What happens if you cut a line in NYC? I'll tell you:

Guy cuts in front of me and I protest. He tells me he had to fill out a deposit slip, so the woman in front of him saved his spot. The woman turns around and confirms this. I tell her "Uh, no. You can't save the spot BEHIND you, you can only save the spot in front of you. If you really want him to have a place in line, you could let him get in front of YOU. That would be fine with me." She turned around quickly and shut her trap. Everyone who was watching this little exchange snapped back to their own business, too.

The man went to the back of the line, which had gotten longer while we were arguing.

Hmmph. Don't mess with a pregnant lady who has to pee.

[www.comcast.net]

So this is a one sided event, no chance of a cop a little bit outta line?

there are no Walmarts in NYC

@billbillbillbill: HA! I actually did say something to a woman one time. Her mom was in line in front of me and she jumped in with her even though they were paying seperately. The woman had all kind of these little figurines the cashier had to wrap up. I asked her, "Don't you think it's rude to cut in front of everyone?" She said no...and she was probably in her 40s, not a teenager jumping into the line with her mom.

The comments on the original article are pretty interesting.

For the accused side of the story:
[www.comcast.net]

Who knows who's right?

I'm gonna have to say that these guys are innocent until proven guilty on this one.

We need more off-duty cops!

/sorry couldn't resist!

@Jackasimov: Simple solution, shop some place else and do not talk about them. You hate WAL-MART like you really love WAL-MART.

@LorneReams: Not sure poster LorneReams, but when the cops try to help you at a crime scene you can ask them. As Al Pacino says in SEA OF LOVE "Then the cops will be your daddy."

I am amazed at how some folks try to nit-pick the cop's actions. Like standing behind the fleeing van. Too bad, EVIL FLOURISHES WHEN GOOD MEN DO NOTHING. Some of you same lame posters will have stories about another cop not doing anything. And for all the WAL-MART haters: SIMPLE SOLUTION shop somewhere else. K-MART, TARGET, MEIJERS etc will all take your money at higher prices. Stay out of WAL-MART. The aisles and checkout lanes are too crowed with your sorry complaining selves already.

@allnitecp:OKAY everyone jump in front of poster allnitecp. He will not complain or call the "pigs". He is the perfect victim. Too bad, EVIL FLOURISHES WHEN GOOD MEN DO NOTHING.

Because two-thirds of America is covered with Wal-Marts, that's why.

Sometimes it is so nice to have off duty cops or cops in street clothes standing behind-beside-in front of you.

I was in a sports bar having a meal with the family. About a dozen guys sitting at the next table were all from the State Bureau of Investigation (said so on their coats hanging on the backs of the chairs) having a meal as well. On or off duty they were in street clothes but had their gun belts on.

Pretty visible if you looked in their direction.

Some jerk at the bar got a bit loud and was told to shut up or take it outside... and the jerk retaliated by tossing his pitcher of beer at one employee and swinging at another.

Jerk was promptly taken down.

Usually, officers are allowed to make an arrest for a crime when off duty. These two threatened to shoot him, therefore committing the crime, and allowing him to detain them.

If he detained them for simply cutting a line, then no, not legal. But he detained them for the threat (illegal), therefore his detainment justified

That happened to me too, but I was working at a gas station. Dude came in crazy-like ranting about how we didn't have water, where the fuck is the water? oh right in front me? why the fuck isn't it over here etc etc. Then he tried to cut in line. I ignored him, so he yelled at me, threatening me, literally like 3 feet in front me, for what had to be at least 10 minutes, while for some reason the people who were actually in line started insulting me as if it were my fault that a crackhead maniac was being a dick head. After I helped everyone else in the entire store, I finally accepted his money for the water, about $1.35 or so, but he wanted the change on the gas pump, which was something like 16 cents! I was like, uhh, dude you're fucking done, and I grabbed the pepper spray and chased him down the street. He was so scared he left his car at the pump! I had the car towed. I quit that crap job the next day.

@Corporate_guy: The Supreme Court of Indiana refused to hear this case just last year, which seems very similar to the Walmart situation: [www.in.gov] "Resisting law enforcement" would appear to be the correct nomenclature in Indiana. Upheld when a person attempted to drive away from a non-uniformed, off-duty police officer who was trying to ticket him. In the Walmart case, it would apparently come down to whether or not the officer clearly identified himself as such and was obviously trying to detain the suspect. That's really the issue. But theoretically, an off-duty officer sufficiently identifying himself as a police officer and clearly ordering a citizen to stay put for purposes of further processing would be open to a resisting law enforcement charge in that State. I merely knew what would happen in my own State. An off-duty officer has exactly the same powers as an on-duty one, here (under similar circumstances as in Indiana).

Hmmm..."an armed society is a polite society," indeed.

I don't care what the guy did, people really need to be charged when they decide to use their own body as an illegal road block. It's one of those things where you have no right to purposely injure yourself because in doing so you adversely effect other people. An ambulance may have to be called, a doctor may need to waste time fixing you, the driver now has to stick around because he has now been forced into an accident, police will have to waste their time dealing with an accident in a busy area rather than a simple house call to check out the accused perp, etc. Purposely injuring yourself never involves just you. Time and resources get wasted and you should pay for it.

