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http://www.thestate.com/news/local/crime/article18574580.html

Here is the judge chosen to preside over this case.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/20/us/baltimore-freddie-gray-death/index.html

Just read an interesting story on NPR about the volunteer cop thing.

http://www.npr.org/2015/04/21/401296066/too-often-some-say-volunteer-officers-just-want-to-play-cop



Although, what is interesting is that the cop is pleading innocent to manslaughter, because he says it was an accident. I thought that was the entire point of manslaughter, when the killing is accidental. if I kill someone, I still go to jail, even if it was an accident. I just go to jail for less time than for murder.

At least he can still go on vacation in the Bahamas while waiting on his trial, very nice of the judge.

 d-usa wrote:
http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/20/us/baltimore-freddie-gray-death/index.html

Another resisting arrest altercation that goes badly for the resister. This sure is one crappy situation though - probably needs to be cameras in the back of those police vans. You can't have unsupervised criminals just hanging out back there.

 Xenomancers wrote:

Another resisting arrest altercation that goes badly for the resister. This sure is one crappy situation though - probably needs to be cameras in the back of those police vans. You can't have unsupervised criminals just hanging out back there.

Maybe you can tell us how he was resisting arrest? The article states that he saw the cops, ran from the cops, was caught by the cops (tackled, but that's normal when bringing down a running person), and then was arrested without further incident. He was not tased, and the cops even report that he didn't put up a struggle or fight.

squidhills wrote:

 Xenomancers wrote:

Another resisting arrest altercation that goes badly for the resister. This sure is one crappy situation though - probably needs to be cameras in the back of those police vans. You can't have unsupervised criminals just hanging out back there.

Maybe you can tell us how he was resisting arrest? The article states that he saw the cops, ran from the cops, was caught by the cops (tackled, but that's normal when bringing down a running person), and then was arrested without further incident. He was not tased, and the cops even report that he didn't put up a struggle or fight.

I'm pretty sure running counts as resisting arrest.

Running from Law Enforcement is resisting arrest

Edit

Found out the hard way in my younger dumber days

 Hordini wrote:


I'm pretty sure running counts as resisting arrest.

Only if the police are trying to arrest you *before* you start to run. The events described in the article indicate that the dead guy ran away as soon as he saw the cops, and that the cops (seeing a dude suddenly turn around and run away after seeing them) suspected he was up to something and pursued. He was arrested for having a knife, not resisting arrest and having a knife. And the cops didn't know he had the knife until after they caught him.

Did I miss this?

Why the would he be arrested for having a knife?

 whembly wrote:
Did I miss this?

Why the would he be arrested for having a knife?

It's agianst the law in Baltimore to have a knife over a certain size. The dead guy's family's attorney is claiming the knife was under the legal limit, the cops disagree.

squidhills wrote:

 whembly wrote:
Did I miss this?

Why the would he be arrested for having a knife?

It's agianst the law in Baltimore to have a knife over a certain size. The dead guy's family's attorney is claiming the knife was under the legal limit, the cops disagree.

Okay.

That's slowed. F'n slowed.

 whembly wrote:


Okay.

That's slowed. F'n slowed.

Which part?

That it's illegal to have a knife at a certain length in Baltimore.

It's laws like these that adds to increased "confrontation" between citizens and po-po.

 whembly wrote:
That it's illegal to have a knife at a certain length in Baltimore.

It's laws like these that adds to increased "confrontation" between citizens and po-po.

Baltimore really isn't a very nice place in a lot of areas.

I do, however, agree.

Do believe its a blade over 3"
Would it be considered a conceal weapon if it was more then 3" and pocketed or clip in waist band?

Not talking Multi-tool gear. Folded Lock Blade type.

 whembly wrote:
That it's illegal to have a knife at a certain length in Baltimore.

It's laws like these that adds to increased "confrontation" between citizens and po-po.

I was arrested in Texas, fresh out of highschool for having a hunting knife that was over 6" long, charged with Unlawful Carrying of a Weapon, which was dropped by the DA because it was in my tackle box in the back of my truck. Spent the night in jail for that one. So yeah that law exists in a lot of places. (I was a foolish kid who thought I was just doing what I was supposed to do and consented to him searching my vehicle, this was all he found. And before it's said, I learned my lesson.)

What was special about this knife was it was a "spring assist" opening knife, which is classified in Baltimore as a "switch blade", which is illegal, and it was over the legal limit. I have a knife made by SOG, called the Triton II, that is also a spring assist, in case you are wanting to google what one might look like.

