Article

2009-03-05 -Lurid Crime Tales-

'Say please' at U. S. border nets pepper spray

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Posted by bgrebel 2009-03-05 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11133 views ] Top

#1 Well, I've got to say that I admire the guy---many a time I wanted to knock down and stomp some petty official dictator.

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2009-03-05 01:55|| 2009-03-05 01:55|| Front Page Top

#2 I'm sure he made his "request" to the border guard politely, too. NOT!

(I hope that the guard has this on tape. I'll bet you there is far more to Mr Fortunato's story than what is reported here.)

Posted by Cornsilk Blondie 2009-03-05 06:46|| 2009-03-05 06:46|| Front Page Top

#3 When police order you to do something, you had better do it, unless you are willing to pay the price, which can be a lot more severe than Fortunato paid. The police SHOULD have been polite, but they do not have to be, and way too many are petty people on power trips.

Posted by Glenmore 2009-03-05 07:40|| 2009-03-05 07:40|| Front Page Top

#4 Never go to a pepper spray fight armed only with a bad attitude. Hat tip to the U.S. border guard.

Posted by Besoeker 2009-03-05 07:45|| 2009-03-05 07:45|| Front Page Top

#5 Mr. Fortunato sounds like a pretentious little prick. When I enter a foreign country, I do not demand that the local constabulariess do as I say. I only hope he has a chance to visit other lands and play his little game there. He might look back on pepper spray more fondly

Posted by Frank G 2009-03-05 08:12|| 2009-03-05 08:12|| Front Page Top

#6 Welcome to the "No entry" list Mr. Fortunato.

Posted by ed 2009-03-05 08:25|| 2009-03-05 08:25|| Front Page Top

#7 The police SHOULD have been polite, but they do not have to be, and way too many are petty people on power trips.

Agreed. However, this caught my eye:

officers order border passengers to turn off their vehicles when they want to take somebody from a car and, in such cases, further questioning would be conducted inside the building

So let's see. This guy is a non-US and non-Canadian citizen who goes back and forth over the border regularly.

Post 9/11 that warrants a touch of scrutiny. Security wishes to ask him some questions and he refuses to turn off his car and accompany them.

Add in the fact that he's confronted and tried to intimidate border security guards in the past.

Yup, I don't use profanity often but he does indeed fit the profile of pr**k.

Posted by lotp 2009-03-05 08:41|| 2009-03-05 08:41|| Front Page Top

#8 I disagree that the police need to be polite. They need to be clear and unambiguous. I agree with CSB. Very probably more to the story. This guy could easily be an agent provacateur as his history implies, trying to soften up our defences. Someone should tell him we're at war and you don't want to mess with someone in uniform carrying a gun during wartime.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2009-03-05 08:53|| 2009-03-05 08:53|| Front Page Top

#9 when counter-demands are made to law enforcement, that's when things go south real fast (except in this case, he didn't so South too fast).

Posted by HammerHead 2009-03-05 08:54|| 2009-03-05 08:54|| Front Page Top

#10 Don't mace me bro!

Posted by ed 2009-03-05 08:57|| 2009-03-05 08:57|| Front Page Top

#11 Something tells me there's a little more to the story. Border officers don't whip out the pepper spray at a little (rather stupid) joke.

I suspect that there was a lot more to his attitude.

Posted by CrazyFool 2009-03-05 08:59|| 2009-03-05 08:59|| Front Page Top

#12 g(r)omgoru , Are you making a funny remark ? I Don't know who you are. Please add an explanation of your statement.

Posted by Crusing the Kid5442">Crusing the Kid5442 2009-03-05 12:34|| 2009-03-05 12:34|| Front Page Top

#13 I wonder how the cop would like to have been pepper sprayed himself. I think the guy was entirely correct to ask the cop to be polite, he wasn't being arrested.

I had a somewhat similar thing happen, I was eating at a burger joint, it was good weather so I sat in one o their outdoor deck chairs to eat, I noticed two cops go up to the take out window, then walk toward me, when they got there the younger cop said "What are you doing"? with my mouth bull of burger I replied "Eating lunch", he started to get an attitude and the older cop stopped him, and said "You're wearing a gun", I said "So", and he said "The employees were afraid of you", I couldn't help it, I started laughing, and he Grinned, apologized and they left, muttering something about the wacky employees.

Posted by Redneck Jim"> Redneck Jim 2009-03-05 13:26|| 2009-03-05 13:26|| Front Page Top

#14 Redneck Jim, I am pretty sure that the official got pepper sprayed as part of his training. I got a faceful of that crap before I was allowed to carry it, and the feds, as far as I know, have the same policy.

Posted by Cornsilk Blondie 2009-03-05 14:37|| 2009-03-05 14:37|| Front Page Top

#15 Was the cop wrong? Maybe. Is our Canadian dance instuctor an asshole? Oh, definitely.
I'll lose no sleep over this one...

Posted by tu3031 2009-03-05 14:41|| 2009-03-05 14:41|| Front Page Top

#16 Didja ever here the one about the Portuguese dance studio director that demanded courtesy from the security guard while trying to cross the U.S. border?

The guard politely taught him the Salsa Spray.

Posted by DepotGuy 2009-03-05 14:55|| 2009-03-05 14:55|| Front Page Top

#17 "He said he was questioned by a border officer who demanded he turn off his car and, when asked to make the request more politely, threatened to spray him with his pepper gun if he did not comply."

Yeah, no attitude there. He disobeyed the order, at least twice, despite being warned of the consequences and kept his potentially dangerous vehicle idling. That's like saying I won't put the gun down until you ask politely. This was not the time or place to make demands.

I"m sure the cop will be repremanded because this made national news and became embarrassing but the guy should have shut off the engine and then made his comments about politeness.

Oh, and I believe Cops are all maced as part of their training. Maced and zapped with a stun gun.

Posted by rjschwarz 2009-03-05 17:11|| 2009-03-05 17:11|| Front Page Top

#18 I wonder how the cop would like to have been pepper sprayed himself

Like C.B. sed, as part of the training necessary to carry pepper spray, you do get a face-full of it.

I think the guy was entirely correct to ask the cop to be polite, he wasn't being arrested.

Customs and Border Protection, not just a "cop".

Posted by Pappy 2009-03-05 18:41|| 2009-03-05 18:41|| Front Page Top

#19 RJ - that's just f*cking ignorant. Borders aren't traffic stops, and if a cop stops you in traffic? Do what he says. Period. Write em up later. This poodle has an attitude that would get him beaten elsewhere in the world, and I'd pay to watch it

Posted by Frank G 2009-03-05 18:55|| 2009-03-05 18:55|| Front Page Top

#20 "#12 g(r)omgoru , Are you making a funny remark ? I Don't know who you are. Please add an explanation of your statement."

I don't know who you are, either, Crusing the Kid5442, but grom's statement seemed pretty straightforward to me.

Sure you're not Cruising for a Bruising?

Posted by Barbara Skolaut">Barbara Skolaut 2009-03-05 20:03|| 2009-03-05 20:03|| Front Page Top

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