digg

Join DiggAbout

Digg Townhall now online!
Check out the latest Digg Townhall, where Kevin and Jay answered the top questions from the Digg Community!

"The Cuffs Ended Up Around Her Neck" -- Woman Arrested at Airport Dies

news.yahoo.com — A 45 year old NY woman was arrested after becoming irate at the gate, placed in handcuffs and put in a holding cell. She was later found dead in her cell. "...Gotbaum may have tried to get out of her handcuffs, became tangled in the process and the cuffs ended up around her neck." [seriously, can anyone explain how this would be possible?]

show profanity settings
expand all
  • EntropyMan, on 10/10/2007, -15/+100BTW, it was a toss up between going with 'world news' and 'political news.' I went with the latter because the issue of potential police brutality or negligence is highly political. World News would seem to be news of importance to the world, or at least international in nature. Offbeat news would seem to demean her death. Do we need another 'news' category?
    • art42, on 10/10/2007, -26/+9Should be in politics: the 911 mongers created a climate of fear and suspicion that is partially responsible.

      FYI: This article doesn't mention several "facts" that are mentioned in others.
      She was cuffed with hands behind her back. She "choked" attempting to get the cuffs from behind to front.
      Other articles are on digg.
      • noumuon, on 10/10/2007, -1/+27"She "choked" attempting to get the cuffs from behind to front." what? how is that even possible?
        • Pake, on 10/10/2007, -2/+16I question that also, because getting the cuffs from the back to the front just requires getting your ass between your arms.
        • gquaglia, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4It most certainly is and I've seen it done.
          • Salzar, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Ya but going around the head takes some awesome shoulders. How the hell she choke? Why was she so irate she got rebooked?
        • mrurc, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Getting your ass between your arms is conducive to asphyxiation, not choking. You can not get cuffs over your head if they are behing your back unless you have different bones that the rest of us.
    • Ajajadude, on 10/10/2007, -26/+59I fail to see what this has to do with police brutality. The woman was obviously going crazy and choked herself to death trying to get out of her cuffs.
      I'd be interested to see if she was on anything.
      • garbanzo, on 10/10/2007, -12/+24I'd have to agree that it doesn't sound like brutality to me. Negligence, probably but not brutality.
        • ryodoan, on 10/10/2007, -15/+6Is not negligence a form of brutality?
          • actorboy, on 10/10/2007, -2/+24Are not straws meant to be grasped at.
          • perogi21, on 10/10/2007, -5/+6Correct, negligence is not a form of brutality.
            brutality:
            1. the quality of being brutal; cruelty; savagery.
            2. a brutal act or practice.

            Negligence:
            3. Law. the failure to exercise that degree of care that, in the circumstances, the law requires for the protection of other persons or those interests of other persons that may be injuriously affected by the want of such care.
          • GeneralFault, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Perhaps a better description would be that negligence is not a form of brutality, but can be an instrument of brutality.
        • mrurc, on 10/10/2007, -6/+6Because the cover story is not believable. If the cover story is false, then it is to hide police brutality. That is why we are discussing brutality.
      • WiseWeasel, on 10/10/2007, -8/+32That's assuming the official story is true, and some cop didn't just choke the woman... Just throwing out the possibility...
        • imperium2000, on 10/10/2007, -20/+11That's assuming you're not a pedophile child molester...Just throwing out the possibility...

          See? I can make absurd claims without any evidence as well. Wait for the investigation without pre-judgment or biases or it is called BIGOTRY.
        • mrurc, on 10/10/2007, -1/+9No, actually, the story that we have been given sounds impossible; that is why we have to consider whether or not an officer might have choked her. On the other hand, you are calling people bigoted who are presenting ideas as possibilities, which is bigoted of you. For which, I will not throw out the possibility that you are in the KKK. I also think that we should wait for more information but that does not preclude presenting possible scenarios that we might want to look into when more information is available.
        • Ajajadude, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2If that's the case, they'll have to get the coroner and anyone who sees the body in on it. Then you're talking conspiracy.
        • imperium2000, on 10/10/2007, -6/+5Putting forth plausible questions to an incident is one thing but blatantly taking sides just because the police are involved is BIGOTRY.

          Being in the KKK is a problem...I'm not Christian or white.
      • mikelieman, on 10/10/2007, -1/+17I'd like to see the videotape of the detention. IIRC, the TSA was REALLY QUICK about releasing video when they wanted to spin that mopping up the floor fiasco a few months ago. Where's the video?

        That would tell us if some idiot tried to put on a choke hold, and snapped her neck.

        ( Which, given the strict rules for prisoners in custody, seems to be the most likely scenario. )

        Again, the airports are full of video cameras. Where's the video of this incident?

      • martalli, on 10/10/2007, -4/+5I honestly have to agree. So many people feel like they can fly off the handle and go into rages, but then people are shocked when the police don't take them down with pillows. In this case, it would sound like once they had her under control, she was still so enraged that she managed to strangle herself. What was getting out of her cuffs going to accomplish when she was already in a holding cell?

        Let the conspiracy theorists chatter...they may be right once in a while. However, either the number of people going into rages is up, or the public shock that the police respond has gone up. This is hardly a "9/11 has taken away our liberties" issue. A woman going into a rage and threatening people at an airport would have been detained in 1987...
      • danth, on 10/10/2007, -5/+6Here's my question: Since when can you get arrested for being angry?
        • nepawoods, on 10/10/2007, -1/+6Was she? No. She was arrested for her actions, not for how she felt.
      • caferrell, on 10/23/2007, -1/+5Why is it obvious that "the woman was going crazy"?
        It certainly is not obvious to me, in fact although I believe that it is very likely that she was loud and rude, that does not warrant the SS style take down and cuffing of a 45 year old American woman for God's sake! Listen to yourselves, listen, read these postings! Most of you are responding as you have been trained you are responding like the docile proles in a police state.
        In America, when it was a free country, there would have been no possibility that something like this would happen. Impossible, and if it did the ***** police would be going to the Big House for a long time.
        There is no excuse, in a free country this can't happen. You don't handcuff and jail (with handcuffs on) a 45 year old woman because she is justifiably pissed off.
        You're all ***** sheep.
    • vault, on 10/10/2007, -6/+3It is moreso political news than world news.
    • DivisibleByZero, on 10/10/2007, -18/+32"Idiot dies while attempting to escape from jail" doesn't really sound like police negligence to me. I would have gone with Offbeat News.
    • DocHoliday22, on 10/10/2007, -2/+21Anyone want to take a shot at explaining how it happened?
      • TrutherHunter, on 10/10/2007, -20/+3your hands are behind your back instead of tucking her knees under her chin and pull her arms forward under her butt she when up and got the cuffs over her head and her arms could not go up an more or get the cuffs back over her head so she chocked to death.
        • MerryMortician, on 10/10/2007, -2/+20wow.. trying to picture what the ***** you are saying there... i dunno.. maybe your arms bend the other way than the rest of ours.. but that would explain the first ever death by...um.. "chocking"
        • mrASSMAN, on 10/10/2007, -2/+10That's what I thought.. but it would be impossible to do unless she dislocated her shoulders maybe..
          • martalli, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Highly unlikely in this case, but some people are in fact born without collarbones (Sprengel's deformity).
      • whataboutdave, on 10/10/2007, -10/+3Who said her hands were cuffed behind her back?
        • bingobongony, on 10/10/2007, -3/+7Logic and common sense.
        • EnricoSuarve, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2The policeman questioned http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/09/29/2007-09 ... "[She] had possibly tried to manipulate the handcuffs from behind her to the front, got tangled up in the process and they ended up around her neck,"
        • nepawoods, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2"Who said her hands were cuffed behind her back?"