Attach it to a fishing vest

Yeesh, I'm glad I don't live in Baltimore. I regularly carry some relatively sizable knives in my bag.

 Jihadin wrote:
Attach it to a fishing vest

Yeah it was in with my fishing tackle in the bed of my truck, he didnt care (which is the big reason the DA dropped the charge, because of where it was found). Basically the State Trooper that pulled me over saw me leaving a part of town that was apparently known as a "high traffic drug area" at around 11:30 at night, when I really just went that way as a shortcut to get home from the movies. After half of the local PD force and a K9 searched my truck he asked if the knife was mine, I said yes, and on went the cuffs.

Good times...

So "leaving the general vicinity of the cops, when they have not even spoken to you and you have committed no crime." Is now resisting arrest?

No crime was committed, no report of a crime in the area had been committed, the cops did not stop or attempt to talk to the victim. The general "gist" was they were rolling through an area known to have drug deals and when a black man "left quickly" when he saw police, they assumed he must have broken the law and chased him down and beat him for no reason. And once caught he did not struggle one bit.

Of course the officers refuse to disclose why they thought he should be arrested. The "knife" isn't that he had a knife, but that he was "wearing it to be visible" which is illegal. They claim the "visual" part was it has a clip on the handle, like a pen, and that part was clipped on the pocket so the clip was technically visible outside his pocket, hence illegal. Now he wasn't arrested or chased because of that issue, but that is what he was being charged with when they found no drugs or other weapons and it proved they had no justification to stop him let alone arrest him.

Remember, beating you forces you to "resist" so even the most unlawful stop with no crime committed then becomes about resisting and not about why the police stopped you with no reasonable suspicion. It is how they cover up a bad arrest.

This is local for me and getting a lot of press. Police in Baltimore are corrupt. (all of Baltimore pretty much) if I see them on the street in Baltimore, I walk the other way too as they have a reputation for instigating confrontations to justify illegal searches and arrests. (I have had my car illegally searched in Baltimore on an illegal stop, illegal right turn on red when driving on a highway with no lights.) DC is much better in comparison in that respect.

One of the reasons why I never go back to MD. DC and Baltimore can slide into the Bay for all I care....might replenish the Blue Claws...not a bad idea

This is because under Mayor oMalley (who became gov and now wants to be president) they basically instituted "zero tolerance policing" which is where an arrest was the first resort, not the last resort. During his mayorship they had 100,000 arrests per year for a city which has 620,000 citizens.

Basically "all" of Baltimore is considered high crime, so they can and do stop anyone with zero probable cause because simply being in Baltimore is probable cause for being in a high crime area based upon the Supreme Court. So over arrest makes it a high crime area, then you can legally stop anyone for any reason to fit the supreme court ruling.

There are some real issues which are local politic issues which stem back to a politician trying to make a run at presidency, and want to claim "I cleaned up the streets!" I blame O'Malley for the issues in Baltimore.

(We had to pass a law that politicians found guilty of crimes have to step down as you are technically not 'convicted' until sentencing and we had politicians who had been found guilty of crimes relating to their office refusing to step down because they had not technically been convicted yet. Yay MD)

I grew up on the Eastern Shore. I love the Chesapeake Bay and sea food from there. MD laws changed from 1990 to 2015

For Gawdsake don't let your car go without insurance

IronWarLeg wrote:

 whembly wrote:
That it's illegal to have a knife at a certain length in Baltimore.

It's laws like these that adds to increased "confrontation" between citizens and po-po.

I was arrested in Texas, fresh out of highschool for having a hunting knife that was over 6" long, charged with Unlawful Carrying of a Weapon, which was dropped by the DA because it was in my tackle box in the back of my truck. Spent the night in jail for that one. So yeah that law exists in a lot of places. (I was a foolish kid who thought I was just doing what I was supposed to do and consented to him searching my vehicle, this was all he found. And before it's said, I learned my lesson.)

What was special about this knife was it was a "spring assist" opening knife, which is classified in Baltimore as a "switch blade", which is illegal, and it was over the legal limit. I have a knife made by SOG, called the Triton II, that is also a spring assist, in case you are wanting to google what one might look like.

yup, never ever ever consent to a search

It was always my opinion that someone who commits murder should have one of their arms chopped off and be put in prison for a good 20-30 years.

That's one way to do it.

At the very least, turning and running from a policeman would be probable cause.

For arresting him? Maybe. But it's right on the edge. It would definitely have been an issue in the case, had he not been killed.

Wait? I thought he died later on from injuries that remains unexplained. Who killed him?