crime

Woman dies after heavy-set police officer sits on her

61 Comments

Police reported this week that in Sakai City, Osaka, last November a woman in her 40s died from a case of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), a condition that occurs when oxygen is cut off from the brain.

A possible cause of the HIE is suspected to have been the 100-kilogram police officer who had sat on the woman’s back like one would on a pony.

According to police, at about 7 a.m. on Nov 9, Sakai Ward police received a 110 (Japan’s emergency number) call from a family complaining of a “disorderly woman.”

The officer in question, who reportedly weighed 100 kgs with all of his equipment on, rushed to the scene with a group of fellow officers.

Sure enough, they found an out of control woman screaming and throwing things in front of her home. The officers attempted to subdue the woman for 20 minutes when finally they got her one the ground face down and held her arms and legs.

The large policeman assisted by sitting on the woman’s back. Soon after, she lost consciousness as a result of HIE. She was then taken to hospital where she died five days later.

Following the regular procedure, charges of “professional negligence resulting in the death of a suspect” were filed with prosecutors. An investigation is underway to determine whether the police used excessive force in this incident.

In defense of the accused police officer, there were no reports regarding his height or body fat percentage. We also don’t know if this woman was taking any medication or narcotics that could induce an HIE attack.

Source: Yomiuri

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61 Comments
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A fat cop sits on and suffocates a woman. Prosecute the-over-100-kilo-tub-of-lard.

I know it's easy to say in retrospect, but come on, both her arms and legs were being held face down.

-2 ( +14 / -16 )

100 kg is below average weight for cops in many nations I visited.

18 ( +27 / -9 )

Why does it take a gang of fat policemen here this much effort and force them to physically sit on top of a woman. Didn't they invent aikido here? ;)

5 ( +16 / -11 )

Of the few incidents I have seen where Japanese policemen were trying to subdue a violent/unruly/disruptive person, the most common first response seems to be talking gently to person to persuade them to be 'reasonable' and to realize how they are affecting others. This is what these policemen probably were doing for the first 20 minutes. Realizing that wasn't working, they gang-jumped her.

About holding her arms and legs. Don't the police here have handcuffs?

9 ( +11 / -2 )

The police should have had no problem taking down the lady no matter how hysterical she was. If not they could have used an intermediate weapon (baton, OC spray). Once down it should not have been necessary to restrain the woman by sitting on her. The tub-of-lard in question could have used his bulk to keep her in place without having to sit on her. Doing so is just gross incompetence/stupidity.

-5 ( +5 / -10 )

In defense of the accused police officer, there were no reports regarding his height or body fat percentage. We also don’t know if this woman was taking any medication or narcotics that could induce an HIE attack.

What the hell kind of defense is this??? There is no excuse for a man weighing that much to be sitting on ANYONE especially a woman probably half his size!

By the way here are some more facts that I found on other sites:

-initially, three officers unsuccessfully tried to subdue this woman.

-The 100KG police officer stood on BOTH of HIS knees (seiza position) while he was on the woman's back (disgraceful!)

This was found to be incorrect procedure for subduing a person during an arrest (nooo...you think? /sarcasm)

IMO, they should have this guy's badge for not following procedure and charged for manslaughter, but he will most likely not even lose his job! UGH! Disgusting!!

6 ( +13 / -7 )

100 kg is below average weight for cops in many nations I visited.

Story says he was 100kg with all his equipment, probably 50kg without ...

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Japanese police either don't have good procedures to restrain/subdue suspects or sometimes ignore those procedures.

-1 ( +6 / -7 )

Im sorry but I don't see what is new in this story? It was published at the time it happened, but above there is very little new information - except the weight of the policeman.

I recall hearing that she she was completely out of control, and suspected to be on drugs, in the Japanese media. I also cant believe they didnt do a post mortem examination to check for drugs after she died?

regardless, its a fairly sad state of affairs when it takes 3 adult, male policeman to subdue one 40 year old woman... and then they cant even do it safely?