I was just there 2 months ago as well (both china and japan)

Tokyo should be where we send idiots to learn exactly how to behave in a city. i'm from NYC and I could send 1/2 the population over there for some schooling.

Mainland China is another story. They're winging it at the moment.

@drjayphd:

*sniff sniff* What smells like blue?

Anyways, I wonder if we'll ever find out what is going to happen to this daring duo, who laughs in the eyes of the law.

You'll have to explain why it's not my place to point out to somebody that they just cut in line because I don't see the problem with that.

@kathyl: Id rather have cops stopping people who are speeding and actually breaking the law then standing in stores monitoring the line to make sure no one cuts in it.

I think Walmarts in Indiana is where Mike Judge got the idea for Idiocracy. At least the clothes.

Wow. Nice to see what people think is right and wrong in the name of consumerism.

I am hard pressed to believe that the Pig was all nice and polite when he made his dissatisfaction know to these guys. Yeah Right! I am sure he had some choice words too before he threw in the fact he was a cop.

Am I the only one who thinks that its not YOUR place to try to correct the actions of others, just because you don't think they are following the rules????

So the guy was upset that they didn't show common courtesy, but guess what folks, neither do many of you.

Sounds like the cop was overstepping his bounds in the police state we live in.

I want to hear more of this story to make an informed opinion though.

Oh wait.

@Cogito Ergo Bibo: They weren't "resisting arrest" because he wasn't trying to arrest them.

Maybe they were "evading" arrest, but not "resisting." Sheesh, I wish people would get their vocabulary right!

If someone jumps in line, you mention it to them politely, and they threaten you with physical violence, they've committed a crime and you don't have to be an off-duty police officer to call the police. Similarly, depending on your state's laws on citizen's arrest or citizen's detention, having witnessed their crime it may be lawful for you to detain them (by standing behind their truck) until the police arrive.

I guess either everyone in the vicinity saw him cut or he was too proud to shout for help.

...and that they are in fact losers.

@KesselRunner_GitEmSteveDave: For some reason, I find that story really heartwarming. Though it'd be better if she acknowledged her public shaming by getting embarrassed - did she?

I remember visiting Thailand as part of a tour group, and we were at a resort with other groups from different countries, especially China.

At the breakfast, I've never seen so many people jockeying for position at the omelette bar... it was pure insanity. But simple, direct eye contact and a friendly smile to the omelette girl got me through a lot faster than the plates the other were literally pushing into her face.

I guess Clayton's right- things are a bit different in other parts of the world...

(no, I'm not white- in fact, I was asian, and pretty much indistinguishable from the people around me...)

@Paul Dmytrewycz: Or, as my boss always says, "Indiana: The northernmost of the southern states."

@redskull: @★ graffiksguru:
Sweet justice - a smile for today

@redskull: That tends to happen when your father and mother are brother and sister.

The entire line was shocked. Until we gleefully realized that we could use a shoelace and whatnot to tie the door shut from the outside. From a distance, I could see the cops come by about an hour later to cut him out, I guess he called 911 on his cell phone.

Justice can sometimes be served immediately.

@Borax-Johnson: It didn't help that the pair also were quoted as saying "oh, a lesson in not cutting in line from Mr. I'm My Own Grandfather! Let's just steal the damn dish and get out of here!"

I only shop Wal Mart when I must, and in the wee hours of the morning when it's abandoned.

Seems to me that some liberal rules on the use of tasers might solve a number of these issues, no?

It makes me feel better about myself for a while until I realize that I'm shopping at Walmart.

@lannister80: I would call assault, especially on a police officer, a crime.

@billbillbillbill: I know, Kirby is living my dream!

Look at those 2 mug shots: at the very least, young master Pluhar knows exactly what he's going to look like when he gets older. They've got the exact same eyes, nose, mouth, everything!

I grew up near Frankfurt, swear on my life their High School team mascot is the Frankfurt Hot Dogs. Swear on my life. Visit there school website and click on the sports tab if you doubt me.

[highschool.frankfort.k12.in.us]

@Cogito Ergo Bibo:
I don't think it's resisting arrest if you walk away from an off-duty officer...it's not wise, but not illegal.

Now hitting him with your car is just stupid. Assulting a police officer, much? Add that to threating an officer, and -if they wanted to be sticklers- wreckless driving, wreckless endangerment, etc. Those guys are gonna regret being jackasses by the time this is all said and done... will it change them? probably not. Next time they cut at walmart and someone confronts them, there will be a little more dialog...

Line Guy: "Hey you can't do that"
Idiot: "You a cop?"
Line Guy: "No"
Idiot: "Why I oughta..."

