A 24-year-old transient man was arrested Wednesday afternoon in downtown Lawrence after threatening restaurant patrons with a railroad spike.
According to Lawrence Police Sgt. Damon Thomas, the transient man had been walking down Massachusetts Street when he approached some people drinking in the outdoor patio area at an area restaurant.
Thomas said the man asked some people drinking outside Free State Brewing Co., 636 Massachusetts St., if he could have a beer or cigarette. When the people refused, the man became belligerent. He then produced what the patrons of the restaurant originally believed to be a knife and began threatening people with it. Thomas said the weapon turned out to be a railroad spike.
The patrons were able to talk the transient man down and then called the police.
Thomas said the suspect then turned around as if he were going to attack someone, but was tackled by a 49-year-old Lawrence man and held until police arrived. When officers reached the scene, they subdued the man and took him into custody.
The man was booked into the Douglas County Jail about 6:20 p.m. on charges of aggravated assault and criminal damage.
No one was injured during the incident.
Comments
parrothead8 7 years, 4 months ago
"...but was tackled by a 49-year-old Lawrence man and held until police arrived."
Nice. That's what I call a citizen's arrest.
parrothead8 7 years, 4 months ago
So anybody who threatens someone is representative of an entire group, and that entire group should be banished from the city? Lawrence would be a ghost town if we operated by that philosophy.
William McCauley 7 years, 4 months ago
Oh but I took some really good photos and submitted them to the J-world last night, but as usual they (LJW) are asleep or choose to not use images not taken by staff. Seems like a total waste of time to try to provide news or photos to this media outlet.
Jonathan Kealing 7 years, 4 months ago
See my comment below. We did get them and are happy to use submitted photos (look at weather and KU coverage for examples of all the submitted photos we use). This is just a case where it didn't seem like a good idea to use any photos.
William McCauley 7 years, 4 months ago
J K I did (see below) as you know, now if there was a delete comment I would have used it already after our exchange below. Thanks again for the replies.
1234 7 years, 4 months ago
AWESOME I wish I could have seen the dude tackle the "downtowner" lol
Evan Ridenour 7 years, 4 months ago
This is a perfect article to run with the recent plaza "riots."
pfunk81 7 years, 4 months ago
notwhatyouthink, you'd have to stop the trains to stop the transients. That's how a lot of them get here.
OldEnuf2BYurDad 7 years, 4 months ago
LOTS of towns have trains without having things like this happening as often as it does in Lawrence. We have a trainsient "problem" that we fail to manage.
I would like for Lawrence to have MORE shelters - shelters with strict rules about behaviors, and with good resources. We need to gain a reputation as the town with the shelters that will help you get clean if you want to get clean; but who will not put up with your BS for one single second if you start acting crazy around our women.
Adrienne Sanders 7 years, 4 months ago
OldEnuf, shelters that helped people get back on their feet would be ideal... but in reality we'd need less shelters if that were the case. Many addicts will choose to sleep on the streets (or wherever) rather than stay sober so they can get into a shelter.
Alabamastreet 7 years, 4 months ago
A spike in crime?
independant1 7 years, 4 months ago
Poor guy, walked all the way downtown from frat row for one more round and that's how you treat him?. He'll most likely be late for his English lit class today.
workinghard 7 years, 4 months ago
Another example of the entitlement a lot of the younger generation feel. Notice I did not say all, but a lot. It is now coming out that society went overboard with the whole "you are special and everything you do is special" mentality, and "you are entitled to anything you want" parenting. Kudos to those parents that realized that way of thinking would do more harm than good. There seems to be a lot of transient problems lately, could it be a conspiracy to get the city to approve the new homeless shelter to get them out of our hair?
yankeevet 7 years, 4 months ago
If someone there had a conceal and carry permit; he may have gotton more then a beer and a cigeratte.
Gotoit 7 years, 4 months ago
When the law that HEY_FUQ mentioned passed, there was also a change in the zoning rule: state law overrides city ordinance for all concealed carry laws. The 200 ft. law was city ordinance and can no longer be enforced. Also, with the concealed carry in drinking establishments, it is still actually illegal to carry in one, but a concealed carry licensee cannot be prosecuted if there is no sign on the door. Anyway, I believe, but don't know for sure, that Free State sells enough food that they would not likely fall under the drinking establishment category for this law (somewhere between 30-51% food sales).
