Patterico's Pontifications

10/4/2007

Three Cheers for the Citizen-Journalist

Filed under: Crime — DRJ @ 9:56 am



[Guest post by DRJ]

This is my kind of journalist:

“A Lewiston man being sought by police was apprehended Wednesday when he jumped from a third-floor balcony to a garage roof trying to escape officers pursuing him and was tackled by a newspaper photographer, authorities said.

The Sun Journal newspaper reported that photographer Russ Dillingham was credited with helping police capture 35-year-old Norman Thompson as he tried to flee from local police and federal agents.

We never would have caught this guy without Russ,” Lewiston police Sgt. Detective Adam Higgins said. “He was able to take pictures, tackle the guy and then hold him for us.”

Police described the suspect as flying off the third-floor balcony “like Superman” or “literally like Spiderman.” Someone yelled for the photographer to “Tackle him, Russ, Tackle him,” and Russ did.

Apparently Spiderman is no match for Citizen-Journalist Man.

— DRJ

15 Responses to “Three Cheers for the Citizen-Journalist”

  1. This is really too obvious, but:

    Spiderman IS a news photographer for J. Jonah Jameson’s Daily Bugle. And I’ve noticed that I’ve never seen Spiderman and Russ Dillingham in the same place at the same time. Isn’t it convenient that Russ (perhaps using his ‘Spidey Sense) was in just the right place at the time to stop this miscreant?

    luagha (678c67)

  2. Elementary, luagha, I think you’ve got it.

    DRJ (d48e2d)

  3. Wonder if Russ will get heat from his peers for “becoming part of the story” (ie, helping the police). Seen/heard that before. Maybe not, if this is a common criminal, but bet he’d be in trouble by some if he had helped out a soldier.

    ManlyDad (22e85d)

  4. Mike Wallace will see to it that his “Journalist of the World” card and membership are immediately revoked.

    cts22 (097eb7)

  5. Reporting the NEWS, versus BEING the NEWS has kept reporters from just this sort of participation in the event.

    Should a NEWSPERSON reporting on a local
    medical marijuana clinic warn the operators of a pending DEA bust?

    It’s a double-edged sword.

    Semanticleo (4741c2)

  6. Only you could equate a news reporter tackling a fleeing thief to that.

    Christoph (92b8f7)

  7. ‘Only you……..”

    Or….you could explain how they differ. But then……………..

    Semanticleo (4741c2)

  8. Only you could equate a news reporter tackling a fleeing thief to that.

    Only Miss Cleo?

    Oh come on, Christoph, give Staunch Brayer some credit!

    Paul (8dc031)

  9. Should a NEWSPERSON reporting on a local
    medical marijuana clinic warn the operators of a pending DEA bust?

    “Should” is too strong. “May”, certainly. Same thing, here. No duty to tackle but certainly a right to tackle.

    nk (7d4710)

  10. “Oh come on….”

    Ab asino lanam

    Semanticleo (4741c2)

  11. Huh. Tackling a suspected car thief is just like warning a medicinal marijuana clinic about a DEA raid? Is that right? You understand that’s nuts, right?

    buzz (e09efa)

  12. Police described the suspect as flying off the third-floor balcony “like Superman” or “literally like Spiderman.”

    So if it was “literally like Spiderman” then I take it he shot a web from his wrist and then swung from building to building?

    Or maybe “literally” no longer means what “literally” once used to mean.

    JVW (3d38ff)

  13. I think the interesting thing is that Cleo does not immediately see the difference in the two scenarios.

    Am I suprised? Not a bit. It’s symptomatic.

    Dan S (c77713)

  14. I guess I overestimated ya’ll.

    Semanticleo (4741c2)

  15. I guess I overestimated ya’ll.

    You made up a rule, made an imperfect analogy, both in a throwaway manner, and are disappointed that nobody here bows to your brilliance?

    nk (7d4710)


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