          Excellent question. Maybe they were cuffed in front of her, and she was trying to get them behind her back.
      • BestJaxx, on 10/10/2007, -11/+5Can anyone say "Police Brutality?"
      • imperium2000, on 10/10/2007, -3/+18The most likely scenario is that she had both arms cuffed to a bed. All she needed was to partially fall off and she could easily get into a position where she could choke herself or cut off blood supply to her brain.

        This is known to happen to psychiatric patients in leather restraints where they struggle or twist themselves to a way that their shoulders cut off blood circulation to their brains(to martial arts fans: Read Naked chokes or Triangle chokes work on this premise). Usually this happens when they partially fall off the bed and the restraints hold their arms in place.
        • alexforcefive, on 10/10/2007, -1/+9That would help the story make sense, although there wasn't any mention of her being cuffed to the bed and it says she was strangled by the cuffs, not her own arm
        • kingsaliva, on 10/10/2007, -3/+8Beds in Airport detention cells? Did you read the article?
        • Ajajadude, on 10/10/2007, -0/+8@kingsaliva
          How many airport cells have you been in?
        • derek20cali, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2Hot.
    • bingobongony, on 10/10/2007, -12/+7You CLAIMING it is police brutality does not make it so, EntropyAss. Thje article doesn't suggest it at all.
      Just because you are too dumb to understand how it could happen does not make it impossible
      • BestJaxx, on 10/10/2007, -5/+1It is next to impossible for her to have strangled herself with her handcuffs. Sure it is possible, but if she could get the chain over her head in the first place, than she could definitely be able to hold it away from her neck. Police brutality wasn't mentioned in the article because the newspaper probably doesn't want a lawsuit.
        You CLAIMING it isn't police brutality does not make it so, bingobongony. The article doesn't suggest it isn't at all.
        Just because you are too dumb to undestand how it could happen doesn't make it impossible.
      • EntropyMan, on 10/10/2007, -5/+8Wow. How stupid can you be, Bingo? I said POTENTIAL police brutality. I didn't CLAIM anything. And if you think you know how it could have happened, please enlighten the rest of us. I simply asked the question, as even with my hands behind my back, I can't manage to get imagined cuffs around the front of my neck to choke.

        Do tell. Better yet, go try it at home and let me know if you succeed.
        /kidding, of course...
    • BestJaxx, on 10/10/2007, -5/+4I'm gonna take the risk by saying it. "Pics or didn't happen." I want to see that her arms were actually in the position that they forced the cuffs against her neck, therefore breaking her esophagus, because if her arms weren't in that forced position, than there is no chance that she actually strangled herself trying to free herself from the handcuffs.
      • imperium2000, on 10/10/2007, -1/+6Do you know how easy it is to cut off all circulation to someone's brain with a simple rear naked chock or triangle choke?

        You don't need to break someone's esophagus to choke someone. The most common ways people die from strangulation/hanging is via cutting off the blood supply to the brain or breaking their necks.
    • fixedcoma, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2new data:
      http://enews.earthlink.net/article/nat?guid=200710 ...
  • sjl127, on 10/10/2007, -28/+100It's impossible for someone to choke themselves with their handcuffs around their neck, as police always place them behind ones back. Someone's lying.
    • whataboutdave, on 10/10/2007, -7/+67Cuffs don't ALWAYS go behind the back. Cops frequently make exceptions for people who need to sit for a while, have an injury or disability of some kind, women, etc.
      • fridx, on 10/10/2007, -3/+76"injury or disability of some kind, women, etc." I may be taking this out of context, but it made me laugh
      • mrurc, on 10/10/2007, -9/+6Yeah, you know, women are prone to hurting themselves just by sitting around with their arms behind their back. Being female is not an injury or disability. Sheesh.
    • Ajajadude, on 10/10/2007, -9/+26Well, if she was twisting around and acting crazy like she was in the gate area, then I can see how someone can get themselves all twisted up.
      Is it impossible because you've never had it happen to you before? Or has it been scientifically proven time-and-time again?
      • daEvan, on 10/10/2007, -5/+2So you've choked yourself with handcuffs on your wrists before?
        • Ajajadude, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3Yup, plenty of times.
          I'm not making assumptions. Seeing as handcuffs aren't put on me on a regular basis and I don't use them at my job, I have very little experience with them just like everyone else here jumping on the "police brutality!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" bandwagon.
      • imperium2000, on 10/10/2007, -3/+3It is more likely, she was handcuffed to a bed or similar structure. This is known to happen to psychiatric patients in restraints.
      • nepawoods, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2"... then I can see how someone can get themselves all twisted up."

        If you can see how, why not explain. Just try putting your hands behind your back. Let your forefingers touch. Your wrists will be much freer relative to each other than if you were cuffed. Now maneuver your arms in such a way (keeping fingers touching) that something between your wrists might end up around your neck.
    • BelXul, on 10/10/2007, -1/+40Wouldn't it be easier to tuck your knees under your chin and pull your arms forward under your butt?
      • cerealjynx, on 10/10/2007, -2/+14yes.
      • YZBot, on 10/10/2007, -10/+3Actually, it's very hard to get your hands under you butt while in cuffs. Unless you are a freak and have arms that are longer than normal, it's rather difficult.
      • saltshaker2323, on 10/10/2007, -0/+26.....am I the only one who just tried to do this?
        • YZBot, on 10/10/2007, -1/+14What did you discover?
          • saltshaker2323, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3i definitely had some issues doing it...maybe i just have short arms.
        • noumuon, on 10/10/2007, -3/+11i tried, and it's pretty easy...
          • nepawoods, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1How long was the chain on the cuffs? Were these regulation size?
    • sockpuppets, on 10/10/2007, -11/+29I typically handcuff women to my bed. I find it more effective that way.
      • TotalHalibut, on 10/10/2007, -4/+15Or you would, if they would go within 20 feet of you.
      • sockpuppets, on 10/10/2007, -2/+15A restraining order is just another way of showing you love me.
    • noumuon, on 10/10/2007, -6/+9it's impossible. place your hands at the small of your back and while keeping your fingers touching, try to bring them up over your head. it can't be done, and if the cuffs were in the front, how can you get them around your neck in which you couldn't undo it?
      • TotalHalibut, on 10/10/2007, -2/+10Err yes, it can, I can do it for one. Anyone that's double-jointed in their upper-arms or can dislocate either of their shoulders at will can do it. It's rare, but yes, it can be done.
        • noumuon, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3i guess it can be done if you have hypermobility in your arms : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGOTf3Xl6Qs
          • TotalHalibut, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Correct, though that guy is a skinny bastard with abnormally long arms so he can do things that we other double-jointed folks can't. The whole bringing the arms over the head thing is easy, freaks people out (Because there is always a cracking sound) and is a great party trick.
      • mike17032, on 10/10/2007, -5/+6Yes, it definatly can be done. Just because you cant doesnt mean some people can. Women espically tend to be more flexible.
      • imperium2000, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2It is more likely she was handcuffed to something else or she twisted her arms over her head. If she gets one shoulder over the side of her head while the other shoulder was stuck, it could cut off blood to the brain.
    • grbruner, on 10/10/2007, -2/+0I can get handcuffs from my back to my front by moving my hands under my legs and around to the front. From there you just have to be crazy to kill yourself with them.
    • master2828, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2I am a security guard and there is maybe 1.5 inches between the two cuffs. I couldn't strangle myself with them if I tried. Although a seriously agitated person can twist an contort themselves in very painful and unimaginable positions. This is why you always supervise a person in restraints
  • Groovemaster, on 10/10/2007, -29/+107"She was very agitated and irate and angry," Hill said. "These are the things that led to the disorderly conduct arrest."

