Mounties Electrocute Airline Passenger

Is airline passenger abuse on the rise as a result of passenger
reaction to airline delays?


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Man dies after Taser shock by police at Vancouver airport
Last Updated: Sunday, October 14, 2007 | 5:04 PM ET

A man in his 40s died early Sunday morning after RCMP jolted him with
a Taser at the Vancouver International Airport, police said.

Airport security called the Mounties for assistance after an
unidentified man began pounding on windows and throwing chairs and
computer equipment in the customs area shortly after arriving on an
international flight at 1:30 a.m., Richmond RCMP Sgt. Pierre Lemaitre
told CBC News.

"We arrived and tried to calm the man," Lemaitre said. "We tried
through gestures to get him to put his hands down on the desk … to no
avail."

When he ignored orders to calm down, police used a stun gun on the
man.

The man dropped to the floor and police said it took three officers to
handcuff him. He then lost consciousness and appeared to go into
cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead at the airport, the CBC's Chris
Brown reported.

Few other details have been disclosed other than the man spoke an
Eastern European language and a flight from Poland touched down about
an hour before the incident, Brown said.

Taser devices are controversial because of the dozen North American
deaths resulting from their use. There has been debate about how safe
these devices are when dealing with certain kinds of people who are
delirious or wound up, Brown said.

Police are investigating and a toxicology report will be done to
determine whether there were drugs in the man's system. They will be
interviewing customs officers and flight attendants, Brown reported.

International arrivals were rerouted but there were no delays in
flight schedules.