5 ( +9 / -4 )

Definitely unprofessional and negligent, but at least the police are admitting the cause and he is being charged. RIP hysterical woman.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Have any of you Monday night quarterbacks ever tried to restrain a crazy person? I somehow seriously doubt it. If she had pulled that crap in the States she would have been lucky to only get hit with a taser. 100 kg isn't that big you people have been in Japan way too long. Now if he was kneeling on her back with both legs that might be negligent. But it depends on how much she was resisting. 1 knee in the back is common practice in the real world. You have know idea just how strong crazy can make a person. I've seen a 93 year old with dementia in a hospital who uses a walker take down 3 healthy adults then sprint ( yes sprint not run) down a hospital hallway without her walker. You do not mess around with crazy people, they will hurt or even kill you. And isn't a bit immature to be name calling this officer because of his weight? For all you know he's 6'3" and built like a tank. Now I am the last person to defend the Japanese Police. I find them completely worthless hiding from bozozuku in their Kobans. I'm happy to hear they actually responded to the neighbors call. People die its part of life if you don't want to go early dont be crazy.

12 ( +21 / -9 )

Police were called in to "subdue" this woman...not sure of the Japanese police procedures but as far as tactics used in the US this sounds reasonable. Also 220lbs is a normal weight for a US/European police officer with "full gear". More than likely there was more to her medical history that attributed to her death. I'm not sure what they expected the police to do...sit in the police cruiser and watch?? She would've got "tazed" in the states.

5 ( +8 / -3 )

Have any of you Monday night quarterbacks ever tried to restrain a crazy person?

I'm not doubting the difficulty of restraining a crazy person. But the fact is that in all probability the police officer (unintentionally) killed her. Did she deserve to die because she was crazy? The only crime she committed was being a public nuisance.

Perhaps it was a freak accident, perhaps it was bad police procedures - either way, it needs to be investigated, and the police officer must be held accountable for her death if it is proved that he caused it.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

I wonder how big the woman was that multiple grown men couldn't subdue her without sitting on her

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Try using handcuffs next time!

1 ( +2 / -1 )

this lady was acting crazy and the cop was just doing his duty, she died and it was an accident. weight doesn't matter as he was not there to suffocate her. of course he is professionally negligent and should be reprimanded and given more proper training but he is guilty of manslaughter and should remorse for life, no I dont think so!

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

We also don’t know if this woman was taking any medication or narcotics that could induce an HIE attack.

Why is this included? Why speculate? Unless the reporter is trying to get the fat cop off the hook.

Just out of curiosity, since people generally lose consciousness when they pass out, how long did fatso sit on her after she stopped moving?

Bottom line is that cops here really aren't trained for this, or much of anything there. That's why when they come up against these situations, they do things like sit on people, instead of using handcuffs, plastic restraints, tasers, etc.

Did they draw their weapons on this woman? Or just rush her and grab her?

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

It was her own fault. She doesn't get hysterical and she doesn't get sat upon.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

In defense of the accused police officer, there were no reports regarding his height or body fat percentage.

That's not a defense -- 100 kilos is 100 kilos. I bet the deceased weighed no more than 45 kg.

We also don’t know if this woman was taking any medication or narcotics that could induce an HIE attack.

That's what autopsies are for. While they're doing a chemical workup they should also look to see if the cause of death might have been a broken rib piercing a lung.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

also... "Heavy set police officer"! hhahaha. Just say "Chubby cop"! easy!

0 ( +1 / -1 )

SOON AFTER, she lost consciousness??? How long did he sit on her? This should be the main question.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

100Kg may not be a "big person" by American standards where there are morbidly obese people in the 500-600lbs range, but to have a full 200+lbs on your back forcing you into a hard ground FOR 20 MINUTES is a lot of load for any normal person especially a 40 yo woman to take. He had NO business being on top of her for that long. At most, I can see him having "A" knee in her back to restrain her while they either handcuff her wrists and/or ankles or hog tie her, but I can't see any reason for a 200lb man to be completely on top of a woman's back in a kneeling position for 20 minutes to the point she loses consciousnesses...NO excuse. This is police brutality or plain incompetence and negligence.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

What does the percentage of body fat have to do with the amount weight placed upon a person? Would it be different if it was 100Kg of rocks with no body fat? Was the woman harming anyone or just throwing things and screaming? She was screaming and throwing things in front of her HOME. There is no excuse for any of the officers behavior, perhaps she was angry but she had committed no crime.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

100 kg is below average weight for cops in many nations I visited.