    "Yeah, that's it see... She strangled HERSELF. That's EXACTLY how it happened. Nothing we could do to stop her... A real tragedy... You, uh... do believe me, don'cha?", he continued, glancing around sheepishly while mopping sweat from his brow.
    • DocHoliday22, on 10/10/2007, -10/+15Events like this really make me think we should sort out our own country before we start with anyone elses.
      • xerexes1, on 10/10/2007, -4/+10Really? This is the event that causes you to question the status quo?
        • Groovemaster, on 10/10/2007, -2/+5He said "Events like this...", not "This event..."

          Reading can be easy if you're willing to try.
    • yfguitarist, on 10/10/2007, -12/+17I'm sorry but you people are idiots if you think she was strangled to death because she wouldn't cooperate.
      • WiseWeasel, on 10/10/2007, -9/+14No, you're stupid if you DON'T question some extraordinary claim like this...
    • fixedcoma, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2civilians 0 cops 10
  • ozjonesjr, on 10/10/2007, -26/+35Is it just me or is customer service completely non-existent in the airline industry? They could have let her on the plane. It was still at the gate. I travel a lot and I get the distince impression that a lof of the airline employees actually WANT to make issues out of innocent situations with passengers because they know they have the power.
    • Ajajadude, on 10/10/2007, -6/+12Yeah, well, try working in customer service for a few months then you'll realize why people in that field don't feel the need to actually do anything for you, let alone go out of their way to help you out. The airline industry is probably a million times worse.
      I think it's standard policy to not let people on the plane once the doors of the plane and the doors to the rampway are closed.
      • lirem, on 10/10/2007, -8/+1Eh just you mate.
      • mrurc, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1It probably is standard policy. However, the people at the counter have the authority to override this and have the doors reopened. I have been let onto a plane after the doors were closed. Had I not been left on the plane, I would have missed my connection in the next town and at that town the next flight that I could get on to my destination would be the following day. The airport at my final destination closed at midnight, so if I did not make the last flight out of that airport I would have been stuck overnight in a random city without my luggage. I told the girl at the counter that I could not possibly get to my destination if I didn't get on the flight and I might as well just go home and come back the next day; my only other option was to sleep in the Dallas Airport. She was quickly able to verify that I would miss the last plane out at my connection and had the doors reopened.
        • Fenchurch72, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Get to the airport on time. Your failure to properly plan is not someone else's problem. Plan for traffic, weather, security lines, etc.
    • shupy, on 10/10/2007, -2/+23The doors don't have to be closed or the rampway closed. I was not allowed to board a flight, the plane was at the gate and doors open still, but they told me boarding was over. I stood there and watched them close the doors and I was really pissed. And I wrote a lot of letters. A later flight could mean 8 to 10 hours later. I've spent way to many hours in airports and I have to say I am very sympathetic to this lady.
      Traveling has become a nightmare in this country. And we aren't any more secure because of it. At a minimum this is extreme negligence.
      • shark615, on 10/10/2007, -11/+8Simple solution here mate...

        DONT BE ***** LATE YOU IDIOT.
        • ozjonesjr, on 10/10/2007, -4/+2Ignorant comment...mate.
        • mrurc, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3Yeah! You can get there on time! You don't need to compensate for a 2 hour security line where they let people skip to make their close flights but didn't let you do the same under the same circumstances!
      • perogi21, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5What happened when you wrote the letters?
        • Ajajadude, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6They laughed while lighting them on fire.
    • trypto, on 10/10/2007, -5/+16She was late for her flight. It was her fault, not the airline's. Why delay the departure of the flight and inconvenience everyone onboard because of one person's negligence? And the way she reacted was uncalled for, show some civility and class.
      • mikelieman, on 10/10/2007, -4/+10Actually, without the TSA, she would have been early.

        Anyone sane actually believe the TSA provides any benefit? It's not like the PASSENGERS would ever allow a plane to be hijacked again, so I don't see the point of wasting that money attempting to secure an attack vector which is already useless.

        • Ajajadude, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5Which is why they're concerned that people will bring explosives on board to just blow the plane up.
          Even prior to 9/11, I would always get to the airport far earlier than necessary...just in case. You never know what's going to happen with traffic, parking situations, security, etc. Anyone who's late to catch a plane has no one to blame but themselves. Unless they've been living under a rock for the past 6 years, they should know how hard it is to jump through the hoops of security and the baggage check counter.
      • sinrtb, on 10/10/2007, -2/+6I am pretty sure she learned her lesson, I am positive she will never be late for another flight again.
        • Observant1, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1buried for sick humor, they murdered her for being late and getting irate.
      • mrurc, on 10/10/2007, -3/+6You also don't know if it was a connecting flight, so you don't know if she was late to the gate because her previous flight was late. If her previous flight was late, was that her fault? I bet you are going to fault her for being addicted breathing now. I mean, if she wasn't so addicted to oxygen, it wouldn't matter if she choked!

        How about you show some civility and class? Oh yeah. That's only for people other than yourself.
    • Brian48216, on 10/10/2007, -6/+14Your ass is late, you don't get on the plane. It's as simple as that. Be an adult and learn not to be late again. If you ever work customer service long enough to see the bitchy customers, the last thing you feel is sympathy for them and if anything, you gain a certain satisfaction of watching the person get angry. The cherry on top is calling security to haul their short tempered ass away.
      • siestaguy, on 10/10/2007, -4/+6***** - it is not always the passenger's fault... I had a similar situation where my wife and I had to run to after disembarking one flight (that arrived late) to catch our connecting flight and the United Airlines asshats at the Dallas airport would not let us on the connecting flight. We watched as it sat there for 30 minutes before pushing back and we were late for a friend's wedding because of this. I think what causes the airline assholes to behave like this is because an on time departure is determined by when the door closes, not when the wheels leave the ground.
        • Ajajadude, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Which is why I avoid connecting flights at all costs. And if I must get a connecting flight, I try to find one that leaves a lot of extra time in between in case there are problems and delays. So, yeah, in a sense, you're still at fault if you don't give yourself that extra time either for connections or for getting to the airport on time for your flight in general.
      • perogi21, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5Except when you are late because the flight was late leaving and some asshats don't understand the flight attendant stating "If you don't have an immediate connection, please stay in your seats and let a dozen of your fellow passengers who have 5 minutes to run to a gate that is 10 minutes away" and still getting up out of their seats and blocking the exit.
      • ozjonesjr, on 10/10/2007, -4/+2Thank you for making my point 'Brian'. "if anything, you gain a certain satisfaction of watching the person get angry. The cherry on top is calling security to haul their short tempered ass away." Exactly why people like you shouldn't work in customer service.
        • Ajajadude, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3And that's exactly why someone like you shouldn't ever be a customer. Sorry, but people get paid ***** to work customer service and on top of that get treated like ***** as if it's their fault people in this world are completely retarded when it comes to common sense.
          Having worked in customer service, I'm nothing but patient and understanding. Guess what? That attitude gets me excellent customer service. Treat others how you'd like to be treated, and you'll be amazed how much it'll get you.
        • SpudgeBoy, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1"Treat others how you'd like to be treated, and you'll be amazed how much it'll get you."

