Grandpa Tastes Concrete Over Videogames

The Wooster

King Snap
Jul 15, 2008
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Grandpa Tastes Concrete Over Videogames

A grandfather accused of shoplifting ended up on the floor choking on his own blood after police tackled him to the ground during a Black Friday sale at, you guessed it, Wal-Mart.

There's a touch of mystery surrounding this particular example of Black Friday-fueled ultraviolence, gentle readers, so let's go over what we know. At some point during the sales scrimmage at a Wal-Mart store in Buckeye, Arizona, 54-year-old grandfather Jerald Newman placed a videogame in the waistband of his trousers. A police officer stationed in the store noticed this, approached Newman, accused him of shoplifting, clapped on the cuffs and, shortly thereafter, invited him to take a closer look at Wal-Mart's interesting concrete floor. The video to the right shows the result- Newman lying on the floor, choking on his own blood.

"They grabbed the guy, body planted him into the ground -- face shatters on concrete. That's a hard concrete floor inside Walmart," said one witness. "All of a sudden, you see this little boy run up and wailing and yelling, 'Grandpa, Grandpa,' and crying his eyes out."

This is where it gets a little hazy. Some witnesses are claiming Newman only placed the videogame in his waistband in order to grab his grandson, who was being trampled in the sales-driven mayhem. The police tell a slightly different story: they're claiming Newman was flailing his arms and resisting arrest - though you have to wonder exactly how much arrest resisting warrants a man being made into the filling in a cop and concrete sandwich.

"There's nothing on the surface to indicate our officer did anything inappropriate," said a police spokesman. "It's difficult to arrest an individual because you don't know how that individual is going to react."

Newman was arrested formally for shoplifting and resisting arrest after being treated at a local hospital. He was released from jail in the early hours of Saturday morning.

I admit, I'm grimly interested in what game sparked the violence. Police brutality over a copy of Skyrim is one thing, but having your face crushed because of a discount copy of Rapala Fishing Frenzy 2009? That would be just awful.

Source: CNN [http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/business/black-friday-brawl-at-buckeye-walmart-11252011] thanks to reader: j-e-f-f-e-r-s [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/profiles/view/j-e-f-f-e-r-s]


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Jedoro

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Jun 28, 2009
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Obviously the concept of "escalating force" means nothing to these idiots. Really, your first course of action with a handcuffed old man is to tackle him to the ground?
 

Freaky Lou

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Nov 1, 2011
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I saw this on Destructoid. It's pretty messed up.

With this and the OWS stuff, there's been a disturbing spate of police using completely unnecessary levels of force lately. It's really troubling. I've generally had a lot of respect for police officers because I've never heard any complaints about our local dept. and my personal experience with them has always been good, but now I'm starting to wonder if my area is an exception. There are an awful lot of these types of cases.
 

BehattedWanderer

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Jun 24, 2009
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Oy. Poor guy. You know, he was probably just tucking it into his pants to head to the checkout line, lest someone swipe if from his basket/cart. Because people do that. If there is ever a day that people are encouraged to abandon all pleasantries, niceties, courtesies, and ownership laws, it is Black Friday. Maybe we should start calling it Red Friday, on account of all the tasing, blood, pepper spray, and blood that happens. Poor guy. I feel for him.
 

Freaky Lou

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Nov 1, 2011
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BehattedWanderer said:
Oy. Poor guy. You know, he was probably just tucking it into his pants to head to the checkout line, lest someone swipe if from his basket/cart. Because people do that. If there is ever a day that people are encouraged to abandon all pleasantries, niceties, courtesies, and ownership laws, it is Black Friday. Maybe we should start calling it Red Friday, on account of all the tasing, blood, pepper spray, and blood that happens. Poor guy. I feel for him.
Actually witnesses say it was because he needed his hands free to help his grandkid with something.
 

Aeonknight

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Apr 8, 2011
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I'll reserve judgment till we get the whole story.

If he was resisting arrest at ALL, cops can and will do that to you. Regardless of if you're in cuffs or not. They don't fuck around.
 

mindlesspuppet

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Jun 16, 2004
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Eh... hard to say. We're in crazy times when people get pepper sprayed for video games, lose a finger over an ipad, have guns pulled on them for cellphones, and so forth. Just because this involved an older man doesn't mean the police should have, or are able to, let their guards down.

Mr.K. said:
Oh come on it's America, the guy can be happy they didn't gun him down.
Or vice-versa.
 

MrGalactus

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Sep 18, 2010
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My guess would be that he was putting it in his trousers to hide it from his grandson. It makes sense. It was probably a Christmas present for him.

Why was he arrested for putting it in his trousers? If he had left the shop with him in it, then yeah, fine, but he was still inside the shop. They should've left him be, rather than smashing his face on the floor.

Besides, he's an old man at Wal-Mart with his grandson, what the hell would he have done to the cop?

Poor bastard. Hope he's Ok.
 

Bonemeal

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Mar 12, 2008
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Jesus Christ almighty, the police just can't seem to get out of their own way in trying to amass as much bad PR as possible before 2011 is out. Even if he WAS shoplifting, even if he WAS resisting arrest, we're not talking about the fucking Green Goblin here, it's some geezer with a grandkid.
 

