Originally Posted by
shawmutt
I can be blasting my Sinatra with the windows rolled up, tinnitus and all, and still see lights flashing and at least give a glance to see what's going on. There are important details being left out of the local news story. Maybe the guy was blind too.
Given that he was riding a bicycle it is safe to presume that he wasn't fully blind. He may have been legally blind, he may have been colorblind.
IF he
WAS colorblind it is possible that all he saw was flashing lights and not the actual color of said lights. And given the number of cyclists who are riding with headlights that are set to flash/blink it is possible that is thought that he was being "followed" by another cyclist.
Also given that he is now dead, we have no way of finding out what he was thinking as the rookie officer was pulling up behind him.
And again, I ask, given that as I've said that about a month ago (give or take) while pulling out of the parking lot of a local shopping center my front wheel hit a patch of either loose sand or gravel and I went down. Does that mean that anyone who saw me fall should have called 911 and reported a "drunk" person having just fallen?
Also given that at the most the person was "guilty" of two presumably misdemeanor crimes (if he had been drunk) but actually possibly on one i.e. trespassing for being in the parking lot after hours. Does that really warrant his being tased?
Or what if the individual was unable to talk? You do know that "even in this day and age" that there are people who are "deaf and dumb."
This whole thing could have been avoided if the rookie cop had pulled his cruiser in front of the cyclist and stopped. As that would have gotten his attention without causing any injury or potential loss of life.