Woman with knife subdued with Taser in congresswoman's office

[Freddie Stubbs]

BY DAVID OVALLE

[e-mail]


A woman was subdued by a police Taser stun gun Friday afternoon after she walked into the Kendall office of U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and threatened to kill herself.

The 52-year-old woman, whose name was not released, had kept four officers at bay and was about to turn the knife on herself, said Miami-Dade police spokeswoman Mary Walters.

No one was injured. The woman will likely be detained for a psychiatric evaluation under the state's Baker Act law, Walters said.

more: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/12314343.htm

[Kagemusha]

1. Well this is a case where the Taser has a real use.

I mean, who'd want to shoot her to stop her from knifing herself?

Which shouldn't excuse all the abuses.

[Eloriel]

2. without having read the article, you may be right

Tasers are supposed to substitute for lethal (or potentially lethal) methods, not make excessive force easier to do and get away with.

[AX10]

4. True. Police used to have to shoot someone in this type of case.

Now they can just use the stun gun on them. In these types of cases it works well. Also, it's a good weapon to subdue the mentally ill who pose a threat too. Tasers were meant to prevent bad injuries and death.

[AX10]

5. I agree and that is where the Taser works well.

Still, there are no excuses for the abuse.

[catzies]

3. Ack! I had to go to Google maps - my folks live in Kendall

Unfortunately she's their congresscritter x(

[Ian David]

6. Rep. Ros-Lehtinen defends Iranian group labeled terrorist front ...

April 8, 2003

Rep. Ros-Lehtinen defends Iranian group labeled terrorist front for Saddam Hussein
By Sam Dealey

A senior lawmaker on the House International Relations committee has defended her ongoing support for a group the State Department says is a terrorist organization fighting against coalition troops in Iraq.

“This group loves the United States. They’re assisting us in the war on terrorism; they’re pro-U.S.,” said Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) in an interview with The Hill.

“This group has not been fighting against the U.S. It’s simply not true,” she insisted.
Ros-Lehtinen is the chairwoman of the panel’s Central Asia and Middle East Subcommittee.

The group, known as the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), is an Iranian opposition group in Iraq. The U.S. intelligence and diplomatic community argues that the MEK is funded by Saddam Hussein and has engaged in efforts by the Iraqi leader to suppress Kurd and Shiite uprisings.

The group killed several Americans during the 1970s. It also participated in the 1979-1981 U.S. Embassy seizure in Tehran. In 1997, the MEK and its various appendages were designated a “foreign terrorist organization.”

More:
http://www.hillnews.com/news/040803/roslehtinen.aspx

Why do Republicans hate our troops?

Well, at least this will bring her name (and this issue) into the press.