"LAPD just murdered an unarmed man right in front of me."

[GunnyFreedom]

A Swiss army knife...

It was a Swiss army knife.

I stand with you in mockery and derision, trained kops after all, and yet I do not want to downplay the humble Swiss Army Knife, particularly the Victorinox. I had a Victorinox when I was a kid, and that thing would literally split a dropped hair. It would take you down to the bone, and bite into the bone like passing through so much warm butter. The sharpest boxknife was like a butter knife compared to that thing.

I, for one don't believe the official story. Something about the knife halfway open really bothers me. But to be fair to existential reality being a Victorinox if it was kept well and in good condition then it was less a 4" pocketknife and more like a 4" scalpel.

 

[GunnyFreedom]

Not saying that. Didn't look like a lock blade to me so perhaps when the man was shot reaction caused it to toss and it somehow struck on the outer tip of the blade causing it to half close.

I was an outdoorsy kid, scouts, SAR, lived in the woods. I was also a raging nerd. So i had a thing for "the best." I was a particular fan of Victorinox and I had several of their knives. I do not believe they produced a blade that does not lock. Things may have changed, but my knowledge of '20 years ago' Victorinox would find that improbable.

One of Victorinox's selling points is their blades are sharper than scalpels. As an augment to that selling point, at least 20 years ago, was "every Victorinox blade locks, so you don't cut your stupid fingers off."

That was one of the puzzle pieces bothering me. This knife is a Victorinox, and Victorinox blades lock.

 

[phill4paul]

I stand with you in mockery and derision, trained kops after all, and yet I do not want to downplay the humble Swiss Army Knife, particularly the Victorinox. I had a Victorinox when I was a kid, and that thing would literally split a dropped hair. It would take you down to the bone, and bite into the bone like passing through so much warm butter. The sharpest boxknife was like a butter knife compared to that thing.

I, for one don't believe the official story. Something about the knife halfway open really bothers me. But to be fair to existential reality being a Victorinox if it was kept well and in good condition then it was less a 4" pocketknife and more like a 4" scalpel.

Been awhile since you bought one? None that I have seen are sold in that condition anymore. Something about liability. YOU can sharpen any damn thing you want to be a razors edge.
And it just so happens that one of the knives of one of the two individuals that I dispossessed of their knives happened to be a Swiss Army. Didn't have a baton, didn't have a taser, didn't have a gun. And that was back when they sold them as you remember them made. And I was fired for doing so.

 

[GunnyFreedom]

Been awhile since you bought one? None that I have seen are sold in that condition anymore. Something about liability. YOU can sharpen any damn thing you want to be a razors edge.
And it just so happens that one of the knives of one of the two individuals that I dispossessed of their knives happened to be a Swiss Army. Didn't have a baton, didn't have a taser, didn't have a gun. And that was back when they sold them as you remember them made. And I was fired for doing so.

All Swiss Army Knives are not created equal. Victorinox is a minority brand with a much higher price point. Liability or not you buy this brand I bet it still comes from the factory like a scalpel. I just browsed reviews for Victorinox on Amazon and elsewhere, and a recurring theme was "sharper than a normal swiss army knife." I saw one review for a 'miniature' what was 'not as sharp as their normal products.' It really is a brand thing. From what I recall of their company philosophy in my younger days (and the reason I was willing to pay 3x the cost for a freaking swiss army knife) they would rather charge the customer more money and produce the better product, even if that means building in the cost of liability.

 

[presence]

7 of 8 people found the following review helpfulBest all around knife
By Dana F. Geiger on December 27, 2007
Verified Purchase I am heavy into knives. I have owned this knife for about 5 years, and I think it's the single best carry knife out there. The Blade steel is very good and holds an edge well, and it doesn't rust or stain at all. The blade is thin which is great for cutting food. It cuts, and doesn't wedge things apart. The tools on the knife are really handy. Corkscrew for wine on vacation (when I can't find any other), toothpick and tweezers are there when you need them, as are the screwdrivers and last but very much not least, the (locking) bottle opener for that all important beer.

The knife has everything you need, but isn't too wide. I bought three more for my kids. The price is very reasonable too (I think). If you're looking for a valuable tool that includes a good locking blade, this is it.

Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

..

 

[phill4paul]

All Swiss Army Knives are not created equal. Victorinox is a minority brand with a much higher price point. Liability or not you buy this brand I bet it still comes from the factory like a scalpel. I just browsed reviews for Victorinox on Amazon and elsewhere, and a recurring theme was "sharper than a normal swiss army knife." I saw one review for a 'miniature' what was 'not as sharp as their normal products.' It really is a brand thing. From what I recall of their company philosophy in my younger days (and the reason I was willing to pay 3x the cost for a freaking swiss army knife) they would rather charge the customer more money and produce the better product, even if that means building in the cost of liability.

Fair enough.

 

[phill4paul]

..

7 of 8 people found the following review helpfulBest all around knife
By Dana F. Geiger on December 27, 2007
Verified Purchase I am heavy into knives. I have owned this knife for about 5 years, and I think it's the single best carry knife out there. The Blade steel is very good and holds an edge well, and it doesn't rust or stain at all. The blade is thin which is great for cutting food. It cuts, and doesn't wedge things apart. The tools on the knife are really handy. Corkscrew for wine on vacation (when I can't find any other), toothpick and tweezers are there when you need them, as are the screwdrivers and last but very much not least, the (locking) bottle opener for that all important beer.

The knife has everything you need, but isn't too wide. I bought three more for my kids. The price is very reasonable too (I think). If you're looking for a valuable tool that includes a good locking blade, this is it.

Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

I'd be interested to know if the blade in question was a locking one.

 

[tod evans]

I'd be interested to know if the blade in question was a locking one.

That's of no relevance you impertinent serf!

Don't you understand that the brave officers were in fear for their lives?

 

[GunnyFreedom]

Been awhile since you bought one? None that I have seen are sold in that condition anymore. Something about liability. YOU can sharpen any damn thing you want to be a razors edge.
And it just so happens that one of the knives of one of the two individuals that I dispossessed of their knives happened to be a Swiss Army. Didn't have a baton, didn't have a taser, didn't have a gun. And that was back when they sold them as you remember them made. And I was fired for doing so.

Also, I don't want to downplay your having disarmed that guy, that's straight awesome.

This knife bothers me for a couple of reasons. The 'difference' may not be as much today as it was 20 years ago but this brand was like the Ferrari of SAKs. If one is going to pay that much for a knife to 'do thuggery,' then there are way better choices more suited to the purpose. This is just not the kind of knife that "a man disposed to attack cops thuggery" would carry.

 

[presence]

1 of 1 people found the following review helpfulPerfect Pocket Knife
By RickaTTic on February 9, 2010

Verified Purchase This Nomad knife is the perfect pocket knife for my use. It is not heavy and large but a respectable size and solid grip for rugged usage. The main blade is very sharp and tough edged right out of the box and stays that way after heavy usage. The tweezer and toothpick lock in hard and have not been lost due to loose fit as in many other knives. The locking feature of the main blade is an excellent safety feature as well as providing the ability to really push hard to make the blade do its work. I feel certain that this knife is a lifetime investment and will give me long-term service. It has a great feel in the hand as well as in the pocket. The main blade size is approx 3 1/8" or 80mm from tip to the start notch on the blade. The corkscrew is very strong and can easily pull a cork out of a wine bottle. In my opinion, this is knife will be a keeper and be with me for years.

http://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Sw..._sim_sg_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=07W01C4D1NT2S2WQGEJS

 

[GunnyFreedom]

I'd be interested to know if the blade in question was a locking one.

Yes.

The knife has everything you need, but isn't too wide. I bought three more for my kids. The price is very reasonable too (I think). If you're looking for a valuable tool that includes a good locking blade, this is it.

 

[presence]

A bucket drummer


who witnessed the shooting said the man put his hands in his pockets when officers “ran up on him,” drew their guns, and killed him. “I don’t know what he had but I can say that when they told him to get down and comply, he did not at all. He had his hands outside of his pockets. When they ran up on him, he went inside of his pockets and stuck both hands inside of his pockets,” drummer Bruce Cherry told reporters. “That’s when they pulled out on him, that’s when the shots rang out.”

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/12/06/3600368/los-angeles-police-shooting-walk-of-fame/

 

[presence]

"I heard a series of four or five pops," witness Matthew Rojas said.

"It was very surreal," Henry Hodge said. "The cars stopped, the people stopped, and immediately people started panicking."
One woman said a man ran into a McDonald's shouting that police shot his friend, who sometimes

"liked to wave a knife to scare tourists."

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/hollywood-highland-shooting-report-284945511.html


msn tube at source

 

[GunnyFreedom]

Sounds to me like this guy was thinking "Oh crap cops, ditch the knife" and never managed to complete his thought.

Which doesn't explain the thing being halfway open. The more i think about it, nothing adequately explains the thing being halfway open except for malfeasance. These blades don't resist opening. Even if dude was literally 'shot in the act of opening it,' it would have been opened and locked.

Pure speculation but some person pulled it out of his pocket by the blade and flung it off to the side, it's the only thing that explains the halfway open blade to me.

 

[GunnyFreedom]

I think it was when they piled out like ducks quacking "move back move back move back" you can see a line of them forming a wall around the body obscuring it from view.

Or maybe the guy was actually trying to ditch the knife when he was shot. If he was just trying to 'grab and fling' the blade could be partially open.

 

[ClydeCoulter]

http://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Sw..._sim_sg_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=07W01C4D1NT2S2WQGEJS

I don't think that is the knife. If it is the Classic SD, it's only 2.3 inches total length (folded), so the blade couldn't be longer.

edit: After another zoomed in look at the pics, maybe that is the one. Which means it almost as long as the Smith & Wesson that I carry in my watch pocket.

 

[idiom]

There is something fundamentally not right about the position and the disposition of that knife.

It's half open. Who half-opens a Swiss Army Knife? It's too pat, like they 'shot him in the process of opening the knife' as if that would ever happen, and then it's 10 foot behind him? I dunno but I know I don't like it. Something doesn't add right. Something about the knife being half open really bothers me and I can't put my finger on it. Anything else at this point is speculation. But you know what I said a couple weeks ago, the first white person to incite people to riot was gonna be a thug too. (BSM thing) So who knows. All I know is something doesn't add up about the knife, and this half-open thing is most of it.

This. Anywhere else in the world a cop can take down someone heavily armed, while unarmed themselves and not kill the dude.

 

[idiom]

Sounds to me like this guy was thinking "Oh crap cops, ditch the knife" and never managed to complete his thought.

Which doesn't explain the thing being halfway open. The more i think about it, nothing adequately explains the thing being halfway open except for malfeasance. These blades don't resist opening. Even if dude was literally 'shot in the act of opening it,' it would have been opened and locked.

Pure speculation but some person pulled it out of his pocket by the blade and flung it off to the side, it's the only thing that explains the halfway open blade to me.

So a dude with a knife requires that sort of response?

 

[idiom]

 

[GunnyFreedom]

So a dude with a knife requires that sort of response?

Not only no, but hell no. I'm just trying to process what little evidence we have before the whole thing goes rorschach.