          Well, considering she ended up dead, I am going to go with she wasn't treat how she would like others to treat her. She probably preferred being alive.
    • DogHumpsMonkey, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7It's not because they have power or want to feel important, it's that they hate their customers. No matter how nice they try to be, there are always people that are rude and nasty to them looking to vent their customer service frustrations. After a while they just hate them all sitting there eight hours a day stewing on it. Soon as they get the smallest excuse, they will exact a toll. That's why you have to be nice to these *****, no matter how pissed and frustrated you are. You might feel better about yelling at the counter monkey, but then the counter monkey goes into the kitchen and wipes his ass with your burger bun. At the airport, it would seem they'll have you killed! They have the upper hand. I remember a blog post where some dick bragged about how he showed the TSA what's what. I wonder if it was worth the cavity search... Yeah, don't go out to dinner with that guy.
    • zandernat, on 10/10/2007, -8/+5It would seem that the poor woman got more "customer service" than was necessary, to say the very least. Is that all you can think about? The woman was murdered M-U_R_D-E-R-E-D
  • phenry50BMG, on 10/10/2007, -29/+22Riiiiiiiiigggghhhhhhhttttt. She strangled herself. If you buy that, I've got some great waterfront property in Death Valley you might also be interested in.
    • Nudar, on 10/10/2007, -3/+4Wait a few more years and that Death Valley waterfront property may be a reality.
  • razishaban, on 10/10/2007, -27/+125Don't cuff me bro!
    • look4alec, on 10/10/2007, -6/+12Don't strangle me bro!
    • Roagie, on 10/10/2007, -2/+10I hate internet fads. The people 'in on it' feel so clever and like members of the cool club.
      • mrFREEZE, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2BAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWW.
      • razishaban, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1cool club called digg
      • Br0wn, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5Dude not even doom music could've made me digg up your comment. With that said I don't trust this article so pics or it didn't happen and if the lady was hot I'd hit it. So do some more research on the Google and for god's sake leave Britney alone.

        p.s this comment was enhanced using Adobe® Photoshop®
        • Fenchurch72, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Wish I could digg you up in triplicate for that.
        • Fenchurch72, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Digg me down duplicate comment.
      • davosjh, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0don't try to pwn us bro!
    • fixedcoma, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1link for razish
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzkd_m4ivmc
  • MrMan42, on 10/10/2007, -25/+20She strangled herself??? They expect us to believe that? This stinks sooooo bad.
    • gquaglia, on 10/10/2007, -14/+3Yeah and the smell is coming from your *****. You're an idiot.
  • razishaban, on 10/10/2007, -6/+49"Authorities said neither a Taser nor pepper spray was used on the woman."
    • snotrokit, on 10/10/2007, -3/+32didn't need those as the handcuffs apparently did the trick.
    • EntropyMan, on 10/10/2007, -2/+16Lack of oxygen is much more effective than either of those.
    • razishaban, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3They edited the article! Now it says:
      "Neither a stun gun nor pepper spray was used on the woman, authorities said."
      Whats wrong with a taser?
      • EntropyMan, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3I'd be willing to bet taser is trying to avoid trademark dillution and "reminding" news outlets not to say taser unless it's a Taser(R) brand torture device.
    • VitriolAndAngst, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3The alibi was almost perfect -- But they failed to mention the handcuffs.
    • fearlessfx, on 10/10/2007, -5/+1Don't not tase me/pepper spray me bro!
    • raycosmo, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3Maybe this is why tasers are used? so people don't go ***** and hurt themselves. If she had been tasered, she probably wouldn't be dead right now.
  • SlamShut, on 10/10/2007, -17/+7Edit-- meh, nevermind.
  • TrutherHunter, on 10/10/2007, -18/+13It can be done your hands are behind your back instead of tucking her knees under her chin and pull her arms forward under her butt she when up and got the cuffs over her head and her arms could not go up an more or get the cuffs back over her head so she chocked to death.
    • TrutherHunter, on 10/10/2007, -6/+4It would be hard to get the cuffs over your head but not impossible.
      • mikebrushedred, on 10/10/2007, -1/+10unless shes a master at yoga, or ridiculously flexible, she would have to pop her shoulders out.
    • Jb611, on 10/10/2007, -5/+28Use punctuation.
    • noumuon, on 10/10/2007, -7/+2no, unless you dislocated your shoulders it would be impossible. i take it neither of you have ever been cuffed before; unfortunately, i have. place your hands behind your back and keep your fingers touching each other and try to bring them up and over. it can't be done.
      • Pake, on 10/10/2007, -3/+3So just because you can't do it, it must mean someone who has more flexibility in their upper body couldn't?
        • noumuon, on 10/10/2007, -4/+1flexibility isn't the issue. look at the video i posted below... it comes down to a.) dislocating the shoulders or b.) hypermobility
          • Pake, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3Flexibility is a huge issue. There are people who can touch their heads on their ass, so someone else being able to maneuver their arms in strange positions (especially when not thinking logically) shouldn't be considered impossible.
    • noumuon, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1i guess if you have hypermobility you could do it as well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGOTf3Xl6Qs
    • elknino, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3oh my god punctuation
    • VitriolAndAngst, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Um, I can visualize what you are saying -- and that would mean your legs and butt go through the cuffs. There aren't many people in the world who could attempt to go over their heads without dislocating their shoulders.
      I don't even think someone would attempt suicide that way -- it would be too painful.

