View Full Version : man arrested for using restroom at wrong time during flight
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58189-2002Feb11.html
Arrest Made Under New Flight Rule
The Associated Press
Monday, February 11, 2002; 2:14 PM
SALT LAKE CITY An airline passenger who allegedly got up to go the bathroom less than 30 minutes before landing became the first person arrested under a new federal flight regulation adopted for the Olympics.
Richard Bizarro, 59, could get up to 20 years in prison on charges of interfering with a flight crew.
Bizarro was on a Delta flight from Los Angeles on Saturday when he allegedly left his seat 25 minutes before landing, despite two warnings from the captain to the 90 passengers to stay put as required under the 30-minute rule adopted for Salt Lake City by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Because of the incident, air marshals aboard the plane ordered all passengers to put their hands on their heads for the rest of the flight.
Bizarro was jailed overnight and released on his own recognizance
Authorities said a flight attendant instructed Bizarro to return to his seat immediately after he left the bathroom. She said Bizarro, who is 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, ignored her orders and stared at her for about a minute before returning to his seat, according to the FBI.
The incident was seen by two of three undercover air marshals on board, the FBI said. One of the agents said he saw Bizarro give what appeared to be a "thumbs up" to another passenger as he returned to his seat, prompting the marshals to take control of the cabin.
The Salt Lake City rule requiring no passenger movement during the last 30 minutes went into effect Feb. 5. It already had been in effect for flights to Reagan International Airport in Washington.
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ok...so he had to go really bad. he could have gone before the 30 minute rule thing. but even if not, i don't get why he had to stare-down the crew of the plane.
molecularfire
02-11-2002, 04:05 PM
Well... if I was an insecure mean person (in my experience, most mean people are insecure) and someone was "bullying" me I would stare them down also. I'm not saying that the guy was a nice guy, but it's not illegal to be mean (at least I hope not :shifty:). He probably saw it as a pissing contest between him and a female flight attendant (who I'm assuming was smaller than him).
LPMiller
02-11-2002, 04:11 PM
he likely did it because he is getting sick and tired of all this crap.
Maybe he was trying to decide if he was done or not.
Originally posted by sbp
Maybe he was trying to decide if he was done or not. :heh:
or maybe he was from PA and had to restrain the wood :P
Nanotech9
02-11-2002, 04:44 PM
personally i wouldn't have put my hands on my head (as a passenger)... i woudl've made up some BS about my arms going to sleep, or muscle arthritis, and then threatned to sue the airlines
welfareloser
02-11-2002, 04:46 PM
Originally posted by LPMiller
he likely did it because he is getting sick and tired of all this crap.
everybody will be sick and tired of this crap until a bad guy does get caught under the laws, or they loosen up because it's "just crap" and someone does something bad.
if it was just a potty emergency, all he had to do was politely (or rudely, if that makes im happier) tell the stewardess to choose between allowing him to go to the potty or peeing in his seat.
so, they got a "do you're peein now cuz in five minutes you can't" warning, and he friggin got up and did it anyway with a chip on his shoulder. ppl are scared, they're scared for a good reason, and what he did is very similar to a kid screaming "i might have a gun in my pocket!" in the hallway of columbine. not cool, totally unnecessary. he knew what the rules were and chose not to follow them. that's what gets ppl arrested... punished... kicked off message boards. duh.
oblongmelon
02-11-2002, 04:49 PM
Old men, weak bladders,bad prostates, Depends, probably not an option, when you have to go you have to go. 30 minutes is a long time when your teeth are floating if you know what I mean.
molecularfire
02-11-2002, 04:50 PM
Yeah, but a lot of people who did follow the rules were punished because one bastard decided to stare down a flight attendant. :angry:
Grimm
02-11-2002, 04:53 PM
Originally posted by LPMiller
he likely did it because he is getting sick and tired of all this crap.
