic who has no education in the Law...

The fact that he had the sword contributed to the totality of circumstances when the immediate detention decision was made, or at least I think it did.

Sooo...
Owning a Sword is grounds for detention...

 

[Eddie]

The fact that he had the sword contributed to the totality of circumstances when the immediate detention decision was made, or at least I think it did.

It did. I was just pointing out the difference between what you said he did and what the article in the OP said he did. It is probably irrelevant to an internet discussion but it is something that I see frequently in police reports; a slight shading of events to make things sound just a little worse than what they really are.

 

[Wabatuckian]

Did I call you? No?

Am I conscious? Yes?

Am I hurting anyone? No?

Go away. I don't need or want you here.

In my eyes, that should be the litmus test.

Josh

 

[machete]

Did I call you? No?

Am I conscious? Yes?

Am I hurting anyone? No?

Go away. I don't need or want you here.

In my eyes, that should be the litmus test.

Josh

something along these lines got the cops in trouble with obama when they went way over the line on his professor in boston...

 

[emst52]

I went to school with a kid who broke into someones house the home owner was actually home. Thhe home owner grabbed a sword and hit him right between the eyes
it left a nice deep gash. The mugdhot was on fox59s mugshot i found it kinda funny.

 

[Bill of Rights]

Did I call you? No?

Am I conscious? Yes?

Am I hurting anyone? No?

Go away. I don't need or want you here.

In my eyes, that should be the litmus test.

Josh

Possibly, Josh, but if in fact they woke him up and he came up swinging, especially swinging a sword, it's conceivable that he was not trying to commit suicide but might have been unaware of the smoke and possible hazard. Consider that if he was intoxicated (again, they didn't know at that point whether he was or not) and had dropped a lit smoke into a garbage can, he might have come out of this with nothing but gratitude for them doing what they did.

• Report of smoke in house
• Possible occupant inside
• Enter house, wake occupant

At this point is where it went sour. Had he simply been passed out drunk, he could have just been awakened and been led out. Instead, he came up with the drawn sword, which is not exactly reasonable or prudent. I can only guess, but I'd imagine the officers would have identified themselves and told him of the danger. If he disregarded that, they did what they had to do to comply with what's expected of them.

All that said, I think perhaps we, the people, need to change what is expected of them. I'm not sure how, because while I agree that it's within his rights to end his life if he so chooses and doesn't endanger others in the process, I also recognize that the cops don't have any way of knowing that that's his desire until they enter and determine his condition. I have to say (from personal experience) I have great difficulty leaving someone to die when I have the capability to do something to prevent it. I can, but it affects me badly when I do, despite it being their desire. It's just not how I'm wired.

Blessings,
Bill