DillonBarnes 7 years, 4 months ago
@ vertigo, I believe you are mistaken on that. The original law restricted carrying at bars, but 2007 modifications altered that slightly. To restrict carrying concealed, an establishment MUST post the proper sign. If I read it right this basically takes all those establishments (bars, churches, etc) and makes them the same as regular establishment. Charges cannot be brought against a person carrying in a bar if the bar isn't posted correctly.
DillonBarnes 7 years, 4 months ago
Not to mention the article says it was a restaurant, not a bar.
parrothead8 7 years, 4 months ago
Actually, this seems like a perfect example of solving a problem without a gun. The group talked him down, then subdued him. I think the situation was handled really well by the citizenry, and introducing a gun into the scenario would likely have resulted in someone getting hurt or killed.
DillonBarnes 7 years, 4 months ago
I'm going to have to disagree with you on that one. After reading this story I had to think what I would have done had I been sitting there carrying that day. It's hard to say either way really, you can't say whether the situation would have elevated or not.
It seems like a situation that would not warrant use of shooting someone, and I don't think someone carrying concealed that day would have. Actually, how do you know someone wasn't carrying that day?
I guess my point is you can't say what would have happened, but IMO this situation wouldn't have elevated to a shooting.
parrothead8 7 years, 4 months ago
You're right, I can't know if someone there was carrying. But what I do know is that nobody introduced a gun into the situation, and nobody got hurt. I do think a gun would have resulted in someone getting hurt, but there's no way to tell for sure. We just have a differing opinion.
Brent Fry 7 years, 4 months ago
Still waiting for the upcoming post about how it is the transient's right to be in this town. Come on guys, they are entitled to us giving them free stuff. I think it's really going to take one of those transients killing a mass st. patron for the city to actually do something about it.
But hey, I'm not a bleeding heart liberal, so I've wanted them out for quite some time now.
Tim Quest 7 years, 4 months ago
CMM, I'm sure those posts will be along shortly as soon as the public library opens.
audibleangel 7 years, 4 months ago
like pigeons. feed them once and they will flock
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 7 years, 4 months ago
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
twinetowngirl 7 years, 4 months ago
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
jbiegs 7 years, 4 months ago
You don't hear about things like this happening in Topeka! LOL
kujayhawk 7 years, 4 months ago
....because the homeless don't even want to live in Topeka. :)
Luxor 7 years, 4 months ago
And they want to put the homeless shelter near Praire Park Elementary????
workinghard 7 years, 4 months ago
I don't think it is that close to the school.
workinghard 7 years, 4 months ago
Well this guy won't be around long, they have already removed his profile page.
William McCauley 7 years, 4 months ago
Too bad there is no way to post photos here, this low life had some real nice tattoos on his face, on the right cheek the word "horse" and on the left cheek the word "Sh**" . Then like a moron he is he tried to fight the 8 cops.
Come LJW dose anyone bother to check the online photo submissions from the community, those where great images of the action you were sent.
How about it J. K> ?
Jonathan Kealing 7 years, 4 months ago
Oh we got them. But as the person hasn't been charged, it wouldn't be right to post them.
Jonathan Kealing 7 years, 4 months ago
Thanks, by the way, for sending them.
William McCauley 7 years, 4 months ago
Your welcome, didn't know he had to be charge to be used, I'll keep that in mind for the future, thanks for the reply, have a good day.
Jonathan Kealing 7 years, 4 months ago
We don't identify suspects in crimes until formal charges have been filed. And posting the photos would ID them. Doesn't mean we might not still want the photos, just in this case it didn't seem like we should use them until formal charges are filed.
pfunk81 7 years, 4 months ago
I knew it. Somehow I knew it. I saw this guy up there on Monday night too. Like I said earlier, he's a trainhopper. He tried to follow us around, I told my friend we had to ditch him or risk getting 'The Hobo Knife.' Guess I was pretty spot on.
OldEnuf2BYurDad 7 years, 4 months ago
A big sign that your life has gone awry: dude twice your age subdues you in public.
The 49 year old is probably still in the bathtub trying to wash the funk off. Try tomato juice, dude.
workinghard 7 years, 4 months ago
Saw your post before it was deleted along with others, and don't see why on earth it was removed. But I see that very offensive new user name is still up there.
Flap Doodle 7 years, 4 months ago
Haven't seen this many posts whacked from a single thread since the days when He Who Must Not Be Named was around....
puddleglum 7 years, 4 months ago
where is the red ink comment removed?
I love that Red Ink.