Don't see how this comment is relevant to the conversation. Just another nigelboy comment mocking other countries as he is prone to do. So many of his nasty comments are allowed to escape moderation.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

No tasers in Japan?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Iron monkeys seems to have got the balance right here. Crazy people take a lot of controlling. Papasmurf, the police officer killing her is NOT a fact, it is assumed. Funny no one even speculates that the fact she was uncontrollable and fighting everyone could have led to HIE via exhaustion too. What danger did she present? Enough for people around to call the police, outside of that is pure (but all too common here) armchair speculation.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

If the woman was out of control, she was obviously not in her right mind. The article fails to mention if she was in the middle of a panic attack or was mentally ill at the time the police officer murdered her. Why the hell were paramedics not on the scene with the police with the "Bones" McCoy tranquilizer shot to sedate her?

0 ( +2 / -2 )

No Miso, that is why I qualify my statement with "if it is proved that he caused it".

If he was inadvertently blocking her air supply by sitting on her, then it is manslaughter. If he was holding her down in whatever manner they deem acceptable and she had a seizure or something, then it is a freak accident. We don't know which, and that is why they are investigating. If mirai hayashi's report is true then it seems like excessive force to me, but who knows what really happened...

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Resisting arrest is a crime, obviously she wouldn't cooperate with the police hence the reason why it took a few to try and apprehend her. The story (like always) still leaves out important details, and it's easy for someone who has never done security work at all to drum up accusations like many I have read here. Who is to say she really died from how she was restrained, perhaps she had other health issues, or may have been on drugs. Who knows for sure?

1 ( +2 / -0 )

This could have been prevented had she cooperated and not resisted arrest in the first place. With that said, I for one do not trust all officers of any kind, and you never know how the can react or carry out certain procedures. One time late at night I was pulled over (This was in the US) I right away put my hands on the steering wheel and turned on the car light. Why? Because there are idiots out there who jump or get the wrong ideas. It's to protect both of us, to ensure to the cop he has nothing to be alarmed about, so I don't get tazed or shot because of his ignorance. Just do what you are asked to avoid situations like this.

1 ( +3 / -1 )

Didn't they invent aikido here?

don't kid yourself that aikido will help in any way in this case

1 ( +3 / -2 )

In defense of the accused police officer, there were no reports regarding his height or body fat percentage

. What difference do either of these matter? 100kg's of fat is the same as 100kg's of muscle when talking about weight alone. Plus like height matters?

I personally weigh around 110 kg, but also stand over 190 cm too and there is no way in hell that I am going to sit on any woman's back like a pony. There are better ways of subduing a suspect and these cops need to go back to school to learn.

What are they going to do if I go crazy? Park a car on my back?

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Not enough details provided so I am not assuming anything.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

I would like to know information as it comes out. I am not going to give the "heavy" cop a pass (as some have alread done) just yet with what little I know.

George

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Oh my God he's fat, let's prosecute him! No fat person should ever involve themselves in such things like this. Disgraceful.

I think all fat policemen should be retested and sent back to training until they're skinny. We can't have fat people in uniform.

That woman was clearly innocent. After all, he was fat.

I'd argue for more information, like what she was on if anything, compounding medical conditions, the actual events as it happened for those 20 minutes, and just how the fat cop sat on the lady. But then, he's fat. So of course he's a bad cop.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

He isn't necessarily fat, but he is definitely heavy. I weigh just about that much, without all the gear, and there is no way in hell I would be sitting on a woman, a man, or a Japanese chair unless a gun was involved... If he isn't fat, then he had at his disposal the necessary force to stop a woman, any out-of-control woman, without having to resort to using his derriere.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

"The officers attempted to subdue the woman for 20 minutes when finally they got her one the ground". "One the ground". Sure that shouldn't be "on"?