      My guess is that perhaps the hung her on a hook from the cuffs -- and her shoulders pulling together asphyxiated her. Sounds like a torture that led to an accident. Or else a strangling that was covered up.
  • DemonHuntress, on 10/10/2007, -11/+84Was it really necessary to have the cuffs on while she was in the holding cell?
    • TrutherHunter, on 10/10/2007, -14/+11She must have been a real bitch.
    • garbanzo, on 10/10/2007, -3/+46Maybe they were worried she might hurt herself
    • rabidjade, on 10/10/2007, -5/+11Holding cell is a place that someone should be cuffed in. Trying to enter a room with someone who could be on the other side of the door with a hidden weapon or waiting to hold you down and take your weapon is the last thing anyone wants. Now a police holding tank at the jail, not so much since you can see them through the glass or bars, both which a lot of holding cells lack.
    • proliance, on 10/10/2007, -0/+13If a person is agitated and acting up it is permissible to leave cuffs on in a holding cell. I've seen inmates break the glass on the holding cell door, and I've seen one flail around until he cut himself on the corner of the metal bunk. If the cuffs don't restrain the person, the next step up is restraint chair.
      And if the person is going to be in there for a short period of time, it can be safer just to leave the cuffs on than to take them off and try to put them back on later.
      • yingjai, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1You know an awful lot about the going ons in a penitentiary.
    • Nudar, on 10/10/2007, -4/+3Obviously yes because this crazy woman appeared to still be high on PCP.
    • VitriolAndAngst, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3Well, these are men with badges and these are dangerous times, and this is a little lady -- of course they have to hand cuff her. She was hopelessly outnumbered -- so the threat to the officers was evident. It's always the quiet and tiny people you have to worry about most. Nearly as much as the larger, louder people. When someone says; "Don't taze me bro!" You know you are moments away from a potential threat.
      Officers cannot fool around with these sorts of almost threats. That is clear.
  • fridx, on 10/10/2007, -10/+0DemonHuntess, thats exactly what I was thinking. Since when have the cuffs been left on in the cell?
    • rabidjade, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5It's probably a small room with no windows and a locked door. It's common for cuffs to be left on people who are made to sit in these rooms. It's safer for the person if they are upset (can't harm themselves or punch holes in walls) and safer for the cops who have to remove the person from the room when it's time to goto jail.
    • Pake, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Almost always in temporary cells, since they aren't normally there for a long enough period. (A matter of an hour or so).
    • proliance, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7I take it you have never spent time in jail. But that's a good thing.
      Leaving an extremely agitated person (I don't know if this was the case here) in a holding cell without restraints is asking for a lawsuit. He or she can hurt his/herself either on accident or on purpose. The person should have been checked on at least every 15 minutes, but the policy may be different there.
  • Hetman, on 10/10/2007, -11/+17i have been in hand cuffs behind my back. If you are flexible at all you can get them in the front. Im sorry but no one should be causing a huge fuss if they miss there plane. I have missed a plane I was pissed but I was not so outraged I I needed handcuffed.
    • noumuon, on 10/10/2007, -5/+7you can get them to the front, just not in a way that'll put them around your neck. so she either deliberately choked herself to death or someone else did it to her.
      • perogi21, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1I think Santa Claus and the Easter bunny conspired to kill her in her cell. Just as plausible as your theory...
    • gothsquirrel, on 10/10/2007, -3/+5Not the point a woman in a holding cell should not have cuffs on, and that still doesn't explain how the hell she killed herself with them. I don't believe that one bit. I'd have to see a video tape.
    • jimmiss, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4Nobody said she needed to be arrested, except suspects in a murder.
    • zandernat, on 10/10/2007, -4/+3Yes, let's blame the murder victim...
    • ruyen, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1^ exactly. Blame her for "killing herself". And the UoM kid deserved it, and the wheelchair bound woman who was tazered to death by cops deserved it. And people like you deserve to live in a Police State.
  • lebeau00, on 10/10/2007, -6/+18it doesnt make any sense, i hope someone further investigates
    • bingobongony, on 10/10/2007, -7/+4It doesn't make sense to you., That does not mean that it couldn't have happened.
      • HenryWatts, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5How can anyone deny that the situation as described appears unlikely and warrants further investigation? Is that you Chief Wiggum?
      • mrurc, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1He didn't say that it couldn't have happened. You are inferring that, and grossly incorrectly as well.
  • scabbers, on 10/10/2007, -17/+12Irate women pwns self, I'm afraid.
  • sockpuppets, on 10/10/2007, -12/+15This woman's neck is clearly located on the bottom of her feet.
  • albinorhino101, on 10/10/2007, -5/+42Ok maybe I'm just missing something, but I cannot see how it is remotely possible to accidentally choke yourself with handcuffs. If they're behind your back then you bend your legs and swoop your hands under as others have said. I can only speak for myself but my shoulders don't rotate 360 degrees to even come close to my head when my hands are together so this would eliminate you needing to bring them hear your head/neck for any reason.
    • whataboutdave, on 10/10/2007, -10/+1Who said the cuffs were behind her back?
      • Sixcolors, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4It wasn't stated in this article, but if you search for her name, you'll find other articles that state she was cuffed behind her back. It's just common practice.
    • albinorhino101, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7I'm assuming that's the only way you reasonably be entangled in handcuffs and I was using it as a point to show that there is no reason to bring cuffs near your head/neck unless you are basically trying to choke yourself.
  • slickastro, on 10/10/2007, -9/+4First it wasn't a cell, they had placed her in a room to hold her while they arrianged trasportation to a proper holding facility, She was placed in the room alone because of the disturbance she was making in the teminal. No one else was in the room when she stangled herself, however I'd like to know how it was accomplished as well.
    • noumuon, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4this is like the riddle about the guy who hanged himself. which i now ask, was there a puddle of water at her feet? o_o
  • MerryMortician, on 10/10/2007, -15/+56Actually sir.. I left my baton in the cell.. she must have fallen on it 37 times with her head on accident.
  • WoollyMittens, on 10/10/2007, -11/+22We have accidental police brutality now?
  • inked, on 10/10/2007, -8/+18I have been in cuffs before there is no way someone can accidentally choke there there self to death....think about this one people. Someone give me a step by step instruction or something.
    • Pake, on 10/10/2007, -7/+4You're a pretty angry person and not thinking logically, so instead of calmly doing something you begin forcing your body parts into positions that they aren't suppose to be in and you continue to struggle further because you can't figure out how to get out of said position and end up getting yourself into a worse position.
    • bingobongony, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2Yeah, becuase you can think of every way a crazy woman could possibly contort themselves while frantincally trying to get free
    • proliance, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positional_asphyxia
      • mrurc, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Positional asphyxia is not choking. I already said that positional asphyxiation seemed far more likely than "choking herself with her handcuffs."
  • Vostran, on 10/10/2007, -10/+3The guard did not visit her because she went quiet, what sense does that make? Oh yea, she shut up so they went to check on her, but when she was screaming they ignored her. They let her die, with her last breath she would ahve screamed for help but they didn't care.

    Anyway, just spent about 10 mins trying to figure out how I could choke myself in handcuffs, it's simply not possible, unless I actually intentionally put my hand on the back of my kneck and drive the dividing chain into my throat. There must have been another factor involved, like a guard who pinned her down and held their hand over her mouth till she shut up then walked out. Next guard comes wondering past and check in on her to find her dead.

    • cmpshotty, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3People are able to scream while choking? Her silence was the indication she was choking, and you don't even know what she was screaming. She could have been calling them bastards the whole time and then went silent. You don't know, but instead of waiting for any sort of investigation or further information, you simply jump the the conclusion that the authorities were at fault.
    • actorboy, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2"...what sense does that make? Oh yea, she shut up so they went to check on her, but when she was screaming they ignored her."

      Are you kidding me? That's how I was raised.
  • isnoop, on 10/10/2007, -2/+7I also fail to see how someone could manage to choke on handcuffs. ...unless maybe she was trying to chew them off.
  • topace3000, on 10/10/2007, -14/+2HANDCUFFS ARE NOT NON-LETHAL. THEY KILL THOUSANDS. SPREAD THE WORD BROTHERS!
  • maiku00, on 10/10/2007, -11/+21she strangled herself with her handcuffs while trying to escape.. right..
    thats the biggest load of ***** I've ever ***** heard
  • Fragowell, on 10/10/2007, -21/+47And now, my impression of a digg commenter:
    "I have carefully and objectively examined all the evidence at hand, and I have with 100% certainty deduced that she was murdered in her cell and that the authorities are blatantly lying about it."

    Digg comments shake my faith in humanity to the ***** core.

    • isnoop, on 10/10/2007, -4/+17Someone dost protest too much! I believe you did it in the holding cell with the candlestick!
    • MatttK, on 10/10/2007, -11/+6Police brutality needs to be stopped. Elect Ron Paul - in addition to curbing police brutality he will give a free iPod and Wii to everyone who openly declares their hatred for Sony. I'm moving to Canada when Karl Rove steals the election again and causes another 9/11, this time blaming it on Iran so we can invade.
    • WiseWeasel, on 10/10/2007, -8/+6Why are you so quick to buy the official story? You must admit that the circumstances are suspicious. It's impossible for us to assert what really happened, but it's entirely reasonable to demand some serious investigation into the possibility of misconduct.
      • Fragowell, on 10/10/2007, -3/+3I'm not "buying" the official story. I'm not "buying" anything. I have no idea what actually happened, and neither does anyone else here since we know almost nothing at this point. All we have is the information at hand (this article). I am simply pointing out the ridiculousness of immediately pouncing on the official story as being clearly false. Apparently there are a whole lot of certified hand cuff experts here.
        • nazadus, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4Funny, I don't see anyone claiming to be certified or an expert. Mind pointing me to a link?
          In other news, if someone *isn't* an expert in something, does that mean they aren't allowed to have an opinion? or make comments?
          Some Diggers here have been in cuffs and doesn't see it as an easy task to choke yourself, thusly they deem is odd. Nothing wrong with that.
          • Fragowell, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0"Funny, I don't see anyone claiming to be certified or an expert. Mind pointing me to a link?"
            That comment of mine was an obvious joke.

            And of course everyone is allowed to have an opinion and make comments. That doesn't mean everyone has an intelligent or rational opinion. If I see someone attempt spread misinformation and compound the problematic trend of sensationalism, there's a good chance I'm going to break it down and give them a reality check where things like context, facts, and logic are meaningful.

            And maybe we're reading different comments, but these are some of the morons I'm talking about:

            "Riiiiiiiiigggghhhhhhhttttt. She strangled herself. If you buy that, I've got some great waterfront property in Death Valley you might also be interested in."

