Black Friday can get pretty crazy, especially at Wal-Mart. We already told of you of a case where a woman found it completely appropriate to use pepper spray to get the games she wanted at the retailer’s big sale and today we have another horrible story. An older gentleman in Arizona was knocked unconscious in a pool of blood and arrested trying to get the same deal(s).
Jerald Newman of Buckeye, Arizona, didn’t hesitate to get into the mix of the crowd scrambling to get their hands on discounted Xbox 360 games at his local Wal-Mart. Customers were so anxious to get the games, they began shoving and grabbing them out of each other’s hands. Thinking that he could hide his game and get out of the crowd, Newman shoved his selection under his shirt and made his way out of the crowd, at which point local law enforcement rushed him and took him to the ground, hard.
The officer in question stated that Newman was shoplifting and resisting arrest, although numerous onlookers tell a completely different story. The older man was completely blindsided and tackled head first to the ground, which ultimately knocked him unconscious and results in a very bloody face. Newman was eventually taken to a local hospital for treatment but must still stand trial for the charges of shoplifting and resisting arrest which have been made against him. The local police department is promising to launch a full investigation into the incident.
There are so many things wrong with this story that we don’t know where to begin. First off, once again we have a crowd going ape-shit crazy over a couple of video games which is insane in its own right. On the other hand, we have an apparent case of police brutality and improper treatment of a suspect. Even if he was shoplifting a video game, is there really a need to take him down in such a violent manner?
[via CNN]