Nah, can't disagree. :)

In any case, the fact of the matter is that who started the exchange is irrelevant. Much like how you should expect to get hassled if you *mention* any sort of threat, harm, or security issue at an airport, the same expectation should be held when threatening to shoot someone. "When Kirby asked Pluhar Sr. what his intentions were, the Frankfort man purportedly said he would kick Kirby's posterior and also suggested he might shoot him." When you threaten anybody, and going so far as to suggest that you might shoot them, you've just committed a crime. If that person happens to be a police officer, you've got pretty good odds on being called on it. Allegedly bumping into the officer's leg as he blocks you in the parking lot doesn't help you out that much, but it probably won't be the sticking point, considering that there were probably more witnesses on hand for the threat of shooting.

you mean uncle daddy and nephew-son.

@JakeChance84: Or the idiots who follow too closely or go across multiple lanes of traffic without signaling.

While "I'm gonna kick your ass" might be an idle threat I think it's smart to take any threat of shooting someone seriously.

@Davan & Geoff: BAH, you both beat me, and I had even refreshed before I posted :)

@P41: It was definitely the treats, especially when the cop asked what his intentions were if they stepped outside. I doubt he had much of a choice though about him getting in the car, at this point there was probably nothing he could actually hold him for, and probably didn't have any equipment to do so. he should've let them leave and tell his bros over the police radio where they were headed to intercept them. No sense in getting killed over some idiot cutting.

what about a 3/4 eaten ham?

Hmmm.....

Unless there is a fear of imminent bodily harm you may not resort to self help in the form of physical force.

Only a complete moron does anything forceful or disobedient towards a cop because in the process of being detained and/or arrested they hold all the cards and you'll just end up getting charged with something on top of what they originally stopped you for. Go along with the ride and then sort everything out...

@asten77: When I worked retail in college, a guy threatened to kill me after I refused to help him after he cut. Later, I added a bunch of movie rentals to his account (that he didn't rent) and he went to collections over it. I feel a little bad it went that far. It was all cleared up eventually as a "glitch in the system". But I was still satisfied he had to go through all that to clear his account. I would've gladly just punched him in the face rather than doing that though.

It's just like when police pull over the guy doing 75, but not the jerk weaving in and out of traffic at 60. We need more cops out of their little speed traps and in our centers of commerce. Maybe a few positioned at Chuck E. Cheese seeing how many fights break out there.

@Corporate_guy: Have to go with what's been said already. The fleeing duo were resisting arrest. That too is a crime. The officer found a creative, non-threatening way to hold these two. It's their own fault if they want to add battery of a police officer to assault and resisting arrest.

@KyleOrton: He would've stolen ideas from someone else and acted them out :)

That's what happens when "uncle dad" takes his sn out for a nice day of shopping.

Full disclosure: I live in Kentucky, and Indiana scares me.

@KyleOrton: Well, it will be now that he has heard about it and can copy it.

Not if the vehicle was stolen. There's also going to be a heck of a lot bigger of an ID issue to prove, plus there's no guarantee what'll happen next, and uncertainty can be dangerous.

Also, in regard to your "cops really need to charge people who stand behind vehicles" - one would think that getting run over was punishment enough.

Way to blame the victim!

I'm going to venture a guess that the officer wasn't armed, he didn't do quite the smartest things letting them leave the store, hop into their van where they might have a shotgun under the seat, and then run into him.

Thats customer service in general...

The best time to return something to Walmart is 10 minutes before closing. The lines are short and they move fast because the employees want to get home. Also, the employees are tired and don't want to argue, so they'll take back even a half-eaten ham without any questions.

@hunter3742:

Junior had to learn it from somewhere. Nice thing is that they get to learn together this time!

If you feel that they are detaining you unjustly, place your own 911 call, or wait for the officers they've informed you are en route and explain your case. If you've threatened the officer with bodily harm directly prior to his blocking your exit, your chances of prevailing in this matter are probably very slim, and rightly so.

It's an unwritten rule at the service desk - if someone behaves like a decent human being, the policies are a lot more relaxed for them than for the jackass that comes in and throws a fit, cuts in line, etc, etc.

Guys like this.. heh, we saw them, pretended we weren't watching, then promptly went to the rightful next customer.

The threats in the store are legit charges, but hitting an idiot who is purposely standing in front of a moving vehicle cannot logically be the fault of the driver.

It does sound like though that the "might shoot him" part is something the cop is over exagerating to make the threats be more serious so he can claim he had a right to detain the guy. i.e. stand behind his van.

The worst part of this is that the cop knows full well all he needed was the license plate number and a squad would have been parked in their driveway by the time they got home.

Nice to see I was wrong at least once. We really need these bullies like this lovely father and son pair knocked back down a peg more often.

Why get so bent out of shape? It's not like Wal Mart would give you your money back if you made it to the front of the line.

Because in areas where that is the case, walmart has all but replaced the other places which in times past would have been the venues for those crimes.

But if the law opts to get involved, even better.

I am so happy about this! But that's because I'm all about right/wrong. :)

And how could anyone possibly dis the home of the Frankfurt Festival?! Or whatever they call their hot dog thing.

@Daniel Parmelee: The other third are committed BY walmart.