            "She strangled herself??? They expect us to believe that? This stinks sooooo bad."

            "Anyway, just spent about 10 mins trying to figure out how I could choke myself in handcuffs, it's simply not possible, unless I actually intentionally put my hand on the back of my kneck and drive the dividing chain into my throat. There must have been another factor involved, like a guard who pinned her down and held their hand over her mouth till she shut up then walked out."

            "Not possible, Handcuffs are either behind back, or they have a belt attached to the cuffs..."

    • Khendroc, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0what goes on in the world completely ruined my faith in humanity a looong time ago.
    • mrurc, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3I have seen very few people saying that and more people saying that it is obvious that the choking story is true because it was stated by "the authorities" which, of course, can always be trusted to tell the truth. Anyone who thinks they can say one way or another is an idiot.
  • RummTumTugger, on 10/10/2007, -13/+5This is so unbelievable! Just to add fuel to this fire, I watched as a bunch of fumblers tried to "help" a lady who had just had a seizure the last time I was in an airport. Their method was to surround her and all talk at once agitatedly to her. Then force her to do things like walk on her own etc... She was barely responsive, glassy eyed, etc. but eventually freaked out in a "Leave me alone!" manner - which gave them the reason to manhandle her.

    If you know the first thing about epilepsy you know that the only way to get anything out of a person who just had a seizure is to get them in a quiet, dimly lit place and talk to them one at a time in quiet gentle tones of voice. After they moved off I chanted to myself "I hate EMT's, I hate EMT's..." until I was reasonably calm again. In this case the airport personnel were brighter... at least she spoke to her quietly, alone, and encouragingly. But the EMT's were like buzzing bees with a MISSION, and by golly they were going to take this girl IN HAND!

    That attitude is too prevalent among everyone in authority. I think it's because efficiency is prized in the authoritarian professions.
    • Fragowell, on 10/10/2007, -3/+9This comment is an interesting look into the rambling mind of an outraged moron.
      • RummTumTugger, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2Wow, and you found the time and attention to reply to an outraged moron. What does that make you? A worthless wastrel? Keep to the point.
        • Fragowell, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3And you found time to respond to a whatever that makes me. What does that make you? omg recursive logic ftw
    • noumuon, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3my teacher was telling me a story about a girl with epilepsy in her class who could trigger her own seizures. she would do it to get out of class. eventually, they just ignored her when she started convulsing and let her be.
  • Ipag, on 10/10/2007, -5/+9I think the better question is... Was it worth getting that upset over a missed flight? You got crazy enough to get arrested and even after that you were still acting crazy in a cell where you need to be restrained further? She wasn't choked, a vein in her brain exploded from self induced stress.
    • Protonz, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2There is no reason to detain someone for being a jerk. The most they should have done was kick her out of the building, and even that should be upto the airline, not the government security.
    • ruyen, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Actually no, that's not the better question. Why she got mad is NOT more important than how she died.
  • Fragowell, on 10/10/2007, -15/+15And now, my best impression of a typical digg user:

    "I have carefully and objectively examined all the evidence at hand (an AP article roughly 13 sentences in length) and concluded with 100% certainty that this woman was murdered by the authorities holding her. I don't even need to wait for the medical examiner to determine the cause of death because if the cause is ruled to be anything else, it would just be proof that the examiner is in on it, too."
    • EntropyMan, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I see a lot of people asking questions is all. If you have the answers, please provide. Otherwise, it's fair to ask questions of what can at best be called a very odd situation.
      • Fragowell, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1It's totally fair to ask questions. It's completely idiotic and counter productive to immediately assume they are lying.
  • IphtashuFitz, on 10/10/2007, -5/+13It sounds to me like this woman may have had some sort of mental issues or a nervous breakdown or something. Most rational people wouldn't behave the way she apparently did when she was denied boarding. Another article I saw said that many witnesses reported her running up and down the concourse while yelling & screaming. She apparently didn't calm down when the police tried to detain her, and the hysterical behavior continued after she was handcuffed & put in a holding room. While I still find it hard to figure out how she could have choked herself I do think it's important to keep in mind that she may not have been acting rationally at all. Hopefully more details will come out that can explain exactly how she ended up choking.
    • mrurc, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2No one here has said that she was acting rationally, although I have been trying to fight the people who are assuming that she was acting that way for no good reason, as opposed to being on the way to visit a dying relative or having her child on the plane without her. You say that most rational people wouldn't behave this way but you don't know if there was actually a good reason for her to be in serious distress. I think that it is also important for us to keep in mind that we don't know why she acted that way and thus can not call it irrational.
  • Tyorant, on 10/10/2007, -10/+5From what i'm reading it seems like a hysterical woman became so out of control she ended up killing herself. I don't believe anything cynical happened here.
  • proliance, on 10/10/2007, -3/+6This is called positional asphyxia, or positional restraint asphyxia. It can occur when an extremely agitated and exhuasted person is cuffed and forced to be still. Moving the cuffs around probably had nothing to do with it.
    • mrurc, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3They did not say that it was positional asphyxia, which is very very different from choking. Choking denotes pressure on the neck, while positional asphyxia can be caused by too much pressure against the ribs or stomach. If they said that it was positional asphyxia, this would be totally believable, but they instead said choking, which is a different thing. Positional asphyxia from trying to get out of your handcuffs and getting stuck, yes. Choking while trying to get out of your handcuffs and getting stuck? Not nearly as feasible.
      • Antixian, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2since when does believing what "they" report as the truth. assume the reports are full of ***** and their facts are speculations. so maybe they say choking because they dont know of positional asphyxia? i do agree that if she suffocated from choking then it seems highly unlikely. somethings strange afoot the circle-k.
      • Antixian, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1i wish i couldve seen her get arrested though!
      • Fenchurch72, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1A medical examiner would be the examiner to determine that "positional asphyxia" was the cause of death. A police officer or TSA agent would likely not have used that specific term. More likely that person's impression would be "Dear god that woman choked herself"
  • bingobongony, on 10/10/2007, -8/+15The only thing sadder and more pathetic than people who blindly beleive authority are those who automatically INSIST that authority had to be corrupt no matter what.
    • Rmstrjim, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1It's because they feel they have so very little control over their own lives, things aren't working out they way they'd hoped, etc.
      Apparently this demographic makes up about 70% of digg's readership.
      • nazadus, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Actually, I believe it's because we plain don't trust authority because authority abuses it (seemingly) more often lately. Personally, I would rather someone NOT trust authority and have authority prove otherwise in situations like this. Sure, the authority has control over most of the information and can still mislead you, however it's much like having a firewall:
        Trust everything and deny a few things. (you)
        Trust nothing and accept a few things. (me)
        I would rather following the latter than the former.
        This is called 'being smart'.
        You can drink the kool-aide if you want. I would rather play paranoid, then change my opinion later.

        As for the grand-parent, the only thing that kept me from disagreeing is the "no matter what" -- which I think doesn't apply here because no facts have been presented. The following phrase in the article proves this:
        "A medical examiner will determine the cause of death."
        Thusly, no one REALLY knows at this point.
        So, no one is "insisting authority is corrupt no matter what" at this point and the grandparent isn't adding to the topic.
        • Rmstrjim, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Do you actually beleive for a second you're going to have a productive society with everyone running around paranoid like you?
          Good luck with that.
    • mrurc, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Wow. You have been repeatedly posting that the authorities were absolutely correct, so you managed to insult yourself with that statement. Good show! Popcorn please.
  • jabberwolf, on 10/10/2007, -4/+3As grotesque as it may be, I want to see a picture ( a diagram or pencil drawing) of how the hell that happened. I have heard of people injuring themselve in the most peculiar way when handcuffed and am curious how this one did it to herself.
    There were way too many witnesses and multiple people who saw her be put into a holding room and to make the claime she accidentally choked herself, this explanation can only be determined by a coroner before they can release that statement.

