Quote :

"Undercover officers use Taser on pallbearer Posted: Today at 9:53 a.m. Updated: Today at 1:35 p.m. WILMINGTON, N.C. — 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. The incident happened as the coffin was being loaded into a hearse. The officers planned to quietly arrest Gladwyn Taft Russ III, who was serving as a pallbearer, 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 using the Taser on 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 turn himself in as promised after being charged with threatening his ex-wife who lives in another state, officials said. Officers tried to serve the warrant Nov. 8, but Russ barricaded himself in a house. Officers agreed to let him surrender after his 70-year-old father had surgery, but the elder Russ died Nov. 11 and his son called to say he would 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. "It was never my intention to create any more problems for the family, and I am truly sorry and apologize for that," he said. McMahon said the officers pointed Tasers at people because the crowd was moving toward them. Russ was charged with assault on a government official, resisting an officer, disorderly conduct and felony malicious conduct by a prisoner. "Everybody was so scared. We thought it was a drug deal gone bad," said Ronnie Simmons, a pallbearer and Russ' brother-in-law. "We almost dropped the casket.""

11/19/2008 3:06:33 PM

Niggas knew we came for murder, pulling up in a hearse !




also epic thread title fail

11/19/2008 3:09:23 PM

Quote :

"When being a cop steps acrossing the line .... "

11/19/2008 3:09:28 PM

i don't even know what this title was supposed to say

i hope it wasn't "when being a cop steps across the line"

11/19/2008 3:10:04 PM

how about a link?

11/19/2008 3:10:47 PM

Quote :

""Everybody was so scared. We thought it was a drug deal gone bad," said Ronnie Simmons, a pallbearer and Russ' brother-in-law."

Way to tell everybody that your bro-in-law is a drug dealer/user.

11/19/2008 3:11:06 PM

Quote :

"steps acrossing the line"

11/19/2008 3:11:06 PM

Being in Wilmington I'm surprised they didn't just kill him and his dog.

11/19/2008 3:11:22 PM

Hey look, New Hanover sheriff's deputies acting without thinking again.

[Edited on November 19, 2008 at 3:13 PM. Reason : .]

11/19/2008 3:11:41 PM

Quote :

"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."

reason enough to knee him and taser him. I don't feel bad for this guy. He already had a chance to turn himself in.

11/19/2008 3:11:55 PM

Quote :

"When being a cop steps acrossing the line .... "

11/19/2008 3:12:25 PM

lol @ 'pigkilla'

11/19/2008 3:12:48 PM

REMEMBER WHEN THE COPS TASERED GLADWYN TAFT RUSS III

11/19/2008 3:12:49 PM

Quote :

"said New Hanover County sheriff's chief deputy Ed McMahon."

11/19/2008 3:14:07 PM

http://www.wral.com/news/state/story/3988120/

11/19/2008 3:25:52 PM

11/19/2008 3:32:07 PM

When speaking the English becomesing too difficult.

11/19/2008 3:35:33 PM

don't taze me bro

11/19/2008 4:05:38 PM

The only person to blame is the criminal. If he didn't want cops at his Dad's funeral, he should have turned himself in like he promised.

11/19/2008 4:24:17 PM

Its not a matter of blame...its a matter of poor judgement on the part of law enforcement...hell, when the chief apologizes, you know they screwed up.

11/19/2008 4:26:55 PM

I think it was a good move. It's the one place they knew he'd be, and they could arrest him pretty much uninhibited. People apologize too easily for things now a days.

11/19/2008 4:28:14 PM

^^^,^

11/19/2008 4:28:48 PM

it's not that what happened was so bad, but there was clearly a better way to go about it

11/19/2008 4:29:26 PM

^^^its actually pretty rare for a police chief to issue such a blunt public apology for the actions of his officers w/o a formal investigation finding them at fault.

^exactly...

and you can't tell me that:

Quote :

"Officers tried to serve the warrant Nov. 8, but Russ barricaded himself in a house."

wouldn't have been a much better time to use force.

[Edited on November 19, 2008 at 4:32 PM. Reason : .]

11/19/2008 4:30:11 PM

I am here to express my confusion at the titling of this thread.

11/19/2008 4:32:54 PM

^and me both, buddy.

11/19/2008 4:34:31 PM

EVERY TIME NC IS ON THE NATIONAL NEWS....

11/19/2008 5:01:40 PM