Vausch

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Dec 7, 2009
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What do you be the cop doesn't get penalised for this? Seriously, I understand questioning the man, heck if I saw it happen I might at least keep an eye on him but that's just too far.
 

ZeZZZZevy

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Apr 3, 2011
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Isn't it shoplifting only if you attempt to leave the store without paying for the item? I was under the impression that you could put it anywhere (within reason) between where it sits and the checkout line.
 

Prof.Beany

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Apr 22, 2011
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This is hardly a 20 year old man who might actually have a chance of outrunning a police officer, this is a man probably in his 60's or 70's. If a cop cant sus out what force is needed based on something like that then Im pretty sure they didnt pass basic training and should have their badge revoked.

Seriously, a simple "excuse me sir, do you plan on paying for that?" would have sufficed.
 

RvLeshrac

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Oct 2, 2008
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Aeonknight said:
I'll reserve judgment till we get the whole story.

If he was resisting arrest at ALL, cops can and will do that to you. Regardless of if you're in cuffs or not. They don't fuck around.
There's not one fucking excuse to do this shit to an unarmed man. Not one.

And I like that "resisting arrest" is now *any and everything you could ever possibly do* while being arrested. Said the cuffs are too tight? Resisting arrest. Said your arm is about to break? Resisting arrest. Bleeding on the ground with a cop's knee in your back? Resisting arrest. Screaming because you've just been shot twice while kneeling on the floor with your hands cuffed behind you? Resisting arrest.
 

Aeonknight

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Bonemeal said:
Jesus Christ almighty, the police just can't seem to get out of their own way in trying to amass as much bad PR as possible before 2011 is out. Even if he WAS shoplifting, even if he WAS resisting arrest, we're not talking about the fucking Green Goblin here, it's some geezer with a grandkid.
Really doesn't matter dude.

That's how they're trained, any sign of hostility/resistance and they show no hesitation. An old man with a grandkid hiding a knife in his trousers can stab you just as easily as some punk lowlife.

I'm not saying he was armed or anything... but it wouldn't surprise me on Black Friday. Either way, when the cop barks orders... either listen or eat concrete.

But again... dunno if he was resisting at all. Still passive on judgment.
 

RvLeshrac

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Oct 2, 2008
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ZeZZZZevy said:
Isn't it shoplifting only if you attempt to leave the store without paying for the item? I was under the impression that you could put it anywhere (within reason) between where it sits and the checkout line.
In most, but not all, states, shoplifting is concealing an item while intending to steal it. Since "intent" is hard to prove, no judge or DA will ever bother with a case where the item was not removed from the store.
 

Charli

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Nov 23, 2008
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THEJORRRG said:
If he had left the shop with him in it, then yeah, fine, but he was still inside the shop. They should've left him be, rather than smashing his face on the floor.
Yeah this pretty much, the officer should have shadowed him and if need be asked him why that was in his pants. Kept and eye on him until he made it to the check out... that's what alot of store-hands-security usually do with people like that...
 

ZeZZZZevy

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Apr 3, 2011
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RvLeshrac said:
ZeZZZZevy said:
Isn't it shoplifting only if you attempt to leave the store without paying for the item? I was under the impression that you could put it anywhere (within reason) between where it sits and the checkout line.
In most, but not all, states, shoplifting is concealing an item while intending to steal it. Since "intent" is hard to prove, no judge or DA will ever bother with a case where the item was not removed from the store.
Huh. I wasn't aware of that. Good to know I guess.
 

RvLeshrac

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Oct 2, 2008
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Aeonknight said:
Bonemeal said:
Jesus Christ almighty, the police just can't seem to get out of their own way in trying to amass as much bad PR as possible before 2011 is out. Even if he WAS shoplifting, even if he WAS resisting arrest, we're not talking about the fucking Green Goblin here, it's some geezer with a grandkid.
Really doesn't matter dude.

That's how they're trained, any sign of hostility/resistance and they show no hesitation. An old man with a grandkid hiding a knife in his trousers can stab you just as easily as some punk lowlife.

I'm not saying he was armed or anything... but it wouldn't surprise me on Black Friday. Either way, when the cop barks orders... either listen or eat concrete.

But again... dunno if he was resisting at all. Still passive on judgment.
So, then, apparently asking someone a few questions is now completely beyond the call of duty, eh? Maybe we should just let the cops beat the fuck out of anyone they want at any time, no questions asked.
 

BehattedWanderer

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Jun 24, 2009
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Freaky Lou said:
BehattedWanderer said:
Oy. Poor guy. You know, he was probably just tucking it into his pants to head to the checkout line, lest someone swipe if from his basket/cart. Because people do that. If there is ever a day that people are encouraged to abandon all pleasantries, niceties, courtesies, and ownership laws, it is Black Friday. Maybe we should start calling it Red Friday, on account of all the tasing, blood, pepper spray, and blood that happens. Poor guy. I feel for him.
Actually witnesses say it was because he needed his hands free to help his grandkid with something.
I read that, but it makes it no less tragic.
Mr.K. said:
Oh come on it's America, the guy can be happy they didn't gun him down.
>.> It's not that bad. Usually. Just avoid Newark. And hunting ranges. And being ethnic in the deep south.