Shoplifter Choked to Death over Toothpaste Heist

[Gatorubet]

Shoplifter dies from worker's chokehold :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Metro & Tri-State

Anthony Kyser didn't have money for the tubes of toothpaste he stuffed in his jacket before he walked out of a Little Village CVS store Saturday morning.

He paid with his life, instead.



Chased out of the store and down a litter-strewn alley shortly before 11
a.m., the 35-year-old unemployed barber was strangled to death by a
CVS employee who had seen him shoplifting, officials said.

Witnesses said Kyser, of the 1400 block of South Hamlin, cried, "I can't
breathe, I can't breathe!" as the CVS worker held him in a chokehold for
what they thought was several minutes. Three other men attempted to
restrain him in the alley behind the 2600 block of South Pulaski, the
witnesses said.

The medical examiner ruled Kyser's death a homicide, saying an autopsy
showed he had been strangled, but police said Sunday the employee who
killed him won't be charged.

Police are treating the death as "accidental," Chicago Police spokesman
Daniel O'Brien said.

That's a decision Kyser's outraged family can't understand.

"Why would you kill someone over toothpaste?" his ex-wife, Ann Balboa,
said through tears Sunday.

We know two things:

1) he was not from Tennessee

2) he will not steal toothpaste any more


But do his killers deserve to be charged with something - Manslaughter? Negligent homicide?

Would I like to have this case??? Youbetcha

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

I smell a big lawsuit against CVS...

 

[Oneshot]

I'm a little confused. In MMA they choke people out all the time, but the victim only passes out for like 15 seconds before coming to.

That means this CVS worker held this man in a chokehold WAY after the victim passed out. Is that what happened??

 

[jlb1705]

The CVS guy who pursued him is such a dumbass. What did he think was gonna happen if he just got the toothpaste back? Was he gonna be some kind of hero? Nevermind the possibility that the shoplifter might have had a gun or knife or something.

I guess I just don't understand the reaction. It wasn't even they guy's own stuff that was being stolen - it was CVS's.

 

[Gatorubet]

Chokehold - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dunno. They are dangerous. Most LEOs are prohibited from using chokes, as many brain death and asphyxiation cases became successful law suits. The fact that an armed officer may have been present - but did not attempt to assume control of the situation, or stop the actions of the CVS guys, is an interesting side issue to me.

 

[Mike80]

 

[MaxBuck]

Looking at the brilliant smile the man had, I can certainly understand his need to obtain more toothpaste. Tragic that his finances wouldn't support his acquiring it through legal means.

What a sad story. I can scarcely contain my sorrow. I'll be in mourning through the end of the week.

 

[Wells4Heisman]

Sad.:(

 

[BB73]

The CVS employee may now wish that he hadn't maintained the chokehold for so long, but once the guy died, there's no putting the toothpaste back in the tube, as the situation had reached its crest.

Now he must hope that the family's forthcoming lawsuit is toothless, and that his attorney, having cut his teeth on similar legal cases, can somehow brush it aside.

 

[Buckeye86]

I have heard that blockbuster employees are trained to not confront people shoplifting because if someone pulls out a gun or something like this happens, the problems for the company can cost way more than a few stolen items.

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

The CVS employee may now wish that he hadn't maintained the chokehold for so long, but once the guy died, there's no putting the toothpaste back in the tube, as the situation had reached its crest.

Now he must hope that the family's forthcoming lawsuit is toothless, and that his attorney, having cut his teeth on similar legal cases, can somehow brush it aside.

A crowning achievement. You've bridged the gap from tragedy to comedy.

 

[Jake]

I smell a big lawsuit against CVS...

Yep. The family will soothe their grief with a few million dollars from CVS, 35% of which will go to their attorney.

Fucking personal injury lawyers.

 

[Jake]

But do his killers deserve to be charged with something - Manslaughter? Negligent homicide?

I didn't realize "it was an accident" was a defense for killing someone. It's not murder one, but nothing?

 

[Mr_Burns]

I heard the CVS employee almost called the canine unit.

At the very least, hopefully they honor the victim by presenting his family with some sort of plaque.

It's a shame to see something like this happen to a person with a mental illness. Those who were close to him all knew he was bi-molar.

 

[GomerBucks]

When choking someone, if you pinch at the carotid arteries and shut them off, you can kill a person in as little as 8 seconds. They can pass out in as little as 4. Someone without the proper training could accidentally execute a perfect blood choke like that without realizing how quickly an attempt to restrain someone can be lethal. Thus, an accident.

They teach blood chokes in the Marine corps and I have seen exactly how fast you can put someone out....