Girl buys water, spends night in jail

[Nightfyre]

I found this story interesting/entertaining.
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow...181104442.html

Felony charges were dropped on Thursday against a 20-year-old University of Virginia student who says she panicked when undercover agents from the state's Alcohol Beverage Control division mistook her water purchase for beer.

According to Charlottesville (Va.) Daily Progress, the student, Elizabeth Daly, was walking to her car on April 11 at approximately 10:15 p.m. with a box of sparkling water, cookie dough and ice cream she had just bought from a local supermarket when the agents—six men and one woman, all in plainclothes—approached suspecting the box, a blue carton of LaCroix sparkling water, to be a 12-pack of beer. One jumped on the hood of her SUV; another pulled out a gun, Daly said, as her roommates seated inside looked on in horror.

"They were showing unidentifiable badges after they approached us, but we became frightened, as they were not in anything close to a uniform," Daly wrote in an account submitted to the court. "I couldn't put my windows down unless I started my car, and when I started my car they began yelling to not move the car, not to start the car. They began trying to break the windows. My roommates and I were ... terrified."

Daly's roommate in the front passenger seat told her to "go, go, go"—and that's what she did, apparently "grazing" two of the agents in the process.

The students called 911 as they left the parking lot, police said, and were pulled over by another agent driving a vehicle with lights and sirens, Charlottesville Commonwealth Attorney Dave Chapman told the paper.

Daly apologized when she realized who they were, Chapman said, but agents arrested Daly and charged her with two counts of assaulting a law enforcement officer and one count of eluding police—each carrying a maximum penalty of five years in prison and $2,500 in fines. She spent the night in Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail.

"This has been an extremely trying experience," Daly wrote. "It is something to this day I cannot understand or believe has come to this point."

Either can Chapman.

"It wouldn't be the right thing to do to prosecute this," he said.

Nonetheless, Chapman "stood by the agents' decision to file charges, citing faith in a process that yielded an appropriate resolution."

"You don't know all the facts until you complete the investigation," he said.

Is it common practice to draw a weapon on an underage person suspected of purchasing alcohol?

[Donger]

Originally Posted by Just Passin' By

Jumping on the car's hood and pulling a gun on potential underraged drinkers is part of their job?

Are you high?

That's what the girls claimed, yes. If that proves to be true, I'll agree that the agents over-reacted as well to the situation. But, it's still a situation that escalated because the girls were admittedly on-edge over what they saw earlier.

[Donger]

Originally Posted by GordonGekko

They were not doing their jobs. 7 agents it does not take to take on a couple 20 year old girls buying water. Sorry, but this was piss poor execution, and they should all lose their badges.

Well, the girl agent needed help. Females are like that.

[Rain Man]

I'm no law enforcement agent, but it does seem to me like the preferred approach would be:

1. Approach the girls, say hi.
2. Show your badge and say, "It looks like you've got some beer."
3. Look at water, say "Never mind. Have a nice day."

I'm not sure that hood-jumping and gun-drawing were necessary unless she got belligerent at the three steps above and got in her car or started it after Step 3.

[Nightfyre]

I don't understand how it is appropriate to draw your weapon on someone at all in this context. Unless they were explicitly trying to run you over.

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by Donger

They WERE trying to speak with the girl.

I see no evidence that they attempted to speak with her calmly.

The story goes:

badge flash - guns pulled - scared girls - borderline assault - unjust arrest

[Donger]

Originally Posted by Nightfyre

I don't understand how it is appropriate to draw your weapon on someone at all in this context. Unless they were explicitly trying to run you over.

According to the articles, she did graze a couple of the agents with her SUV when she fled. I don't know if the gun was pulled before, during or after that happened (if at all).

[Donger]

Originally Posted by Alex Smith HATER

I see no evidence that they attempted to speak with her calmly.

The story goes:

badge flash - guns pulled - scared girls - borderline assault - unjust arrest

Not quite:

ABC spokeswoman Kathleen Shaw said in the agency statement released Friday afternoon that agents were working the area that night, concentrating on underage possession enforcement. Shaw said a female agent saw "what appeared to be an underage person in possession of what appeared to be a case of beer."

"The agent identified herself as a police officer and was displaying her badge," the statement said.

"Other agents did not join the incident until the subject refused to cooperate," ABC said. "Rather than comply with the officers' requests, the subject drove off, striking two officers."

[mlyonsd]

Seems to me the cheapest way, and maybe most effective way to keep underage kids from drinking would be to park one marked patrol car with one police officer in the parking lot.

[Bump]

those abc agents are heroes

/donger

[Donger]

Originally Posted by Bump

those abc agents are heroes

/donger

Oh look. More hyperbole.

[Ace Gunner]

Originally Posted by Donger

They WERE trying to speak with the girl. The female agent approached first and then called the other agents over because the girls weren't being cooperative.

This really isn't such a huge story. The girls admit they over-reacted and the charges have been dropped.

the only way these officers could have been more wreckless with the lives of law abiding americans is if the officer on the hood of the car, gun drawn, lost balance and shot the driver.

over a six pack. alleged at that.

But I know the line of thought -- comply or die. This has nothing to do with breaking the law, obviously.

[Bump]

that stupid girl shouldn't have made a purchase at a store that sells alcohol if she didn't want to be arrested. It's her fault for being there. No police or government official in the history of the USA has ever done anything wrong, they are all heroes.

/donger

[mikey23545]

The ABC agents should have contacted the NSA first and asked to listen to the last few phone calls the girls made. They probably would have heard them discussing going out for water with their friends, and the whole incident could have been avoided.

[Donger]

Man, the whole kook brigade is invading. I hope teedubya is next.

[Ace Gunner]

Originally Posted by Donger

Man, the whole kook brigade is invading. I hope teedubya is next.

see, this is why folks shit on you. because you've already stunk the room up.