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

I think all fat policemen should be retested and sent back to training until they're skinny. We can't have fat people in uniform.

I agree with you 100%. Policemen, firefighters, and soldiers should be in decent shape. The fat ones need to get in shape or find a more suitable profession for themselves.

but to have a full 200+lbs on your back forcing you into a hard ground FOR 20 MINUTES is a lot of load for any normal person

You misread the article. It took them 20 minutes to get her on the ground. It doesn't say how long the guy was on her back.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

@poppler

You misread the article. It took them 20 minutes to get her on the ground. It doesn't say how long the guy was on her back.

I don't read JT exclusively. I read other articles (in Japanese) and many of them strongly imply that the officer was on top of her for 20 minutes. see below:

Quote: 井上理事長は「20分も乗っていたとしたら非常に危険。その危険性を警察官が理解できていなかったことが問題」と話した

Translation: "If he was her back for 20 minutes, it would be extremely dangerous, and for the officer to not to realize that, is a problem" said Inoue, the board chairman.

source: http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20130425-00000036-sph-soci

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I agree with you 100%. Policemen, firefighters, and soldiers should be in decent shape. The fat ones need to get in shape or find a more suitable profession for themselves.

We can't assume that the officer was overweight. His height might have been proportional to his weight and have been in really good physical condition..., but 100kg is still 100kg not matter how this guy was built.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

WTF ?

many of them strongly imply that the officer was on top of her for 20 minutes.

100 kgs with all of his equipment on

100 kg with his d... and his knife ! Obviously he had the wrong equipment if he had nothing else to restrain an "epileptic".

I agree with you 100%. Policemen, firefighters, and soldiers should be in decent shape. The fat ones need to get in shape or find a more suitable profession for themselves.

I don't care if they "look" fat. Some guys sport a beer belly but are well trained technically and fit enough. Don't they get some sessions at the gym regularly to see which is able to fight and who should stick to desk work and giving street directions ?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

This is so lame-- It seems we have one or two of these happen every year. It is so stupid and so preventable. They had her arms and legs under control? And she was face down? What was this guy's purpose exactly? WHy?

0 ( +2 / -2 )

To all the "fat cop", "chubby cop" posters out there (and to the Yomiuri Shinbum who calls him "heavy-set" in the headline but then says they have no idea of his height or build), I'm 6 feet, 2 inches tall and weigh 220 pounds in my birthday suit. A quick check of the online converter shows that 220 lbs is... 100 kg! I am in no way "heavy-set", "fat", or "chubby". Now take this cop who weighs the same as I do in my birthday suit only when he's wearing all his police gear. I highly doubt the guy is overweight.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I'm sure the police man did not mean to bring harm to the woman, he just thought it would be easy to restrain her by sitting on her.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Fadamor

We all convince ourselves we aren't 'heavy-set' etc. but just maybe, in fact....

The brain is powerful!

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

hmmm... this is hard to say, a a “disorderly woman”, is hard to control because 1) of her gender, therefore no extreme force can be exercised upon her, 2) when they are on their psychotic rages you are safer behind them, that is away from their peripheral vision.

many of you should not be quick to judge the policemen involved, my guess is without wanting to cause excess body harm to the woman they chose to immobilize her by sitting on her. after all if she was indeed in rage and out of control she may cause harm to anyone within range... just sayin.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

@serendipitous,

We all convince ourselves we aren't 'heavy-set' etc. but just maybe, in fact...

In the Fall I officiate high school football games as a Head Linesman. I'm 53 years old. It's my job to run down the sideline and keep up with 18-year old athletes during pass plays. I assure you I am not "heavy-set". While the odds are that the policeman is noticeably shorter than me, he also has all that additional gear on that I never have to wear. I just don't see that he should automatically be assumed to be "chubby", "fat", or "heavy-set".

1 ( +1 / -0 )

many of you should not be quick to judge the policemen involved, my guess is without wanting to cause excess body harm to the woman they chose to immobilize her by sitting on her. after all if she was indeed in rage and out of control she may cause harm to anyone within range... just sayin.

