[PAR35]

2. She was given a series of roadside sobriety tests which she passed.

That conclusion isn't supported by the Indystar story to which you linked. It says that she 'cooperated' in the field sobriety tests, not that she passed.

She's really lucky that she got the cops that she did. Some cops would have blown her away when she leaned back into her car to grab for a metal object which they would only discover after the shooting was a phone, not a weapon. Doing that rather than reaching for the Taser to make her drop the object would certainly have avoided the lawsuit.

And yes, there are .22 cal. pistols disguized as cell phones http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_cell_phone_guns.htm or there is always the trusty stun gun version. http://www.tbotech.com/cellphonestungun.htm

So the next time a cop tells you to drop your cell phone and back away slowly, you better do what you are told.

[aQ_code_initiate]

Sounds like what they tell rape victims: "Just do what he says, so you can survive to bring him to trial."

[yer gonna put yer eye out]

It's hard to understand people who can't give up their need to be in control of everything around them for 10 minutes when stopped by the police.
Sure would save themselves a lot of time and trouble.

[NJ_gent]

"She's really lucky that she got the cops that she did. Some cops would have blown her away when she leaned back into her car to grab for a metal object"

You're absolutely correct here. You reach into your car when the police pull you over, they don't know what you're reaching for. They don't know if you're going for a cigarette or a gun. Police get shot and killed on the job all the time. NYC police cars have a telephone number to call right on the bumper to report a police officer being shot (how messed up is that?). This woman's very lucky these officers treated her how she was (an angry and combative whiner), instead of how she might have been (an immediate threat to their safety).

What everyone so far seems to have missed is that as soon as they tried to start handcuffing her, she started screaming "BRUTALITY!" and calling for help. Funny how I've been pulled over by police many times (never ticketed or arrested), and have yet to experience this sort of thing. Perhaps it's because I behave in a respectful and thoughtful manner instead of being combative and acting in a threatening way.

There are plenty of instances of police going way over the line and being power-drugged maniacs; this ain't one of them. Nothing to see here, folks; move along.

[clee1]

Exactly.

If I had been the arresting officer, she'd have been drawn on the instant she tried to grab something from within. I wouldn't have pulled the trigger unless what she came out with was a weapon, but at the very least she would have been forcefully grounded, cuffed up, and transported to jail where a blood sample could be taken.