But LPM it is necessary that we put up with all this crap! We must be afraid that tiny 3rd world nations will come kill us all. Instead of having proper border controls it is necessary that we give up those silly freedoms that we don't really need anyway. Our safety is so important that it is necessary to stop dangerous things like bathroom breaks on aircraft, thumbs up symbols, non-approved speech and the like.
It is necessary that we remove the silly restrictions on unreasonable search and speedy trial for the security of our children!
The above is sarcasm. It in no way represents my actual opinions, this disclaimer is provided for those readers who have no sense of humor.
Reasonable precautions that should already have been in place on air travel is one thing, giving airline stewards the power of Nazi SS troopers is another. Osama bin (camel f***er) Laden made a great victory against us, and not on Sept. 11th. He beat us when we gave away freedoms that cost many more lives to gain than it did to lose.
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves." -- William Pitt (1783)
... Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one. President Thomas Jefferson. 1743-1826
Nanotech9
02-11-2002, 04:53 PM
hey, if yah gotta pee, yah gotta pee!
maybe he didnt need to pee 10min before...? who knows. who the hell cares. let the man pee.
I'm tired of all this BS of people living in fear and ****. I'm not afraid. It doesnt even cross my mind. Living in fear (to me at least) is as bad as or worse than the alternative, whatever it may be.
Like i always say:
Those who would trade freedom for security, deserve neither.
Lets not give up our freedoms because we're afraid.
Nanotech9
02-11-2002, 04:56 PM
Originally posted by Grimm
<snip>
He beat us when we gave away freedoms that cost many more lives to gain than it did to lose.
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves." -- William Pitt (1783)
... Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one. President Thomas Jefferson. 1743-1826
yep, exactly what i was trying to say. I knew someone smarter than me had thought of that before.
he had to pee, yes. he had to stare down a flight attendant? no. he had to give a "thumbs up" to his triumphant toileting? i doubt it. there are ways to go about things to make a point, but he was hardly the mild-mannered, reserved protestor.
why didn't he as well pee in a cup and splash it on the stewardess' shoes?
Originally posted by Grimm
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves." -- William Pitt (1783)
... Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one. President Thomas Jefferson. 1743-1826 i wonder if president jefferson meant that we should be beligerent as well?
staring someone down is an act of aggression. he showed that he didn't want to be underestimated, and he was afforded that courtesy.
Nanotech9
02-11-2002, 05:02 PM
Originally posted by mojo
he had to pee, yes. he had to stare down a flight attendant? no. he had to give a "thumbs up" to his triumphant toileting? i doubt it. there are ways to go about things to make a point, but he was hardly the mild-mannered, reserved protestor.
why didn't he as well pee in a cup and splash it on the stewardess' shoes?
its not the stewardess's fault the rule is in place... she shouldn't have to suffer. She's only doing her job.
Nanotech9
02-11-2002, 05:06 PM
Originally posted by mojo
i wonder if president jefferson meant that we should be beligerent as well?
staring someone down is an act of aggression. he showed that he didn't want to be underestimated, and he was afforded that courtesy.
staring someone down may have well been an over-reactionary statement/description of the event.
sounds more like the guy got out of the bathroom, was still feeling not-so-well, maybe a little sick, and decided to stand there for a min before he walked back on up to his seat.
the "thumbs up" may have been to his wife to say he was going to be ok....
who the hell knows? nobody except him really. People can see things and take them completely out of context and/or blow them out of proportion.
cruelpupet
02-11-2002, 05:10 PM
hope i dont have to go on a flight soon, cause i wouldnt stand for that **** either.
If i was the guy in the bathroom, id prolly tell her to F*** off
if i was a passenger, id refuse to put my hands on my head.
Speedfreak
02-11-2002, 05:20 PM
Hey, if you were warned and you broke the rules, that is too bad. I've held the flood gate closed for longer than 30 minutes. I don't think it would get to such an extreme point only 10 minutes after the "last call". If it was such an emergency he should have asked a flight attendent instead of just ignoring the warning. If he was all apologetic after coming out that would be one thing, but it seem to me he knew what he was doing and didn't care. Therefore, he deserves it.
