Science teacher's brush with police ends in heart attack

[Nomad559]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime_file/2007/10/08/2007-10-08_science_teachers_brush_with_police_ends_.html

A mild-mannered Brooklyn high school teacher says he was nearly scared to death by NYPD cops who mistook him for a perp.

When the violent encounter was over, Lester Jacob, 50, suffered a heart attack and was left on his own in the street by cops, who accused him of "acting."

In July he underwent open-heart surgery.

Jacob had the misfortune to be driving home through Brownsville, Brooklyn, on June 22 around the same time cops were on the lookout for a hit-and-run driver. Jacob, an earth science teacher at James Madison High School in Midwood, heard a siren, looked in his rear-view mirror and dutifully pulled over for the radio car behind him.

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Some police folk are waaaay too in love with their power.

[Trillo]

2. Gee, if only the cops would be so very

brave with a corrupt corporation.

Sounds to me like the encounter caused the heart attack.

[Fridays Child]

3. Why are so many cops criminals?

Photo of the innocent man they nearly killed.

I hope the men who did harmed this man are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Cops need to get it through their heads that the badge does not make them judge, jury, and executuiner. This vigilante crap needs to be stopped.

[opihimoimoi]

4. The Result of FEAR on our Society???

[deutsey]

13. and so many sinners saints?

As heads is tails
Just call me Lucifer
'Cause I'm in need of some restraint

[Quantess]

16. If that's the man in the story

That explains a lot!

[MindPilot]

5. "mistook him for a perp"

mistook a black man for a perp...I am shocked I tell you, SHOCKED.

[Swamp Rat]

6. poor guy

:(

[nosmokes]

7. Fucking pigs. And they wonder why they have an image problem.

[malaise]

8. One more case of

DWB - and he's West Indian to boot.

[shanti]

17. yes

and a dready.

[Raejeanowl]

9. Nice Lawsuit

I hope they all lose their jobs and their pensions, particularly the "sympathetic" female officer. And that Mr. Jacob gets a large settlement to compensate him for his ordeal and help pay for the treatment of the cardiac problems this exacerbated.

Apparently, cops still aren't getting enough sensitivity training about how to cope with the aftermath of mistaken identity.

I remember one memorable night years ago of having cops pounding on my apartment door in the wee hours, demanding I open up. Single working mom, one small child, bad neighborhood. I hesitated at first because I had no view outside the door to confirm who it was, and they started threatening to break it down.

Well, I know I'm clean, and but for a couple of new drug-trade jokers with guns, basically unafraid of the locals. I just got angry at that point, grabbed a heavy sculpture, and swung the door open, and yelled, "HAPPY NOW?" They saw immediately that I wasn't whoever they'd been chasing-but a tousled, pissed-off woman-and just....ran off in further pursuit. No apologies, no nothing. Although maybe I should be grateful they didn't choose to take me down for wielding a "weapon?"

I spent a sleepless night pumped full of adrenaline thereafter and phoned in a complaint the next morning from work, which of course went absolutely nowhere. It would have been nice if at minimum one of them stopped by during the day to apologize for waking me up.

[Elidor]

10. Fucking ghetto cops

They always assume the worst and, not surprisingly, they are the worst.

[Rex]

11. Wow. That is really sick.

I will remember that; left in the streets to die all alone.

[pitohui]

12. sweet jesus

i hope there is some way he can sue the pants off em and get some satisfaction but i know that your typical "mild mannered" (do they mean asperger's?) earth science nerd is not really able to go thru all that

seems a classic case of DWB to me

[enlightenment]

15. What makes you assume that

"mild-mannered" means the man has Asperger's disorder, pitohui? I would think that the difficulty of relating to others that is a primary symptom would preclude his working as a high school teacher.

Seriously asking. I'm not being snarky.

[Peregrine Took]

14. Folks have been worshiping at their altar since "911" and it has gone to

their heads. They think they are kings of the universe and can do anything they want.

[Laurier]

18. Uh huh, cuz no cops were never assholes before 9/11

:eyes:

[tblue37]

19. Here is what the victim said:

"I was scared to death," Jacob said of his brush with the NYPD. "I was feeling terror."

The terrorists don't have to follow us home--they are already here, and they are wearing badges.

[The Doctor.]

20. "'I told you it was a white Maxima,'" the witness reportedly said,

according to the complaint. Jacob drives a white Infiniti."

How can the Police be expected to tell one car from another... they were both white!

[formercia]

21. They all look the same..

:sarcasm: