Police say a 33-year-old Tahlequah man wielding a hammer and a Bible had to be electrocuted with a taser four times Saturday when he held another man in a headlock and claimed he was “doing the Lord’s work.”
Mitchell D. Hummingbird was being held Monday at the Cherokee County Detention Center with a $35,000 bond. Hummingbird could face charges of assault and battery with a deadly weapon, assault and battery on an officer, resisting, and public intoxication.
Deputy Michael Cates was asked to investigate an altercation between Hummingbird and another man at Butterfly Trailer Park Saturday. Hummingbird came to the door when Cates arrived and allegedly had a hammer and Bible in his left hand. Another man in the home tried to get away from Hummingbird when the door opened, but Hummingbird had the man by his shirt collar.
Cates said he grabbed Hummingbird and pulled him outside of the home, but Hummingbird refused to drop his hammer. Cates eventually drew his firearm and held Hummingbird at gunpoint.
According to Cates, the deputy asked Hummingbird to drop the hammer, but Hummingbird refused and continued holding onto the victim by the neck, saying he was “doing the Lord’s work.” Cates called for assistance from Tahlequah police and the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service. Deputy Josh Girdner soon arrived to help Cates, as did Cherokee Nation Deputy Marshal Bronson McNiel.
McNiel, who carries a taser, ordered Hummingbird to drop his hammer, but Hummingbird allegedly continued to defy officers’ commands and began to wave the hammer around. McNiel deployed his taser on Hummingbird, but the first shot had no effect on the man, who allegedly asked officers if the taser was “supposed to hurt.” McNiel again shot Hummingbird with the taser. The second jolt seemed to affect Hummingbird, but he was able to keep his balance.
According to Cates, Deputy Josh Girdner attempted to take Hummingbird to the ground, but Hummingbird swung his hammer and struck the deputy on the hand while keeping his victim in a headlock. The deputy was eventually able to take Hummingbird down, and the three officers began to battle to get him into custody.
I love this last part here:
Deputies said Hummingbird apparently felt he was trying to “save” the victim. He was also under the influence of some substance, and had to seek treatment before he could be booked into jail.
Yeah it's called being under the influence of the holy spirit, heathens!
"Though I walk through the valley of death, I shall fear no taser, for you are with lord, and the electricity shall comfort me. That and the PCP I am currently on."
Seriously what kind of a country is this where a man cannot do the Lord's work by pummeling a fellow man about the head and shoulders with the Good Book and a Craftsman hammer?
H/T to Raw Story:
Tasered four times, wow. There must have been some potent religious ecstasy going on there. I’ve known a number of folks who toggle between booze and the bible, and I’ve read that drug addicts do the same thing. Religious fervor must release a flow of endorphins and encephalins (Holy Rollers), and this guy had other help as well.
ReplyDeleteI know some police officers are dicks, but I genuinely feel sorry for the ones dealing with people like this. I’m glad they have tasers.
Seems like there is a cool headline hidden in this story with a "Hummingbird" being a "Butterfly" (Trailer Park) aggressor.
ReplyDeleteI just woke up, so, not awake enough to come up with one, though. LOL
A hummingbird is a delightful creature of beauty; Mitchell D. Hummingbird, not at all. I do believe he's suffering from Evolution Deficit Disorder.
DeleteNobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.
ReplyDeleteLOL !!
DeleteSometimes this ranting on Christians as bad gets old. I can't imagine this isn't someone with serious mental issues. All religions have them. I've even met a man who was mentally unbalanced, used religion to do uncharitable things, and I was very grateful he had a religion, and a pastor and a congregation that cared for him anyway. Religion held him together even as he did very uncharitable things in the name of religion.
ReplyDeleteI doubt most pastors, or most self-identified Christians, would approve of the reactions.
Perhaps the "ranting of Christians as bad" continues because there is so much evidence to support the facts. The blog joemygod used to have a series documenting the abuses of the church. http://joemygod.blogspot.com/search/label/This%20Week%20In%20Holy%20Crimes
DeleteI understand the desire to rang because there is so much evidence of uncharitable positions. There are plenty of examples of misapplication of Christian ideals that I have no problem with. I think it weakens the argument when those that are mentally unstable are linked to those who are not, and it's not necessary. There's no lack of hypocrisy among Christians (or any other group) which can be pointed out. For instance, I have no problem going after Schumer (who I usually like) for trying to sabotage the negotiations because of his ties to the Jewish Community.
DeleteWTH is going on? Nearly the same exact thing happened in NH yesterday.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.salemnews.com/region/x12771008/Derry-man-allegedly-attacks-police-with-hammer
Even more bizarre.....the police saw his FB posts and went to his house to arrest him.
The article about the guy in New Hampshire mentions that he was "on conditional release from the state psychiatric hospital"
DeleteGolly gosh, it sounds like just the type of guy that should be able to walk into a gun shop and buy an AR-15 because 2nd amendment.
Just because he's a mental patient, on drugs, and unstable doesn't mean he's not a rill 'Murican, and he oughta be able ta git his Duck Dynasty assault weapon, you betcha
Yes - he was released from the State hospital to save $. He had been released in 2009 for the same reason, but he attacked the University director and was sent back to the hospital.
DeleteTHIS time, he's in jail. The police won't state whether he has access to his medications or not, but he's in rough shape after being beaten by 4 police men and tazered.
We need to stop putting the mentally ill patients back on the street to save a little bit of $. Ronald Reagan started this trend and it's worse now then ever before.
http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2014/01/former_gop_congressman_vin_weber_says_republicans_are_dumb_and_getting_dumber.php
ReplyDeleteThe topic: NPR covers the evolution deficit among Republicans. One possibility: They are dumb and getting dumber! Guess this guy ought to know...
"Weber was asked to weigh in on those findings. He said he would "resist characterizing this as evidence of a war on science, which I think is BS," and then offered up this nugget:
"I suspect this is a reflection of a trend we've seen, where the most educated people who used to be Republicans are now Democrats, and people with less educational status are now moving into the Republican Party," Weber says.
"Added to that is a realignment along religious lines, with the most religious lining up with the GOP," he said."
Just look at the "Voters Value Summit" for the answers by none other than Frothy Mix... http://blog.spreadingsantorum.com/2012/09/santorum-smart-people-do-not-like-me.html
DeleteTahlequah is a beautiful little town in northeastern Oklahoma right next to the Cherokee Nation reservation. Because the Cherokee Nation Marshall service was called in, it looks like the Butterfly Trailer Park is probably located on the reservation. I would also guess that Mr. Hummingbird is a member of the Cherokee Nation. I'm not defending Hummingbird for what he did but the fact that he thought he was "doing God's work" and hitting the victim with a Bible indicates that he's had heavy doses of fundamentalism drilled into his head. Neglect thes ir education, provide no way for them to rise above the squalor they live in, treat them with disdain but hand them a bible and preach to them. Brings to mind Sarah Palin's and Franklin Graham's trip to Haiti to deliver boxes of Graham's propaganda to kids who needed food and water.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of that Cheech and Chong skit about a Jesus freak, I used to be all hung up on drugs, but now I'm all hung up on the lord, but in this case he's hung up on both.
ReplyDeleteWhatever happened to the saying "when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail"????
ReplyDeleteDon't know what this guy was "on", but where in the Bible does it say "Doing the Lords work is beating your fellow man about the head with a hammer and bible"? I know St Joseph belonged to the Carpenter's Union, but this is a bit much.
I pity this man's cellmate. That's punishment beyond cruel and unusual.
I wish people, especially people of authority like that cop, knew what the term "electrocuted" actually means.
ReplyDeleteWe've got cops out there with the brains of 8 year olds.