Police officer won't be charged with crime after he cut off woman's fingertip during arrest

Ap via Boston Glob ^ | 1/16/03 | staff

[CFW]

DETROIT (AP) A police officer who cut off a woman's fingertip with a knife while trying to handcuff her will not be charged with a crime, a prosecutor said Thursday.

Wayne County Prosecutor Michael Duggan said the injury was not intentional and cannot be considered an assault.

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[LibWhacker]

OF COURSE NOT! He could've cut off her head and he wouldn't have been charged.

[Free the USA]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[Cultural Jihad]

Vigilante justice thwarts justice even more. Us conservatives are really big on the rule of law, by the way.

[RicocheT]

Gullas sued the city and the officer for $100 million last week.

The officer was a bonehead to chop off a finger, but her $100 mil claim is just as outrageous. I'd sell a finger for $250,000 if the check was sure to clear.

[LibWhacker]

Come again?

[Revelation 911]

was it a service issued knife or personal property?

[Conservababe]

It was his personal property. No knives were issued to officers in his department.

[HELLRAISER II]

Perhaps he didn't do it on purpose, I could possibly believe that. But it doesn't cover him being negligent whether it was an accident or not. She may have deserved what she got but I see way to much police brutality and uncalled acts (just like the recent dog shooting) to just accept the police forces word which carries very little weight with me lately.

[thepitts]

A police officer who cut off a woman's fingertip with a knife while trying to handcuff her will not be charged with a crime, a prosecutor said Thursday.

Surprise surprise surprise.

[CFW]

Perhaps he didn't do it on purpose, I could possibly believe that.

I doubt he intended to cut off her finger, but can you imagine the force (along with pure carelessness) that had to be used to do that.

[GSWarrior]

Never give the finger to a policeman.

[mhking]

"Hold muh beer 'n watch this!" PING....

If you want on or off this list, please let me know!

[Tatze]

This was a terrible article because it didnt tell the whole story. I heard a slightly different account on the radio, but this CNN article at least gives one description of what happened: http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Midwest/01/09/severed.finger.ap/

DETROIT, Michigan (AP) -- Police asked prosecutors Tuesday to file charges against an officer who cut off a woman's fingertip with a 4-inch utility knife as he tried to arrest her in a bar parking lot.

Officer Anthony Johnson also deeply cut another finger of the suspect as he tried to cut off her coat sleeve so he could put her in handcuffs. The fingertip was recovered but could not be reattached.

Johnson was placed on desk duty after Sunday's incident.

"The department has no policies and procedures that would cause an officer to use a knife to make an arrest," Deputy Chief Gary Brown said. "We don't issue knives."

Johnson had asked Joni Gullas, 45, for identification as she sat in a van in parking lot. He said she refused and smelled of alcohol.

The plainclothes officer said he reached inside to open the door, but Gullas pinned his hand with her knee and began moving the van. The two struggled and fell onto the pavement. According to the police report, Johnson pulled on Gullas' coat sleeve and she pulled her hand inside.

Concerned that she might be reaching for a weapon, Johnson pulled out the knife and cut the sleeve off, he wrote.

Gullas, who has not been charged with a crime, said she thought she was being attacked.

[freeper12]

gee, the police department investigates the police department, and guess what? no problems found here...what a surprise.

the police are getting more and more difficult to differentiate from the people they are supposed to be protecting us from...now we need protection from the police instead.

..and don't tell me most cops are good...I doubt it.

As long as the supposed "good" cops are covering for the bad cops, they are all guilty by association.

[Diddle E. Squat]

DETROIT, Michigan (AP) -- Police asked prosecutors Tuesday to file charges against an officer who cut off a woman's fingertip...

But don't let the facts get in the way of you cop-haters rushing to post more vile diatribes.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Thanks for offering more insight into what is the ACTUAL situation.

[MississippiMan]

A hundred million for a FINGERTIP? OOOF. Wondering exactly which knuckle they're calling the "top" knuckle. If it was just the very tip of the finger, I can see how that could happen. But if we're talking more of the finger, up where the knife had to pass through connective tissue or bone, what on Earth was he doing with that knife to be exerting enough force to do that?

MM

[Squawk 8888]

A plainclothes cop reaches into a vehicle and grabs hold of the occupant- hmmmmm. If he didn't ID himself as a police officer and show a badge first then the woman would have been well within her rights to defend herself by any means necessary. How would anybody react to a stranger trying to grab them?

[dljordan]

So cutting off a finger is part of the normal arrest procedure? Oops! Sorry about that! Where's the personal responsibility here?

[FreeTally]

If this is the way it went down, this stinks

Johnson had asked Joni Gullas, 45, for identification as she sat in a van in parking lot. He said she refused and smelled of alcohol.

So, a plain clothes officer(off duty?) just has to ask for I.D., because she is sitting in a van? This doesn't make sense. What did she do?

The plainclothes officer said he reached inside to open the door,

Why wold he do that? That's her personal property.

but Gullas pinned his hand with her knee and began moving the van. The two struggled and fell onto the pavement. According to the police report, Johnson pulled on Gullas' coat sleeve and she pulled her hand inside.

Um, if you pull on someone's coat sleeve, their hand will naturaly go "inside".

Concerned that she might be reaching for a weapon, Johnson pulled out the knife and cut the sleeve off, he wrote.

So, he created a situation, halfway pulls off her coat, and then destroys here property. And she was at fault here?

I agree, the $100 million is bogus, but the cop should lose his job and have to pay restitution.

[FreeTally]

How would anybody react to a stranger trying to grab them?

If he hadn't of identified himself to me, he would have ended up on the business end of a Glock 27.

