More police "brutality"?

[skipdup]

OK, not brutality, but another example of cop over-stepping?

Police: Grandmother Arrested At McDonald's Drive-Thru For Not Pulling Car Forward

Video in link...

[legion]

Some cops are in it for the power trip.

[Mo_Gearhead]

Over-stepping? You are joking ...right?

The police should arrest ANYONE attempting to purchase ANYTHING they intend to consume at a McDonald's!

[skipdup]

Grandmother, 75, Gets Cuffs, Not Fries
Tampa Bay Online
updated 7:40 a.m. CT, Sun., Jan. 20, 2008

By Carlos Moncada of The Tampa Tribune

CLEARWATER - If anyone was "lovin' it!" at the McDonald's that Jean Merola visited Thursday evening, it certainly wasn't her.

The 75-year-old grandmother of eight was arrested for disorderly conduct after she refused a police officer's orders to move her car while she waited for the coffee and fries she ordered at the drive-through window.

"Isn't that terrible?'' she said from her Clearwater home Saturday. "Oh my goodness, here I am, a poor little innocent woman waiting for my French fries.''

Merola had pulled her Lincoln Town Car to an area where drive-up customers are directed if their orders will take some time. She ordered her fries without salt.

While waiting, a Clearwater police officer pulled up behind her and started honking his horn, she said. He was also waving his arms, apparently signaling for her to move her car, she said.

It was not immediately clear why the officer was at the McDonald's

She stayed put, so Officer Matthew Parco, 30, got out and walked over to her car and asked for her license and registration. Words were exchanged and after a brief altercation, she was handcuffed behind her back and put in the cruiser, according to Merola and an arrest affidavit.

Another officer arrived and took her to the Pinellas County Jail, where she was booked for misdemeanor disorderly conduct. Merola said she was searched, photographed and fingerprinted. She was released about 90 minutes later on her own recognizance, jail records show.

"My shoulder hurt me so bad that night," said Merola, who said she was just getting over pneumonia. "My shoulder and my arms and both of my hands were all swollen. When you're older you can't take that. That's when you're a young person, to put up with that. And it was uncalled for.''

The arrest affidavit states that Merola's car was partially blocking the drive-through lanes. Parco wrote that he asked her three times to move her car forward a foot to allow cars behind her to pass.

After refusing, Merola yelled at Parco for about 20 minutes, calling him a "brat,'' a "smart a--,'' and a "dumb----,'' according to the affidavit.

Merola, a widow and 43-year resident of Clearwater, made no apologies for her conduct. She said she could not move her car forward as the officer wanted because a curb was in front of her. She denies that she was blocking anyone.

"He's the one that blocked the traffic," she said. "Because he parked there where he wasn't supposed to park.''

As for swearing, "I got upset because he honked his horn at me,'' Merola said. "You know, it's only normal for you to get upset when somebody honks a horn at you when you're not doing anything.''

Merola said Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard called her Saturday morning to offer an apology.

"He says, "I am so sorry Mrs. Merola, this should never have happened."

Neither Hibbard nor Clearwater police were immediately available to comment.

The personnel at the jail also were sympathetic, Merola said. She didn't have to go in a cell with other inmates and didn't have to put on the yellow jumpsuit they wear, she said.

"They were very, very nice to me,'' she said. "When I was in there, they were just all shaking their heads. And I didn't get to eat my McDonald's, you know? So they gave me a sandwich. But I couldn't eat it.''

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Never get between a donut-dunker and his Big Mac.

[skipdup]

Crazy broad should have been tazed.

another interview video...

Love how the cop wanted to "Baker Act" her.

[TGTIW]

I'm going to go with the cop in this one. Just pull the damn car forward a bit and the problem would have been solved.

[Hugh R]

Mouthing off to the cop, serves the old biddy right.

[legion]

Originally Posted by Hugh R

Mouthing off to the cop, serves the old biddy right.

I'd like to point out that the first article failed to mention this.

[URY914]

This one has been all over the local news. Of course the newspaper only tells half the story so everyone takes Granny's side.

Yes, maybe when a cop with a badge and a gun asks you to do something you should just do it. Moving your car up 12" so the he can get by you doesn't seem too much to ask. But the whole thing went downhill from there.

[skipdup]

Originally Posted by TGTIW

I'm going to go with the cop in this one. Just pull the damn car forward a bit and the problem would have been solved.

She says there was a curb in front of her.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by TGTIW

I'm going to go with the cop in this one. Just pull the damn car forward a bit and the problem would have been solved.

Ditto. I encounter drivers like this who should not have a license all the time in my neighborhood. If she refused to move her car one foot forward to allow others to pass, fuch her. Arrest her and impound her POS car. I'm just sorry that the mayor apologized to her. What a gutless wonder.

It's kind of funny and interesting that we have become this unofficial citizen's review panel here of police conduct, with a few LEOs on the panel as well.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by skipdup

She says there was a curb in front of her.

I'll bet anything you want to wager that there was an easy way to move the car out of the way. I don't envision a cop ordering her to drive her car through some kind of barrier.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

The dash cam from the cruiser would be pretty interesting and telling.

[skipdup]

Speeder- You know this lady's driving abilities how??? You know she wasn't exactly where McDonalds told her to be how???

Wife heard an interview where lady said she didn't become belligerent until after cop accused her of suffering from dementia and attempting to "Baker Act" her.

[masraum]

I'm also with the cop on this one. I suspect that she was acting like a dumbazz, got called on it, and is now making a big deal out of it to get her 15 mins and be a "victim".

Yes, I'm sure there are cops that cross the line, but I think that's a small minority.

[Mule]

Thank God we have valiant individuals like this, willing to risk all for the common good, even in the face of a determined, 75 yo grandmother. So are you defenders saying that this was a prudent course of action for this fine officer to take? He said he argued with her for 20 min. Did it take 20 min to get a freakin order of fries? If so Ronald should be arrested. I hope somebody jacks Barnie Fife's grandma up over something this stupid.

[URY914]

I'm sure there is a policy that ANYONE arrested and placed in the backseat gets cuffed.

[skipdup]

From here

Clearwater police said they would not do an on-camera interview until an administrative report into the incident is complete. There was no dashcam video of the incident.

[skipdup]

Isn't a McDonald's parking lot private property? Do police have the authority to do this on private property?