Originally posted by Nanotech9
staring someone down may have well been an over-reactionary statement/description of the event.
sounds more like the guy got out of the bathroom, was still feeling not-so-well, maybe a little sick, and decided to stand there for a min before he walked back on up to his seat.
the "thumbs up" may have been to his wife to say he was going to be ok....
who the hell knows? nobody except him really. People can see things and take them completely out of context and/or blow them out of proportion. well, it could also be an overreaction to say that he was in the right. i guess we'll have to wait till the trial.
personally, it sounded to me like he was defiant. i hear stories all the time of cowboys thinkin they're all cool and sh*t. he didn't want to be told when to go pee, so he waited till it was definitely time that to not go. then he got up. they told him not to go, he got bent out of shape, went, didn't wanna be told to sit down, etc. it's not that much of a stretch. and this flight was going to salt lake city...a good target for terrorist activity during the olympics. if he wanted to challenge something, he could have picked a better time.
i don't like this stuff any more than the next person. however, when the cops pull me over, i don't go and make sudden moves when they tell me to do things slowly just because "i can." some things are beyond stupidity.
this paranoia will be over shortly, i'm sure. we just have to bear it for a little while.
cruelpupet
02-11-2002, 05:29 PM
its also possible he was asleep during the announcement, which would give him goo reason to look at her with a blank stare
LPMiller
02-11-2002, 05:29 PM
Originally posted by mojo
i wonder if president jefferson meant that we should be beligerent as well?
staring someone down is an act of aggression. he showed that he didn't want to be underestimated, and he was afforded that courtesy.
Being beligerent is an American right, and frankly, even if he was just being an a hole, it's the beligerent people that are much more likely to put a stop to the inane nonesense going on then polite requests.
Sorry, but it's not worth my freedoms to go through this crap, or to be treated like a child by the airlines. Living in fear has a real nasty habit of becoming a permanent condition if not watched.
We are strip searching children and old men. We are shutting down airports because an idiot forgot his camera. Now we are forcing a flight to sit on a plane in what could be called the classic hostage stance, with hands over head, because some guy wanted to be a dink when he took a leak.
And none of these measures is going to stop a terrorist! someone wants to get you, they find a way, period. Doesn't mean you bend over backwards, but punishing a plane for this isn't going to do squat but make people not fly.
Am I the only one seeing a problem with this?
Wizard
02-11-2002, 05:32 PM
I agree 100% with LPM on this one. All this crap is just a load of BS that will do jack sh|t to stop any terrorist. I say let the old fart take his piss and let him stare down the flight attendant. There comes a time where giving up freedom for safety is not worth it and frankly that time came when our president decided to start violating the constitution with giving the Attorny General so much power to control "homeland security"
LPMiller
02-11-2002, 05:38 PM
Originally posted by mojo
this paranoia will be over shortly, i'm sure. we just have to bear it for a little while.
The beatings will continue until moral improves.
It's like owning a gun, or speaking. 1st amendment, 2nd amendment. The reason we allow jerks to say stuff we disagree with, or people that really do not need them to own guns is simple. Because it is a hell of a lot harder to grant freedoms then it is to keep the ones you have.
Sure, Salt lake is a big target. And it's a hell of a lot more likely to be hit by some guy in a mini van loaded with fertilizer than it is a plane.
People need to get over their fear and wake up. Otherwise, Osama wins.