[goose1]

now now the women had the knife to begin with and in the struggle to arrest the bimbo her finger got cut I am sure the police officer screamed at her to drop the weapon first if it was me I would have pulled out my gun and if she threatened me in any manner I would have blown her head off.Its just another poor victim B.S. I am seeing more and more reasons to never wanting to become a police officer your damned if you do and damned if you don`t.If your going to be arrested for anything never argue just give in then If found later to be inoccent then sue.If she had done that she would still have her finger tip the idiot.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Do you have problems with reading comprehension? Police are asking the prosecutor to charge this policeman. That seems to be one way of holding the officer personably accountable for his actions. Who said it was ok to cut her fingertip off? I responded to a stupid rant about how all police cover for each other, blah blah blah. The quote I highlighted refuted that.

Your post seems to be more proof that the cop-hating crowd is always rushing to post their diatribe, irregardless of the actual facts.

[Diddle E. Squat]

personably=personally

[fnord]

If he didn't ID himself as a police officer and show a badge first then the woman would have been well within her rights to defend herself by any means necessary

From my experience, and IMO, just IDing yourself as a 'cop' is not nearly good enough. Even a 'badge' or other ID won't cut it. The good officer better convince me by his actions and demeanor that he is a peace officer, and not a thug. Some civilian-clothed guy starts trying to rough up an innocent civilian, I don't care what he is screaming between profanities, he should be treated like a potentially violent criminal, and the citizen should (and did) act accordingly.

Fire this tough guy, bring him up on assault and abuse of authority criminal charges, and make him liable for the civil actions (although $100 million is a joke)

[freeper12]

>>But don't let the facts get in the way

SOrry, must have confused this story with the other hundreds (or is it thousands?) of stories where cops being investigated by themselves have been cleared of any wrongdoing...

[DAnconia55]

We need a third party. An overseers department. Funded by us, staffed by nonpolice. And empowered by law to inspect anything about cops and police operations that they want. And bonus rewards based on ferreting out crooked or abusive cops.

[DAnconia55]

and their enablers.

Ooooh! Can I be in charge of this part? :)

[DAnconia55]

Reading your post, makes clear the cop is too inept to even be running the fry machines at McD's.

Hand him a broom. Probably can't screw that up too bad.

[dcwusmc]

Be my guest... just be sure I get complimentary front row seats when you start!

[Cultural Jihad]

Seeing how much you apparently hate the institutions of American self-governance, are you an ex-con or on parole?

[DAnconia55]

Seeing how much you apparently hate the institutions of American self-governance, are you an ex-con or on parole?

You got me. I'm on parole for bitch slapping internet smartasses.

[Hermann the Cherusker]

Gash. Imagine that.

Now will they file charges against her for anything?

[FreeTally]

You got me. I'm on parole for bitch slapping internet smartasses.

ROTFLMAO!

[FLdeputy]

Reading your post, makes clear the cop is too inept to even be running the fry machines at McD's. Hand him a broom. Probably can't screw that up too bad.

I’m curious what you do for a living. Besides (lol) slapping internet smart asses. Have you had prior Law Enforcement experience? Are you a combat Vet? This may sound like a smart-ass question and I invite your bitch slap, but I’m serious, have you ever been pinned to a moving vehicle during your work-day? I know we don’t have all the facts about this “inept” officer. Hell we weren’t there. In fact it always surprises me how so many people spit out their ridiculous opinions after reading an article like this. It’s kind of easy to criticize someone who reacted to a high stress situation, especially when your sitting in your easy chair in the comfort of your living room isn’t it? I know the questions I’ve asked are personal, and of course you don’t have to answer them, it’s just when I see a “Monday morning quarterback”, such as yourself, I start to wonder what they do for a living.

[freeper12]

>>I know the questions I’ve asked are personal, and of course you don’t have to answer them, it’s just when I see a “Monday morning quarterback”, such as yourself, I start to wonder what they do for a living.

Not sure what difference it makes what he or anyone else does for a living...I wouldn't know the first thing about cutting hair, but I am damn sure know when I get a bad haircut.

You don't need to be a cop to recognize a bad cop when you see one...thats the problem with cops...the can't recognize a bad cop no matter what he or she does wrong...guess its those blue blinders they have on.

[Chemist_Geek]

Do you have problems with reading comprehension? Police are asking the prosecutor to charge this policeman. That seems to be one way of holding the officer personably accountable for his actions. Who said it was ok to cut her fingertip off? I responded to a stupid rant about how all police cover for each other, blah blah blah. The quote I highlighted refuted that.

Well, if you were to read the first story in the thread, you'd see that prosecutor Mike Duggan has "declined to file charges" against the officer in question. Therefore, the backside-covering is complete.

To sum up: plainclothes officers in an unmarked unit (God knows who these people really are) confront a woman alone in Detroit at 2:30 AM. They struggle after the woman (rightly) refuses to cooperate with these men and loses the top of one finger and almost loses another, when one pulls a knife on her. Yeah, real good Officer Friendly police work there.

The officer should lose his 401(k), his house, car, and spend a long time in Jackson Prison making big ones in little ones, not for the injury, which is (in the realm of things minor) but for the abuse of trust and authority.

[FLdeputy]

”Not sure what difference it makes what he or anyone else does for a living...I wouldn't know the first thing about cutting hair, but I am damn sure know when I get a bad haircut.”

(Barber to Law Enforcement Officer) – (Apples to Oranges). You didn’t do so good on the comprehension portion of the S.A.T.’s did you?

”You don't need to be a cop to recognize a bad cop when you see one”

True

”thats the problem with cops...the can't recognize a bad cop no matter what he or she does wrong...guess its those blue blinders they have on.”

It’s evident by this statement that you have absolutely no clue what you’re talking about, and you damn sure don’t know any “cops”.