Woman Killed By Handcuffs at Phoenix Sky Harbor

[Berzerker]

"A late-arriving passenger become irate with airline workers was arrested at Phoenix Sky Harbor International and then died while in police custody. Police believe the woman –- 45-year-old Carol Ann Gotbaum -– may have accidentally strangled herself while trying to escape from her handcuffs, which held her hands behind her back. Media accounts say police had to be called after Gotbaum become angry after she was denied boarding for her US Airways flight after she arrived at the gate past the flight's boarding cutoff."

http://blogs.usatoday.com/sky/2007/10/woman-dies-in-p.html

SPIN!!! She died for the same reason that big black dude in Ohio died after cops handcuffed his arms behind his back and pinned him down on his stomach. Its similar to the suffocation Jesus would have experienced had they busted his legs and made him hang from the cross by his arms. If you handcuff someone for long enough they'll likely suffocate, especially overweight people, apnea and handcuffs are a deadly mix.

*******s, and after they killed her they blamed her too

[SlowwHand]

Darwinism at work.

[BlackCat]

Arguing with airport staff when you get too late to a flight

[Riesstiu IV]

Re: Woman Killed By Handcuffs at Phoenix Sky Harbor

Originally posted by Berzerker
may have accidentally strangled herself while trying to escape from her handcuffs, which held her hands behind her back.

Uhhh, how is that even possible.

[Berzerker]

Darwinism is when people kill themselves in embarrassing ways

Like the kid who blew up a hornet's nest and the explosion broke the window to the house he was hiding in, the hornets tracked him down and he died from the stings.

[Darius871]

Originally posted by Riesstiu IV
Uhhh, how is that even possible.

My guess is she was flexible enough to get them up over her head, but after that point her joints were locked up and the chain was stuck on her neck with no way of moving it.

A better strategy would have been to just go under the legs, but hey people are stupid.

[Berzerker]

45 year old alcoholic women aren't very flexible

How did she get the chain around the front of her throat?

I imagine they wouldn't need to speculate about what killed her had she actually gotten herself into a position and strangled herself.

[Wezil]

There is a lesson here for Americans. This is what being rude gets you.

[Dis]

Re: Re: Woman Killed By Handcuffs at Phoenix Sky Harbor

Originally posted by Riesstiu IV


Uhhh, how is that even possible.

I'm thinking they killed her and are trying to cover it up.

[Wezil]

That's the most likely scenario.

When I first saw the thread my concern was the lack of observation on a restrained individual. She sounded like she might be in need of restraining but who was keeping an eye on her? The full article says she was in some sort of holding room. What was in this room (furniture or other items? padded walls?) is not mentioned. I don't think we have enough info to really say what happened.

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Darius871


My guess is she was flexible enough to get them up over her head, but after that point her joints were locked up and the chain was stuck on her neck with no way of moving it.

A better strategy would have been to just go under the legs, but hey people are stupid.

There's no way anyone could get handcuffs over their head like that.

[Berzerker]

When I first saw the thread my concern was the lack of observation on a restrained individual.

I wonder if they had her chained down to a bed, if you're in handcuffs and you can move around suffocation takes longer.

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by Kidicious
There's no way anyone could get handcuffs over their head like that.

Not safely anyway.

[Berzerker]

the problem isn't getting the hands over the head, some people have double jointed shoulders and can do that. But once you did, how do you strangle yourself? Your arms would be extended above your head, not wrapped around your neck. And wouldn't she be in such a position when cops entered the room? You're a detective looking at her body, is she all contorted with the chain around her throat?

[Wezil]

Originally posted by Berzerker


I wonder if they had her chained down to a bed, if you're in handcuffs and you can move around suffocation takes longer.

I can see several scenarios.

1) Empty room (something like a holding cell) which would require minimal supervision, but also would remove the need for the cuffs.
2) A holding cell special built to hold a cuffed detainee (like what you are thinking perhaps). Minimal supervision required.
3) Room with minimal furniture (interview room). May require cuffs to prevent damage to furniture or self but would also require a higher level of monitoring.

We don't know how long she had been held, how long they were planning on holding her, what the "holding room" consisted of, how far away the guards were or how frequently they checked on her.

All we do know is she was apparently cuffed in some sort of holding room and was found not to be well when she stopped screaming. Way too little info, even for me.