 Campus
News - Spartan
Daily
April 25, 2005
Unidentified woman detained,
taken to Valley Medical Center
 Neal
Waters / Daily Staff
A woman
was detained on Fourth Street
between the
Science building and the Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr. Joint Library and
taken to Emergency Psychiatric
Services
at Valley Medical Center Monday after she resisted University Police Department
officers attempts to assess her mental state. The police transported "Priscilla," the
only name she would give authorities, in handcuffs and a "wrap" around
her legs to prevent her from kicking.
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By
Emmanuel Lopez
Daily Copy Editor
April 25, 2005
An unidentified woman
was handcuffed and restrained in the breezeway
between the Science building and the Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. Joint Library on
Monday
after she resisted officers' attempts to talk to her and became violent, said
an officer from the University Police Department.
According to Sgt. John
Laws, the woman, who called herself "Priscilla," became
violent when he attempted to administer a pat-down to find if she had additional
items in her possession.
"
She expressed that she agreed to the pat-down," Laws said. "She
was OK, until I actually laid hands (on her) and then she was not OK."
Suhun
J. Sung, security officer at the King Library, said he was the first to
respond to the call after a concerned library
patron flagged him shortly
after
5 p.m.
"
She said she saw a woman spray-painting herself and talking incoherently," Sung
said.
Sung said he approached the woman and started to question her. The woman
remained unresponsive and walked away and that was when Sung said he
called Laws for
assistance.
Laws said he also attempted to question the woman, but could not get
a response.
Laws also said the woman appeared to have spray-painted her lips and
parts of her body.
"
It's not clear if she was under the influence of a controlled substance," Laws
said. "But we're not ruling it out."
Laws said he told the
woman he would pat her down and she seemed to comply with his request.
When he went to administer the pat-down, Laws said the woman then
kicked at him.
Laws said he called
for backup and both he and Sung restrained
the woman until additional backup arrived.
Campus
police placed her in handcuffs and a
wrap that immobilized her legs.
Laws said
there were several eyewitnesses but they
had dispersed after backup arrived.
The
woman continued to mumble incoherently
and even hissed at passers-by before
being place in a police squad car.
The
woman was taken to emergency psychiatric
services at Valley Medical Center
and additional paperwork was filed so that
the
woman can be
placed under
72-hour observation, Laws said.
Besides the can of spray
paint, police also found a boomerang,
a bar of soap and some articles of clothing,
Laws said.
Laws added that officials
at the medical center also found a small
amount
of crystal
methamphetamines.
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