    But just for reference and disclosure they should release a diagram.
  • popothebright, on 10/10/2007, -11/+6And the winner of this year's Darwin Award goes to.... Anne Gotbaum! Will a family member please step down and accept her prize.
    • adamnyc, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2My wife is friends with her family, so keep your insensitive comments to yourself. My god, a woman dies, and this your response to the family? Terrible.
      • Antixian, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1boo hoo hooooooooo
      • Fenchurch72, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Sorry, this is a public forum. We can be as insensitive as we'd like to be. So ***** deal with it or don't read the comments.
    • EntropyMan, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Yeah, Popo, chances are, she was suffering from a medical problem at the time that lead her to seem to "go nuts." If an ordinarily sane person seems to freak out uncontrollably, authorities need to be trained to call paramedics, not throw the person in an inappropriate holding cell.

      The autopsy should be able to tell what happened before she choked.
      • Antixian, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1she choked on her own tongue. prolly accidentally bit it off while flailing around crazy like and suffocated.
  • MassiveTaTas, on 10/10/2007, -9/+4It was PMS. Yelling and screaming, hysterical behavior, mental issues - sounds like PMS to me. She probably wouldn't STFU and they choked her to death.
  • jen321, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3The only way I can imagine this could happen is if, in a really bizarre attempt to bring her hands to the front, she brought one arm up over her head and around. It's a tactic that obviously wouldn't work, but if she was as irrational and frantic as claimed, she might actually have tried it.
  • MrESaulved, on 10/10/2007, -4/+12Anytime a person dies in police custody, an independent review should occur, for as we know from past events anytime a person dies in police custody and an independent review occurs, the police are usually found responsible for the death.
    • jen321, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Agreed. I'm not jumping on the "police brutality" or "corruption" "bandwagon, but clearly a mistake was made. Is it ever a good idea to leave someone who is that worked up alone in a room completely unsupervised? I understand leaving the handcuffs on, but one has to keep in mind that being handcuffed is likely to upset a person even more. So was no one around to notice when she stopped shouting, or what she was shouting?!?

      Of course, it could turn out to have been something else entirely, though they must have found her in some strange position with the handcuffs. I had a roommate who was once arrested and had all kinds of fun convincing the police to let her take her medication for her heart condition. Police officers are human and they do make mistakes (and some are real jerks about it!), but it's exceedingly rare for them to actually be held accountable. And then they wonder why so few respect their authoritaaay.
    • razishaban, on 10/10/2007, -6/+2Shut up.
    • mrurc, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4It is absolutely not true that anytime that a person dies in police custody, the police are responsible. You simply don't hear about the ones who died of a heart attack or liver failure or in a fight with another inmate. I agree that an independent review should always happen in cases like this (although not all cases because in some cases the facts are obvious). However, that is as much to clear the innocent police of wrongdoing as it is to identify the criminal ones.
      • Rmstrjim, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Shush, that doesn't it in with the diggpopular F the police and any authoritarian figure cause I make 25g a year demographic.
    • Fenchurch72, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1At least in Florida any time a person dies in police custody there is a thorough investigation by PC (professional compliance, a/k/a internal affairs). It may not be an "outside" review, but the PC officers have hardons for ***** up officer's careers, so the investigations are pretty thorough.
    • Fenchurch72, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1At least in Florida any time a person dies in police custody there is a thorough investigation by PC (professional compliance, a/k/a internal affairs). It may not be an "outside" review, but the PC officers have hardons for ***** up officer's careers, so the investigations are pretty thorough.
  • moxley, on 10/10/2007, -6/+16Some diggers are so ***** stupid.

    Once they took custody of her, pur her in restraints, and jailed her (jailed meaning placed her in a holding cell or room against her will) they are indeed responsible. Even if it was an accident caused by her trying to escape.

    *****, even if she tried to commit suicide (which is unlikely to the point of impossibiility considering the situation) they are responsible. She should not have been restrained and left alone, especially given her mental state. .

    You will see a huge settlement out of this for the family, and if these are ever deserved, this one is. ***** happens, people lose their ***** sometimes - especially with how ***** up and crazy this world is.
    • djrbx, on 10/10/2007, -4/+2Dude wake up. It was her fault to begin with. If I was on the flight and had to wait cause of ONE person that was late, I would have been pretty pissed. She was late for her flight and lets say just cause the plane hadn't left with the gate still open but the flight was at 10:30 and she arrived at the gate at 10:45, late is late. Even if she arrived one minute past, it's still called late. Now it's up to security to decide if they want to let her on board or not, in this case the latter, but they are not obligated to let her in once she is late. She would have never been in that position if A. she was able to get to her gate one time or B. even if she was late, not to throw a hissy-fit and just accept the fact that shes late and get on a later flight.
    • mike17032, on 10/10/2007, -5/+3And thats a shame, a business shouldnt have to pay for some idiot who was to out of control to board a plane and so stupid she killed herself with hand cuffs. It was her fault she died, end of story.
    • Br0wn, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4 You guys are missing the point. Ya it's her fault for being jailed but they are responsible for her dying in their custody no matter how much she deserved to be in jail. Moxley is totally correct.

      My friend's dad was a cop, got divorced and started to have mental problems. He cut his ex-wifes brakes and would try to kidnap his oldest son. He ended up in jail and later committed suicide even while on suicide watch. The family ended up getting a huge settlement just under a million. It should be for any place with a jail, if you can't handle keeping an eye on people who could be mentally ill then send them somewhere else.
  • MaybellineSP, on 10/10/2007, -3/+11I'm an Indian college student from NYC, and ever since 9/11, have been "randomly" selected for additional screening at least a dozen times in the past 6 years. It's extremely upsetting to know that you're being racially profiled, and most of the time the security personnel assume you're a terrorist and take their screenings very seriously. Yet, each time I had to deal with security, I kept my mouth shut, and stayed calm. I've never shown any sign of aggression. I just kind of assume that if I do, someone will probably handcuff me, beat me, and possibly kill me. The system is screwed up, but that's just how it is.

    It's extremely sad that this woman died, and my heart goes out to her family. However, this woman should have realized the consequences of her actions. You simply can't fight against airport security. It doesn't make any difference now if you're a middle-aged Arab male wearing traditional clothing or an 85 year old woman with a walking cane. If you make a scene, security will treat you like a potential terrorist. For doing what she did, don't you expect security do handle her with extreme force? I find it more suspicious that she wasn't tasered or maced, especially if she was resisting after being handcuffed. People have gotten tasered for much less.
    • mike17032, on 10/10/2007, -7/+3Racial profiling might not be PC, but it works.
      • mrurc, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2No it doesn't. It gives a false sense of security, but I guess you are ok with that.
    • archimago42, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1She was a skinny woman. I doubt they really needed to taze her.
    • zandernat, on 10/10/2007, -6/+2Yes, she definitely deserved the death penalty that she got. WAKE UP, INDIA CHILD! You want to make excuses for the aligator and feed it so it eats you last?
    • Rmstrjim, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0hahah "possibly kill me"
      Make sure to play the lottery first.
  • supermanred, on 10/10/2007, -4/+16Police state. I'll be avoiding the US like the plague in the future. I will only travel there if I absolutely have to, and even then I will be carefull what I bring and what t-shirts I wear, etc. It is no longer a free country.

    Until then, I will stay home in Canada, where we are still Strong And Free.

