'I was grabbed and thrown in U.S. jail for crossing road'

 

 

A distinguished British historian claims he was knocked to the ground by an American policeman before being arrested and spending eight hours in jail — all because he crossed the road in the wrong place.

Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, 56, said he had been the victim of “terrible, terrible violence” after he inadvertently committed the offence of “jaywalking” in Atlanta, Georgia, last week and failed to realise that the man telling him to stop was a police officer.

The slight, bespectacled professor claimed that five policemen then pinned him to the ground after Kevin Leonpacher kicked his legs from under him.

He was left “traumatised and disorientated” and with a gash on his forehead as he was taken to the local jail and charged with pedestrian failure to obey a police officer and physical obstruction of police.

Professor Fernandez-Armesto, once described as “the archetypal superdon”, is an expert in various fields, including global environmental history, comparative colonial history, maritime history and the history of cartography.

He is the author of 19 books, which have been translated into 22 languages and he has won numerous awards.

Once described by the Times as a man who “makes history smart”, he is professor of global environmental history at Queen Mary College, University of London, and a member of Oxford University’s modern history faculty.

Following his arrest for jaywalking, he said he had been subjected to “very humiliating procedures”.

The professor said he appeared in court the next day, “tortured” by the fear that he would end up with a criminal record that would wreck his chances of working in the States.

However, prosecutors agreed to drop the charges and an internal police inquiry is now under way, after the city’s mayor said she had asked the department’s head to look into the incident.

Professor Fernandez-Armesto, who is also a member of the history department at Tufts University in Massachusetts, was in Atlanta for the convention of the American Historical Association.

He said he was innocently crossing the road between the two hotels serving as conference venues when his ordeal began. Because Officer Leonpacher was wearing a “rather louche” bomber jacket that covered his uniform, the professor said he did not realise he was from the police department.

He said: “All I was aware of was a rather intrusive young man shouting at me telling me that I shouldn’t have crossed the road there.

“I thanked him for his advice and went on.”

When Officer Leonpacher then tried to stop him and demanded to see identification, Professor Fernandez-Armesto asked to see the policeman’s own ID, which he “didn’t take kindly to”.

At this point, still not realising he had done anything wrong and wondering whether any of the identification on him would be suitable, he said the officer lost patience.

“He said ‘I am going to arrest you’,” Professor Fernandez-Armesto said. “In the culture I come from this wouldn’t mean that the conversation was over.

“Nor would it mean that you were about to be subjected to terrible, terrible violence.

“This young man kicked my legs from under me, wrenched me round in what I think is a sort of a judo move, pinned me to the ground, wrenched my arms behind my back, handcuffed me. I had five burly policemen pinioning me to the ground, pressing my neck with really very severe pain.”

With his subsequent bail set at £720 but with no way to get the cash, Professor Fernandez-Armesto remained behind bars. The next day he arrived in court, explained to his case to the judge and prosecutors agreed to drop charges.

:lol: oh dear!!! :stunned:

does this kind of thing happen often across the pond? :rolleyes:

does this kind of thing happen often across the pond? :rolleyes:

 

Across ponds, too?? :rolleyes:

He was lucky, if he Jay-walked in Germany, he could have been run over.

does this kind of thing happen often across the pond? :rolleyes:

 

if the cops wanna be assholes.. yeah. But people don't generally get arrested all the time for jaywalking.....

Atlanta's pretty bad for over-zealous cops. If he'd spit on the sidewalk, or worse yet, been black, or gay, he might be dead now. Sad.

 

I doubt they make a big deal about jaywalking in England. At least when I was there, it seemed that if you didn't cross when convenient, you'd never get across the road,lol.:rolleyes:

if the cops wanna be assholes.. yeah. But people don't generally get arrested all the time for jaywalking.....

 

What about gaywalking??:rolleyes:

What about gaywalking??:rolleyes:

That could still get you lynched or hanged in Atlanta,lol.

That could still get you lynched or hanged in Atlanta' date='lol.[/quote']

 

Not in San Fran, though - there it's actually encouraged!!:rolleyes:

Not in San Fran' date=' though - there it's actually [i']encouraged!!:rolleyes:[/i]

I've been there. Trust me, you're right! You could get charged for 'straight-walking' there,lol.

that's injustice i believe.

