Man points sai at officer

[Solo]

Express-Times:
Catasauqua man with 'ninja-type' weapons allegedly assaulted Easton police officer
by JD Malone
Monday March 02, 2009, 12:36 PM
Police allege a 26-year-old man got out of his Jeep Liberty in Centre Square on Saturday night and charged at an officer while holding a sai, a short metal sword.

Steven Michael Henrick, of the 1200 block of Second Street in Catasauqua, allegedly ignored several orders from officer Joseph Arrendondo to drop the sai until Arrendondo drew his gun and pointed it at Henrick, according to court papers.

Henrick dropped the 15-inch sai, but while he was being cuffed he struggled and wrestled Arrendondo to the ground. Another officer deployed a taser, but the shock was ineffective, police said. Henrick was eventually subdued by several officers.

Police allege a second sai, a set of nunchucks and a stolen purse were found in Henrick's Jeep.

He was charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, public drunkenness, resisting arrest and other offenses. He was sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $20,000 bail.

Morning Call:
Police: Man brandishes sword at Easton police officer
1:49 PM EST, March 2, 2009
Police said a man brandished a sword at an Easton police officer Saturday afternoon in the city's Centre Square.

Steven Michael Henrick of 1228 2nd St., North Catasauqua, is charged with aggravated assault, prohibited offensive weapons, simple assault, reckless endangerment, resisting arrest and public drunkenness. He was arraigned before District Judge James Stocklas and is in Northampton County Prison on $20,000 bail.

According to court records:

A motorist stopped an officer shortly before 6 p.m. and said a man driving a Jeep nearly struck two parked cars and was carrying a sword when he got out of his vehicle.



Police spotted the vehicle at Centre Square and said Henrick got out of his Jeep carrying a 15-inch "ninja-type Sai" sword on his shoulder.

Police said at first he ignored commands to drop the sword, but eventually placed it on a concrete wall.

When a second officer arrived and moved in to handcuff Henrick, officers said he began fighting with them.

After they handcuffed Henrick, police said they found another sword and set of nunchucks inside Henrick's Jeep.

-- Reporting by Pamela Lehman, The Morning Call

Me:
The Morning Call says that this guy was charged with "Prohibited Offensive weapons" but I didn't think that martial arts weapons were on that list. I don't like that they called it a sword. Sai aren't bladed like a sword is, sai are more of a tapered rod with a hilt. At the Celtic Classic in Bethlehem people are always carrying swords but no one gets charged with anything as far as I know.

[crlovel]

Me:
The Morning Call says that this guy was charged with "Prohibited Offensive weapons" but I didn't think that martial arts weapons were on that list. I don't like that they called it a sword. Sai aren't bladed like a sword is, sai are more of a tapered rod with a hilt. At the Celtic Classic in Bethlehem people are always carrying swords but no one gets charged with anything as far as I know.

Probably because they're not charging at cops waving them. That might have something to do with it.

[Ten*K]

and as a frequenter of the Celtic Classic, the several LEO's that are usually there know that trying to disarm a bunch of drunken Scots and Celts has historically not worked out so well.

Also, we don't take them out and threaten anyone with them.

[SkSpleasure]

at least he doesn't have to spend a lot on ammo to defend himself.


taser didnt do anything?

[Rauswaffen]

and as a frequenter of the Celtic Classic, the several LEO's that are usually there know that trying to disarm a bunch of drunken Scots and Celts has historically not worked out so well.

Also, we don't take them out and threaten anyone with them.

They know at the first sign of them trying to take one of our Celtic friends weapons away they will have a caber flying through mid-air at them.

[GunLawyer001]

The Morning Call says that this guy was charged with "Prohibited Offensive weapons" but I didn't think that martial arts weapons were on that list. I don't like that they called it a sword. Sai aren't bladed like a sword is, sai are more of a tapered rod with a hilt. At the Celtic Classic in Bethlehem people are always carrying swords but no one gets charged with anything as far as I know.

Martial arts-type weapons are not Prohibited Offensive Weapons under Section 908, and a good lawyer will find the case law to prove it.

Section 908 is not context-sensitive, the DA just has to prove that you possessed the item and he's met his burden. Something is either ALWAYS a P.O.W., or it NEVER is. A machete is not a P.O.W. A switchblade is. An unregistered machinegun is always a P.O.W., but an AR-15 never is. (The affirmative defenses are very limited: It looks like there's supposed to be an exemption for some stun guns that are properly labeled and used in self-defense in Section 908.1 that relates back to 908; and there's a context-based exception if you can prove that you possessed a P.O.W. in a stage production or purely as a curio.)

What they should do is charge him with possessing an instrument of crime under Section 907, which IS context-sensitive. A sharp stick can be an instrument of crime, depending on your intent and actions.

[eXceLon]

A 26 year old man packing two sai's and nunchucks? Sounds like someone watched too much Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles growing up.

[General Geoff]

This is obviously indicative of an alarming trend towards increased ninja activity in Easton.

[Ten*K]

obviously his ninja instructor skimmed over the whole "stealth and cunning" part of the class.

[GunLawyer001]

Knives are readily available because of the "Bed Bath & Beyond" loophole.