Man Kills Himself With Chainsaw During Arrest

Omaha.com ^ | 12/22/04 | Kristin Zagurski

[gopwinsin04]

Grand Island police went to the man's business about 5PM Tuesday to serve a federal arrest warrant for being a felon in possession of a firearm, said Deb Collins a Nebraska State Patrol spokeswoman.

Paul Smidt Jr. 40, refused officers acess to the building, Smidt Lawn Care, anD barricaded himself inside.

Negoiations continued until after midnight when officers got into the building. Smidt, armed with a chain saw, barricaded himself in a bathroom at the back of the business.

Officers got into the bathroom and orderd Smidt to drop the chainsaw. When he refused, an officer fired a non-lethal beanbag at Smidt, who then lowered his head into the chain saw, taking his own life.

'He did not stumble or fall onto the chain saw,' Collins said.

All the officers who were on duty Wednesday were to undergo a stress debriefing.

[gopwinsin04]

Definitely a buzz kill..

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Cops: "I said "still", not "stihl""

[MahaMarty]

(Rimshot in the backround!)

[steveo]

Two-cycle or 110V?

[mtbopfuyn]

Darwin!!!

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Makes you wonder if the beanbag nailed him and he fell from the hit into the saw...
Nothing to lose your head over tho.

[KidGlock]

Getting arrested is nothing to lose your head over.

[Luddite Patent Counsel]

How long until his survivors sue the chainsaw company?

[gopwinsin04]

You really have to keep your head about you in a situation like that!

[gopwinsin04]

Gold medal so far..

[who knows what evil?]

Cops: "I said "still", not "stihl"

Thanks...a PERFECTLY good Captain Morgan's and egg nog all over the place.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

GMTA!

[AngryJawa]

Aw, this story ain't real...you're just Poulan my leg.

[Gerasimov]

Dude musta had a self esteem problem... I'm sure some liberal shrink coulda fixed him.

[Americanwolf]

I guess he was a cut above the rest!

[HairOfTheDog]

to serve a federal arrest warrant for being a felon in possession of a firearm

Funny thing is he doesn't appear to have had one ;~D

[Alaska Wolf]

Undoubtedly chain brake malfunction, or if not that how about sueing the oil company or electrical company that supplied the ammunition? Someones got to be at fault.

[gov_bean_ counter]

to serve a federal arrest warrant for being a felon in possession of a firearm

Never bring a chainsaw to a gun fight.

[hiredhand]

Now c'mon...think about it. The chain on ALL chainsaws rotates AWAY from you on the top. If you hold it in your hands out in front of you, the chain travels away from you. It would have to be throttled up, and hit hard on top to prevent the peice (his HEAD in this case!) from just "riding" off the end in the direction of the chain. It's akin to cutting wood with the top of the bar. Not impossible, but much less preferred on account of chain rotation direction.

Strange enough, I was reading about energy transfer of "less than lethal" ammo (including beanbag) just this morning. 200FtLbs transfered to ANY part of your body is enough to bring you to the ground, almost immediately. My neighbor just across the road is a drug LEO and he tells me they have NEVER zapped a perp with the beanbag gun where the perp did NOT go down HARD!

If shot from the front, center mass, it's enough to knock a 185lb man back two steps. Was he shot from the back and propelled forward, onto the saw as he fell? This might explain how he ended up with his head in the saw.

In spite of being whacked with a 200FtLb chunk-o-flying-beanbag, this guy had the presense of mind to apparently think about this, and "...then lowered his head into the chain saw..."

If this was a "newer" chainsaw (than anything made up until the mid 70s or so), it will have had a safety on it that ensures that you have a GOOD grip on the handle before unlocking the throttle. It works a LOT like the grip safety on a 1911 .45 ACP pistol.

I'm not saying that the guy didn't do EXACTLY as the LEOs say. I'm just saying that it's not very believable. It sounds very fishy to me.

I'm willing to bet that these poor cops had a real "OOPSIE" sort of moment when they tagged this guy with the beanbag gun from behind and watched in shock as he fell headlong into the chainsaw at full throttle.

WHATEVER happened exactly, it had to be one nasty scene!

[BenLurkin]

Agreed. Somebody needs to look into this a little more closely.. I have great sympathy for LEOs and the job they do -- but I sense a little CYA going' on here.