    I hope you guys wake up soon and kick these idiots out of office and RESTORE your constitution and freedoms.
    • mike17032, on 10/10/2007, -7/+2Good, the less paranoid retard moonbats we have around here the better. No one is going to miss people like yourself if you dont come visit. Enjoy your time in Canada, Americas hat.
    • archimago42, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2...because a dumbass got themselves tangled up and died? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positional_asphyxia Don't be an asshat.
      • mrurc, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1They stated the cause as choking, NOT positional asphyxia. Positional asphyxia is feasible, choking is not so feasible. They are NOT the same thing.
        • Fenchurch72, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1They stated the cause as choking because that's likely what a non-medical professional would call it when someone stops breathing. A medical examiner would be the expert to deem it positional asphyxia.. So sorry that the TSA didn't google it before making a statement.
    • gquaglia, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1Good, one less asswipe Canadian.
    • zandernat, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3I hate to tell you, Brother, but Canada is next. The same NWO goons are going to make the whole of North America into their police state playground. What about the North American Union conference in Montibello where you had NO FREE SPEECH NOR FREEDOM TO ASSEMBLE TO PROTEST IN CANADA last month?
    • Rmstrjim, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Uh... have you ever dealt with police here in Canada? obv not if you think they would have acted any differently.
      Police state? Thats insulting to those who actually live under such adverse conditions. STFU.

  • LazyZombie, on 10/10/2007, -4/+7Not possible, Handcuffs are either behind back, or they have a belt attached to the cuffs...
    • mike17032, on 10/10/2007, -3/+3Wrong, Wrong, and wrong.

      Wow, everything in your post was wrong. That takes some talent.
    • archimago42, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positional_asphyxia Idiot.
      • mrurc, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Will you please stop posting this OFF TOPIC informmation? Positional asphyxia is not the same as choking and they stated choking. Positional asphyxia is believable; choking isn't. You stop being as "asshat" "idiot." I am going to go back now as report you as offensive for every time that you posted this link.
  • roxycat, on 10/10/2007, -1/+9there is video surveillance all over airports, where is the video in this instance?
  • mcphatty, on 10/10/2007, -6/+5how the hell do handcuffs that are on her hands end up around her neck?
  • EntropyMan, on 10/10/2007, -2/+13Okay, so I have yet to hear a plausible (to me) explanation for how this handcuff choking thing might have worked. I'm not saying the official explanation is necessarily wrong or a crime occurred here. But it's strange to say the least.

    As far as negligence goes, I think it is fair to say that if a person is out of control, leaving them alone in a cell with metal or plastic handcuffs probably would be negligent. Padded handcuffs or a straight jacket are actually more appropriate for someone who might hurt herself. And if all else fails, call the paramedics to sedate or restrain her.

    Finding some way to prevent the woman from hurting herself is the key thing. Station a guard to *watch her* until the ambulance arrives -- the ambulance will have a gurney with straps to hold her down.

    If she's in your custody, she's your responsibility, period.
    • archimago42, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2I agree with the "watching" part. But check this out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positional_asphyxia Rare, yes. Impossible, no.
      • mrurc, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Not rare. Not impossible. Not CHOKING.
    • imperium2000, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Here is my take on this. The most plausible explanation is that she was cuffed to a bed (you don't leave an agitated person in a room unless they are restrained on something). My assumption is that the cops left her alone because of the screams and insults.

      All you need to strangle yourself is to cut off the blood supply to your brain which is surprisingly easy to do. If she fell of the bed while still cuffed, her shoulder could've choke her. This known to happen with psychiatric patients in restraints when they twist themselves or fall of the bed.

      It could be considered negligent if she was irate and screaming because of a medical condition or psychiatric condition instead of just being "crazy". If someone of sound mind decides to escape from custody and kills themselves, it isn't really police negligence.

      PS: No one uses straightjackets anymore. It is too easy to get out of it.
      • EntropyMan, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Thanks. That's starting to make more sense.
  • archimago42, on 10/10/2007, -8/+10Before you all get your panties in a ruffle, read this. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positional_asphyxia Now imagine an insane psycho bitch flailing and screaming (this is what witnesses say she was acting like) until she can barely breathe. It wouldn't take a long lack of oxygen to make a person in this state pass out as they would already be out of breath. Once you are passed out you aren't going to be able to untangle yourself very effectively, your body just spasms a bit to try to get air. While rare the situation does make sense once you inform yourself.

    Now on the question of whether the guards should have watched her more closely, that certainly is an issue. But shame on everyone who tried to jump up and yell murder before even looking into the possibility of the situation. The "strangled self with hand cuffs" most likely comes from puzzled guards who were as confused as we first were when they found her all tangled in herself and dead.
    • EntropyMan, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7It makes sense, except for the part about "the cuffs around her neck," which was a quote from someone who saw her, I believe. The cuffs would have to have some long chains or cords to make it work, or the person was wrong or misquoted.
      • archimago42, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3Exactly, I'd say a random hypothesis by one of the cops that someone in the press ran with sounds about right. Afterall the AP just regurgitates the same story over and over and I highly doubt a reporter saw the body.
    • zandernat, on 10/10/2007, -5/+5That's so thoughtful of you to find a way to blame the murder victim with a scholarly reference. Perhaps if anything like this ever happens to you, an online scholar will return the favor.
    • Genady, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Yeah, I can see that, and thank you for posting it. I was thinking something similar when I first saw the story. I don't think it exonerates the cops, or rather the wanna-be-cops who are TSA. Doesn't rise to murder, negilgent manslaughter? Yeah maybe. You can bet your sweet ass though that had this happened to someone without ties to a 'somebody' it would have resulted in loss of job for some screener and that would have been in. Now at least it gets some attention.
    • mrurc, on 10/10/2007, -2/+6You posted this like ten times, but repeating it does not make positional asphyxia CHOKING.
    • Spankov, on 10/10/2007, -2/+5"Now imagine an insane psycho bitch flailing and screaming (this is what witnesses say she was acting like) until she can barely breathe." Interesting...it just says she was 'irate' in the article. Where did you get this info from?
    • SlowOnTheUptake, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Now imagine issuing handcuffs and a key to an unattended holding cell to untrained guards so utterly lacking common sense that they were unable to prevent this completely avoidable tragedy.
  • yankpats, on 10/10/2007, -3/+3Only in ***** Maricopa County does this ***** happen
  • catalytica, on 10/10/2007, -2/+5Last Sentence: "The New York City public advocate helps solve residents' problems with government and acts as a watchdog over city agencies."
    Knocking off a public advocate sounds ripe with government conspiracy to me!!
    • SlowOnTheUptake, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Let's get this story straight. Per the AP article, Betsy Gotbaum is the New York City Public Advocate. She is the Step-mother-in-law of Carol Gotbaum, the woman who died.
  • FascistNation, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2It is standard operating procedure of the Phoenix Police Dept. to dislocate the shoulders of anyone giving their officers lip. It would be easy to see how this could lead to her having strangled herself while convulsing from the repeated tasering that never happened. Fly the friendly skies of Sky Harbor.
  • Biks, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Maybe she was in those prisoner restraints, the ones which keep your hands down by your side, chained around your waist. (Then they just call them handcuffs..sorts like when people blow their fingers off with an M-80 and then call them "firecrackers".) I'm sitting here with my wrists held together, trying to find a position to choke myself. I'm stumped.
  • Fetching more discussions...
    Show 51 - 76 of 76 discussions
  •  

    Login or register to add a comment

    Create a new account or login to join in the conversation on Digg. You'll also be able to Digg stories to help promote things you like.


© Digg Inc. 2008 — Content posted by Digg users is dedicated to the public domain.
DIGG, DIGG IT, DUGG, DIGG THIS, Digg graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, scripts, and other service names are the trademarks of Digg Inc.