MPD officer confronted by crowd, punched, police say

The officer said that as he went to arrest the woman he was surrounded by a crowd that was voicing anti-police sentiments, including "We need to start killing these officers."

Police said the woman’s daughter was grabbing the officer while trying to free her mother. The officer said he tried to diffuse the situation by explaining to the crowd that the woman had just punched someone and was armed with pepper spray. Police said his words were ignored, and the struggle with the two people continued.

The older woman punched the officer in the face and grabbed him by the throat, according to the release.

The officer said he could see many in the crowd were recording the incident on their cellphones while some accused him of misconduct and using excessive force.

A witness told police he or she "felt the officer was in trouble" and said it appeared someone had gone for his gun.

The two women were arrested when more officers arrived.

www.channel3000.com...

I think this is something we could all use. A bit of refreshing news about an officer much braver than I could ever dream of being. And I suspect braver than most of us. This is how it should be, and if all situations were dealt with like this, I doubt we would even have this forum, or the need for it.

If any ATS members live in this area, please, go out of your way to let this officer know his actions were appreciated.

"He demonstrated fantastic patience and restraint in dealing with these folks," Madison Police Department Capt. Vic Wahl said. "He was able to literally get assaulted in the midst of a large crowd and still take these women into custody without causing any injuries to anyone."

Police said Latonya B. James, 40, of Madison, threatened many times to kill the officer while on her way to jail. She was arrested on suspicion of battery to a law enforcement officer, possession of pepper spray, disorderly conduct and resisting.

Nanyamka N. James, 20, of Madison was arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct, resisting and on a parole hold.

Police said a nearby resident who was not involved in the melee told a detective the officer who was battered has, in the past, done a great job reaching out to residents and communicating with the neighborhood.

This is how riots get started. Some cop starts it by playing grab ass with somebody in a crowd. Then the crowd reacts, then more cops arrive, then more people react and pretty soon its, "we're taking rocks and bottles, rocks and bottles".

Just add teargas and stir.

As this sort of behavior increases, it's only going to make everything worse.

Someone will move beyond pushing and slapping at some point and the officer, realizing that he's vastly outnumbered, WILL shoot them and it will go downhill from there.

If this keeps up, these idiots are going to get a police force so militarized they'll be longing for things to go back to how they are now. A simple fact that these people don't seem to grasp: the police will always win.

a reply to: network dude

This goes to show, that all those police hating hooligans are ill advised. This is proof that their are good police out there, majority of them are! It's a high stress job and accidents can, and will happen. Hats off to you officer!

originally posted by: intrptr
This is how riots get started. Some cop starts it by playing grab ass with somebody in a crowd. Then the crowd reacts, then more cops arrive, then more people react and pretty soon its, "we're taking rocks and bottles, rocks and bottles".

Just add teargas and stir.

Um, I doubt you read the same article I did. The cop pulled up and saw an assault and battery take place, and when he tried to intervene, the crowd got violent. Based on past history, this should have ended with the officer pulling his gun and shooting several people, instead, he took a punch, remained calm, and waited for reinforcements.

I wonder if you would have done the same.

I say pull them all out. Let the animals be animals. If they want to hurt/kill/maim each other so be it.

a reply to: Answer

I could have made the thread about how incredible ignorant the people in the crowd were, but instead I chose to focus on the actions of the officer. He stood up to a mob that verbally threatened to kill him. He has balls of steel.

originally posted by: TXRabbit
I say pull them all out. Let the animals be animals. If they want to hurt/kill/maim each other so be it.

Just like there are good cops mixed in with some of the bad ones, there are some great people in those neighborhoods who don't have the opportunities everyone else does. We need to try to fix the reason those areas have such problems.

they are people just like you and I. Humans.

ETA: I have been guilty of feeling the same way, and it's easy to loose focus on that by the actions of some. But some of those areas have been treated vastly different than suburbia, and we on the outside don't have any idea how different it really is. It doesn't make it right, but it does put some of it in perspective. (didn't want you to think I was chastising you)

a reply to: network dude

Um, I doubt you read the same article I did.

You mean the, "police say" article?

I wonder if you would have done the same.

If you were a cop would you try would try and arrest somebody in a crowd, alone? Or call for backup, first?

Easy to monday morning quarterback, especially without video (imagine that).

If the crowd became incensed that means the cop did something that incensed them.

Imagine that.

Because he was alone the crowd started to resist towards the officer.

Go figure…

originally posted by: intrptr
Easy to monday morning quarterback

And yet, here you are.

Heres my thing, do police have to always police? I mean do they really have to get involved with every scuffle they come across? Heck, If the police came to every little scuffle WE all have ever got into, every single one of us would have been beat down and thrown in jail over things that we settle man to man or woman to woman.

Everyone has got into a fight at least once in their lives. And when you look back on that fight, You prolly dont think anything of it today.

a reply to: galaga

what if he sat back and let the fight go on, then someone was hurt badly? They were filming it, as everything now days is. They could film the cop not helping, then we would have a thread about how the cop let people get hurt, because he was too afraid to get involved. It's easy to see how dealing with the public is a no win type thing.

a reply to: network dude


In light of recent events I'm not sure if this cop was brave or stupid. Maybe he just got lucky.

Good policeman?
Good people are murdered by the police most days in America.

He got a punch in the face?

Good people are murdered by the police
Shoe's on the other foot and they dont like it

a reply to: network dude

Police said Latonya B. James, 40, of Madison, threatened many times to kill the officer while on her way to jail. She was arrested on suspicion of battery to a law enforcement officer, possession of pepper spray, disorderly conduct and resistin

Why is it when its legitimate its just "suspicion", I have read so many articles where the officer was the one doing the beating and the suspect gets charged with "assaulting an officer", no mention of any word presuming innocence.

Like anything, on both sides the bad elements will likely target the innocent ones. So they suffer the most.

originally posted by: network dude

originally posted by: intrptr
Easy to monday morning quarterback

And yet, here you are.

Yah, pointing out I don't believe anything the police say anymore when theres an 'altercation'. Just show us the video… oh, here you are.

a reply to: network dude

The officer brave? For what? Walking around with a gun protecting the public from women they don't want to see arrested? He's a damn fool for not minding his constitutional role as a glorified mail man. He could have walked the hell away with a name and handled this like any other crime that can't be resolved in the moment. It's not heroic to insist on getting your way right away every time no matter how far you have to escalate. Just tell the courts whom to summon and we'll do this the civilized way- not everyone has to be put in chains immediately for the good of society.

[snipped]

a reply to: network dude

well I cant wait for the videos to surface to contradict everything the officer claimed.

it happened too often.

this story sounds fishy, videos will easily prove the officer's words or not!

originally posted by: Answer
A simple fact that these people don't seem to grasp: the police will always win.

Until people start using the same tactics police use. Find out where they live, apply pressure to family members, catch them unaware with overwhelming force, etc.

originally posted by: The Vagabond
a reply to: network dude

The officer brave? For what? Walking around with a gun protecting the public from women they don't want to see arrested? He's a damn fool for not minding his constitutional role as a glorified mail man. He could have walked the hell away with a name and handled this like any other crime that can't be resolved in the moment. It's not heroic to insist on getting your way right away every time no matter how far you have to escalate. Just tell the courts whom to summon and we'll do this the civilized way- not everyone has to be put in chains immediately for the good of society.

[snipped]

Siding with the crowd who wanted to kill the officer?

I guess that's where we are in society. If a person is a cop, they no longer have a value to their life.

it's really sad how easily some are manipulated by the media.