Speedfreak
02-11-2002, 05:38 PM
Are you saying that the airlines telling you you can't use the bathroom the last 30 minutes of the flight? It's not the end of the world. No, the end of the world (at least yours) would be getting stuck in a building that an airplane just hit and having your best choice be to jump out the window. :rolleyes:
Wizard
02-11-2002, 05:42 PM
Originally posted by Speedfreak
Are you saying that the airlines telling you you can't use the bathroom the last 30 minutes of the flight? It's not the end of the world. No, the end of the world (at least yours) would be getting stuck in a building that an airplane just hit and having your best choice be to jump out the window. :rolleyes:
The people that died on sept 11 is definately tragic, but our country is based on freedom and freedom comes at a price. Many people have lost their lives fighting so that the USA could remain free and now we are throwing away the sacrifice those countless others made for fear. The terrorist have truly won of that is the case, they wanted us to not have freedom and it sure looks like they are winning that war.
cruelpupet
02-11-2002, 05:46 PM
Originally posted by Speedfreak
Are you saying that the airlines telling you you can't use the bathroom the last 30 minutes of the flight? It's not the end of the world. No, the end of the world (at least yours) would be getting stuck in a building that an airplane just hit and having your best choice be to jump out the window. :rolleyes:
Actually it is the end of the world....
what would you say if the airline decided, that you have to keep your hands on your head for an entire flight... will your tune change???
LPMiller
02-11-2002, 05:49 PM
Originally posted by Speedfreak
Are you saying that the airlines telling you you can't use the bathroom the last 30 minutes of the flight? It's not the end of the world. No, the end of the world (at least yours) would be getting stuck in a building that an airplane just hit and having your best choice be to jump out the window. :rolleyes:
Huh?
Noooooooooooo. Pretty far removed from what I said, actually.
Pretty far removed from what anyone was saying, really.
Originally posted by LPMiller
Am I the only one seeing a problem with this? no, i see a lot of problems with the whole thing.
i see too many rules. i see too many people wanting to break the rules just to prove a point. i see too many reasons that we have the rules. i see osama bin laden having won because he made us a little bit afraid. i see non-smokers thinking that they should be able to a bar that only smokers go to, and therefore smokers can't smoke there...only to have no non-smokers go there anyways. i see people that will step on a homeless person in order to be able to throw fake blood on someone wearing fur. i see people beat their children and get away with it, only to have someone else get their children taken away because they "look different" and the community is afraid.
sure, it's a bad thing to have too many rules. however, he tested them, and got the boot because of it. maybe he will be our urine champion. who knows? i can tell you that if i was on that flight, i wouldn't be taking his side just because "he should be able to pee." i'd be more like wondering what his trip was that he couldn't just go a few minutes before when they gave the last calls.
Nanotech9
02-11-2002, 05:58 PM
dang LPM, again you really do word things soo perfectly! And, again, I agree with you 100%.
You have a way with words and thoughts and making them understandable (to most people) in a way i could never do it. :thumbup:
LPMiller
02-11-2002, 06:03 PM
I don't actually care about the peeing. I do care that the sky marshals, who are there to protect us, turned a whole plane into an elementary school field trip bus because 1 person was out of line.
It also disturbs me that some 59 year old guy might get 20 years because he took a leak at the wrong time. I'm not seeing a balanced response, or a balanced law, for the situation at hand.
ufcrusher
02-11-2002, 06:08 PM
Well, although I dont agree with this martial law, I can say that this guy will probably be reprimanded byt he courts.
Unfortuantely when it comes to constitutional rights, they can all be suspended so long as they meet a certain level of scrutiny. Even at its strictest level which apply to so-called fundamental rights, its that the law is necessary to achieve a compelling government purpose with no reasonable less restrictive alternative.
Here, the government will allege that they are protecting the life interests in every one on that plane as well as people on the ground. By anyones definition a compelling reason.
One would be hard pressed to find a less restrictive alternative to just curtailing ones ability to get up and pee or stretch for 1/2 hr each way.
Hence, he is probably going to lose any argument based on his rights in a court of law. That said, the only way to test the governments ability to do this, is by a court trial.
Personally, I would have just hit the call button and asked for a cup, and dropped trough.
i seriously doubt he'll get 20 years. he probably won't do any time.
and speed, i got what you said. good points (in case he was misinterpreted somehow).