JK- can't you post the photos with a blur around dude's face so at least we can see some of the action? thanks
William McCauley 7 years, 4 months ago
In the photos submitted by me the guy pulled up a bandana to cover his so in the images you can't see his whole face. I also had to photoshop out his flipping the bird to the camea to make it "print friendly". I assume once his is charged you will see the photos or photo?
workinghard 7 years, 4 months ago
Now when they gray out a remark they also remove the name so you can't tell you said it, spoils all the fun.
independant1 7 years, 4 months ago
A thing that is free is of no earthly importance. (Will Rogers)
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 7 years, 4 months ago
Could someone on the staff explain what part of the user agreement my post violated?
kthxbi 7 years, 4 months ago
75x55, that is not what happened at all.
Ceallach 7 years, 4 months ago
love you, too, MD! I am truly saddened that I cannot come out and play more often :{
Moderateguy 7 years, 4 months ago
Chuck needs to install a "break glass for bear spray" device on the patio. This kind of thing will happen more an more in Lawrence especially with all the warm weather. All the enabling by the caring liberals will attract even more "travelers." More people will be robbed, assaulted and even worse. Nothing will change.
Hopefully the beat down this poor misunderstood soul received will convince him to travel elsewhere.
William McCauley 7 years, 4 months ago
I doubt it, when he was asked for ID by the cops, his reply was..... "you guys all know me" as if to say this is not the first time he has had run in's with LPD. I'm sure it won't be the last too.
Gee can't wait till we have these types wondering around PPN.
Brent Fry 7 years, 4 months ago
Definitely won't happen. He'll be back, just like all of the others.
If the police had their way, they would just assume beat the majority of these idiots into the ground and rid the world of them forever.
Like I said in my earlier post, the city won't do anything about this until an innocent patron gets killed downtown by one of the transients. What's funny to me is that the majority of people in this city pretend that this scenario is not possible. It's very real. And it wouldn't shock me if it happened this summer.
Ceallach 7 years, 4 months ago
I actually have a bear spray canister! Bought it for walks in the Rockies. Now that is some pretty potent stuff. Wasn't particularly worried about bears, but I figured if it will stop a bear it should adequately handle any "traveler" we happened across in the woods. I will have to remember to take it to Free State the next time I go.
kthxbi 7 years, 4 months ago
ouch
workinghard 7 years, 4 months ago
notjust--useful information. Also, now we know when someone gets disappeareded, any replies you made to their comment disappears off the blog too. But it still shows up in your comment history.
Jonathan Kealing 7 years, 4 months ago
Yeah, unfortunately when we flushed banned commenters from replies, we had to ditch any replies to that comment. Shouldn't be a problem again because you shouldn't see banned comments and be able to reply to them.
workinghard 7 years, 4 months ago
♣Free the Pink♣
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 7 years, 4 months ago
I haven't read the user agreement lately, but apparently, satire and sarcasm are no longer permitted.
bearded_gnome 7 years, 4 months ago
whew! [back to original topic of this thread] it's a good thing that spikeboy wasn't a wilding black teen, or else Mr. Tackle would be called a scrofulous racist bigot. [see Kansas City].
read this first about 10am, came back a few minutes ago, went to same place down the thread, numerically apparently two or three comments were "threaded" above, I state here I did not read them because they were above!
I refuse to sort through the whole d----d thread to find current comments!
so, those more current threaded comments are not seen by me, and probably not seen by many others.
what Multi and Jonathan said: excellent arguments against the threadeddeeddededness! please end the madness. LJWorld, it was good before, not broke, your "fix" broke it!
plus, please let us see whose comments get deleted. and if I reply to a disappeareded poster, my post shouldn't be tossed out unless my post is somehow violating the terms itself.
all users should simply avoid the "reply" feature. if you do not, your post is less likely to be read, and if someone in that thread gets thrown off, then flush goes your* post.
just post the old fashioned way.
end the madness.
Flap Doodle 7 years, 4 months ago
You know who hasn't been around much lately? He Who Must Not Be Named's partner in the doggie crusade of a couple of years ago. Did she get disappeareded?
Flap Doodle 7 years, 4 months ago
That's already been disappeareded, TOB. I was gonna post a plug for Snap's College of Cheese Making and Taxidermy (this month's special is 2 for 1 on nutria and swiss, the number to call is BR-549).
bearded_gnome 7 years, 4 months ago
apparently some replies got tucked in above again, and again I say I haven't read them.
should also note that the threadeddedededdedness destroys the validity of the post numbering, that was quite appreciated.
your fix broke it LJWorld!
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