I've been there. Trust me' date=' you're right! You could get charged for 'straight-walking' there,lol.[/quote']

 

:rolleyes:

lol. actually i had similar experience :D not that serious of course. The policemen stoped me and asked for my id which i did not have with me. so he just let me go.

At first when he called me i did not undertand what i did wrong,because here everyone crosses streets wherever they want.:D actually it is not allowed but we just ignore it :D. So anyway i started to argue and even shouted at him once.He was really confused. Then i just turned around and left,so it was not that he just let me go:D but he did not follow anyway. He was a good policmen obviously :)

Why did the chicken cross the road?

Because he wanted to be slapped about by the cops and sent to jail.

Have we learned nothing from the tragic demise of Funky_Chicken?:lol:

'I was grabbed and thrown in U.S. jail for crossing road'

 

 

A distinguished British historian claims he was knocked to the ground by an American policeman before being arrested and spending eight hours in jail — all because he crossed the road in the wrong place.

Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, 56, said he had been the victim of “terrible, terrible violence” after he inadvertently committed the offence of “jaywalking” in Atlanta, Georgia, last week and failed to realise that the man telling him to stop was a police officer.

The slight, bespectacled professor claimed that five policemen then pinned him to the ground after Kevin Leonpacher kicked his legs from under him.

He was left “traumatised and disorientated” and with a gash on his forehead as he was taken to the local jail and charged with pedestrian failure to obey a police officer and physical obstruction of police.

Professor Fernandez-Armesto, once described as “the archetypal superdon”, is an expert in various fields, including global environmental history, comparative colonial history, maritime history and the history of cartography.

He is the author of 19 books, which have been translated into 22 languages and he has won numerous awards.

Once described by the Times as a man who “makes history smart”, he is professor of global environmental history at Queen Mary College, University of London, and a member of Oxford University’s modern history faculty.

Following his arrest for jaywalking, he said he had been subjected to “very humiliating procedures”.

The professor said he appeared in court the next day, “tortured” by the fear that he would end up with a criminal record that would wreck his chances of working in the States.

However, prosecutors agreed to drop the charges and an internal police inquiry is now under way, after the city’s mayor said she had asked the department’s head to look into the incident.

Professor Fernandez-Armesto, who is also a member of the history department at Tufts University in Massachusetts, was in Atlanta for the convention of the American Historical Association.

He said he was innocently crossing the road between the two hotels serving as conference venues when his ordeal began. Because Officer Leonpacher was wearing a “rather louche” bomber jacket that covered his uniform, the professor said he did not realise he was from the police department.

He said: “All I was aware of was a rather intrusive young man shouting at me telling me that I shouldn’t have crossed the road there.

“I thanked him for his advice and went on.”

When Officer Leonpacher then tried to stop him and demanded to see identification, Professor Fernandez-Armesto asked to see the policeman’s own ID, which he “didn’t take kindly to”.

At this point, still not realising he had done anything wrong and wondering whether any of the identification on him would be suitable, he said the officer lost patience.

“He said ‘I am going to arrest you’,” Professor Fernandez-Armesto said. “In the culture I come from this wouldn’t mean that the conversation was over.

“Nor would it mean that you were about to be subjected to terrible, terrible violence.

“This young man kicked my legs from under me, wrenched me round in what I think is a sort of a judo move, pinned me to the ground, wrenched my arms behind my back, handcuffed me. I had five burly policemen pinioning me to the ground, pressing my neck with really very severe pain.”

With his subsequent bail set at £720 but with no way to get the cash, Professor Fernandez-Armesto remained behind bars. The next day he arrived in court, explained to his case to the judge and prosecutors agreed to drop charges.

 

That's from the Telegraph isn't it....yeah, I read this.

I've heard about this happening loads of times to the 'average Joe' but it's only been picked up by our press because of his status. I wonder what happened to the cops? probably got a bonus or something.

Why did the chicken cross the road?

Because he wanted to be slapped about by the cops and sent to jail.

 

And in Texas I guess you can even get "fried" for it!!:rolleyes:

does this kind of thing happen often across the pond? :rolleyes:

 

 

no, not at all! I'm completely shocked!