Without knowing if the woman was on drugs similar to PCP, I won't make a judgement on the amount of force they had to use to subdue her. I WILL note that there have been multiple cases around the world in the past year where suspects have been killed after a law enforcement official sat on their back or chest, preventing the diaphragm from letting in more air. Law enforcement needs to find an alternative to sitting on the upper torso as a restraint method.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Fadamor Apr. 27, 2013 - 05:07AM JST Law enforcement needs to find an alternative to sitting on the upper torso as a restraint method.

For safety reason, police officer should be able to handcuff someone without arresting them. If police officer arrive at a chaotic scene and sometimes run into combative or erratic behavior, and the circumstances where the officer deem it necessary due to safety or the suspect's own safety. Some jurisdictions require the officer to clearly state to the person words to this effect: "You are NOT being placed under arrest, I'm just detaining you for a short while until we have determined who's who and what's what. You are not free to go just yet, but at the same time, you are not under arrest. I will let you know as soon as possible whether you will go into custody or be let go."

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

"...she died five days later."

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

@fadamor

" Law enforcement needs to find an alternative to sitting on the upper torso as a restraint method."

As much as criminals need to stop being violent and resisting arrest?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

megosaa-

I don't think you are familiar with restraining and submission. There are a million ways to hold someone and keep them down, and that's not including the millions more that there are when it is not just you but you and 5 of your buddies.

Just going by what it says in the article, they had her on the ground face down and had her arms and legs pinned. I do not see the need for a 100 kg weight to be applied to her back.

As Fadamor says, it is possible she was on PCP which is a special circumstance. But relatively unlikely in jpn. There have been other deaths by asphyxiation caused by cops here in jpn in recent yrs. They need a new bag of tricks. btw I weigh 90 kg and regularly subdue ppl by "sitting" (usually lying) on them all the time in MA. Even using that "trick" there are places/ways to apply your weight so they can still breath. These cops sound lazy, or untrained or arrogant (enjoying displaying force on a weaker opponent) to me.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

I'm sure the police man did not mean to bring harm to the woman, he just thought it would be easy to restrain her by sitting on her.

If he's a cop you'd think that he would be trained to know other ways to restrain a person. Would you "mind" if I sat on your back for 20 minutes? If you read my previous post you'll know what I weigh, and there is no way I would ever think to do that, and I'm not a cop.

Why not hand-cuff her? What about a taser? I mean really now? All these guys and one woman?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Paramedics or police.....dilema...i had the same issue with my office staff in uae... there we calleed police and paramedics...police start investigattion like y when what etc. As soon as paramedics arrived they first asked n investigated medicine he has been taking... soon they discovered that its a case of dimentia that may be caused by some asthma drug or sideeffect... they didnot told about us but they covered him well with traqulizers and all of sudden it went right...he is now well

1 ( +1 / -0 )

So how many Japanese cops does it take to subdue a female? Ever heard of a taser gun....

3 ( +3 / -0 )

The Police should be employing proper restraint techniques, obviously this may have been fine to begin with to subdue her but why wasn't she cuffed and put in a vehicle? BTW everyone, the gear they carry would not weigh any more than 10kg...especially in Japan

3 ( +3 / -0 )

she died 5 days after so whats the big deal here? blaming the officer?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

miko-

certain injuries have a "gestation" period, especially when the injury is sustained by someone who already has a disease or other injury.

easiest to understand-most commonly documented- would getting some sort of head injury involving bruising to or light bleeding in the brain, or damage to vascular walls. Getting another even very slight blow to the head can cause sudden death, coma, or a slower death that takes hours or days.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

RIP ! The officer should join Sumo wrestling instead of keeping laws & orders

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Usually it is always excessive in JP. They always send like 10 officers. But the real question is how many officers were trying to hold her down? And if it was more than 2, how big was the woman. Also, if you have her arms and legs, why do you need to sit on her back? if you sit on her back you can't restrain her properly.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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