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There are just too many signs of mental distress/impending physical activity for me to be willing to approach him very closely. The breathing, shoulder movement, the girlish throwing of (at the moment) relatively weapon-useless objects, and the pacing & head movements tell me this is a crisis about to happen. Besides, and this is important so pay attention, since he is not threatening me or mine or any other innocent it is not my duty/obligation to get involved with what I perceive to be a dangerous and easily escalated situation. If anything, becauseuse of my training and experience in working with mentally inpaired persons I would see my obligation/duty to keep all others -- like that crazy lady -- away from him until some assistance could be summoned. The airport employees (??) who wandered by also did not help and may in fact have worsened the situation by their crow/retreat behavior.
That does not mean that he ought to have been tazed once, let alone 4 times, for not immediately complying with whatever verbal or psychic commands the cops were giving while circling him like wolves closing in for the kill on a wounded/sick deer.
The open-handed - hands extended with fingers splayed apart - approah of one cop talking is a calm voice might have resolved the need for the use of force. Trapping him into a flight-or-fight response merely indicates a lack of training in dealing with mentally impaired persons. Most cop uniforms have common recognizable elements and cops can be seen as either good or bad guys based on the initial approach. Unfortunately, I saw no initial approach in this situation. All I saw a bunch of cops start circling some seriously distressed guy and then applying the second (or third - depending on how your department writes the force continuum) highest level of force.
My professional (and yes, I am one and certified by the highest court in my state to give opinions) opinion is that the cops caused the escalation of the situation and may in fact have been not negligent but malicious in their behavior.
stay safe.
skidmark
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