Excited Delirium?

After reading both the "Video of airport Taser death released" article in the National Post and watching the graphic video of the events (courtesy of Paul Pritchard), I have mixed feelings on this situation.

For one, the man was Polish - not Russian, and most likely not speaking "Russian".

This can be seen as ignorant on the part of Security, although it's easy to be unknowledgeable or make a mistake in such a multi-cultural area. Either way, the airport staff and police knew the man did not understand or speak English so would that not be a clear indication to call in a Translator/Interpreter to find out what the underlying problem is? If the underlying problem could have been resolved, there may have been no reason for physical action on the part of the police. The man is in an unknown, scary and foreign place (which is enough to agitate anyone) and it seems like his plans were slightly mixed up with his mother somewhere else in the very large airport. Not saying his behaviour of throwing computer equipment is justified, but more serious consequences could have been avoided with a bit of patience and common sense.

One other factor that may have played into this situation would be any health problems that Mr. Dziekanski may have had. Obviously, these would not be known by Security or the police, though when they realized he stopped moving when they had him pinned down was excessive. If Mr. Dziekanski had any heart problems the taser may have exacerbated them and he could have undergone major damage which lead to his death. Also, he may have had mental health issues with which the stress of the airport exacerbated agitation and caused him to have a greater reaction and behave differently with the tasering.

I am interested in knowing the autopsy results. As it stands, it has been termed Excited Delirium by the RCMP.

I also realize that it is so much easier to reflect back on a situation and point out all the flaws and say "I would have done this...", but if you were there at that moment in time, would you really do that? Probably not. Your adrenaline takes over sometimes. We've all been in situations like that. And what other option was there? Pepper spray in a crowded area? Assault? Yes, they seemed to hold him down for awhile, but what isn't apparent is if he was still resisting and struggling. Though, it will do no good to analyze this situation to death (no pun intended).

It was a fast, adrenaline-filled and unfortunate incident. Both parties played a role and we have to remember...accidents do happen.

This video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCL4WrZ2kPA) is a longer version of the situation and shows the man before he was even throwing equipment. Being in mental health, I've learned to recognize agitation and in this case, it's obvious to even the general public. He's breathing fast and hard, holding a chair, and looks rather delirious and focussed on something that we are not aware of.

This other video I've posted is from CTV. It involves an interview with a witness as well as the RCMP spokesperson. (Blogspot is not allowing me to copy/paste the HTML to embed the video). Watch here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05vuY-kqp9o