Speedfreak
02-11-2002, 07:14 PM
Originally posted by cruelpupet
what would you say if the airline decided, that you have to keep your hands on your head for an entire flight... will your tune change???
It wouldn't have happened if some idot didn't break the rules. That is my point. The 30 minute thing is a simple rule to follow.
Are you going to complain about the seatbelt rule, too. It is there as a safety precaution. I am not sure of the time, but you have to be in your seat with seatbelt on sometime before landing.
Jeffbx
02-12-2002, 05:29 AM
Originally posted by mojo
Richard Bizarro, 59, could get up to 20 years in prison on charges of interfering with a flight crew.
I dunno, I'm still hung up on the fact that his name was 'Bizarro'
welfareloser
02-12-2002, 05:45 AM
don't like the rules? take a train. flying isn't an inalienable right. if boy scouts don't have to take gays, and jesus can't smoke pot at apex, then i guess flight attendants can tell you when to pee. whatever.
LPMiller
02-12-2002, 05:50 AM
Originally posted by welfareloser
don't like the rules? take a train. flying isn't an inalienable right. if boy scouts don't have to take gays, and jesus can't smoke pot at apex, then i guess flight attendants can tell you when to pee. whatever.
Ok, again not about the bathroom. It's about what happened after.
BigJon
02-12-2002, 05:54 AM
This is the type of crap that makes me never want to go near a plane... What if the dude had to piss really bad? Would they just make him piss himself?!?
cruelpupet
02-12-2002, 06:11 AM
Originally posted by Speedfreak
It wouldn't have happened if some idot didn't break the rules. That is my point. The 30 minute thing is a simple rule to follow.
Are you going to complain about the seatbelt rule, too. It is there as a safety precaution. I am not sure of the time, but you have to be in your seat with seatbelt on sometime before landing.
its not a simple rule to follow if you have a turtle head poppin
welfareloser
02-12-2002, 06:12 AM
Originally posted by LPMiller
Ok, again not about the bathroom. It's about what happened after.
again, nuthin. yes, your last reply was about the punishment being too severe. fair nuff. i agree.
but you've also been talking about his right to be a dink. comparing his "protest" to the 1st and second amendments. giving up freedoms. being tired of all this crap.
i'm responding to those sentiments. if he dint like the rules, maybe he could protest in other ways. a boycott might get the airlines to streamline their security measures... maybe even hire some ppl with iq's in the triple digits and some training to come up with rules that make sense. letter writing campaigns to congressppl. staging a sit-in with big protest signs at the airport. but breaking the rules in a belligerent manner such that his fellow passengers had to put up with MORE crap is a dippy way to protest the crap.
he knew what the rules were. he broke the rules.
Originally posted by LPMiller
Ok, again not about the bathroom. It's about what happened after. um...but it was about the bathroom. without that, the event didn't happen. however, it's not only about the bathroom. it's about what happened after. it's about how the whole plane was treated in response to his actions. it's about how stuff has gone too far. it's about how he may have to do time. it's about a lot of things, indeed.
maybe he was being made an example. maybe they thought the flight was threatened, and they were showing a security presence. maybe they went too far in the exercise. maybe the guy did.
the passengers shouldn't have had to put their hands on their heads. but they did. i also shouldn't have to lock my front door before i go to bed at night. but i do. i should be able to walk in the bad part of town without worrying about getting mugged. but i can't.
this is all temporary, and the people will see to that. however, he tested the system in a time of crisis. people overreact in times of crisis sometimes. or maybe they didn't...they're trained for situations like this more than you or i. they do drills, have to think about contingencies, etc. it's silly that the passengers put their hands on their heads? well, i wasn't there to make the call, so i guess i dunno the circumstances. maybe it was sill. maybe it was reasonable.
like welfare said, he probably should have picked another method of protest. something more verbal could have worked. and something more amicable than a staring contest with someone that, as nano said, was just trying to do her job. cuz the way he did it, like i said, he may as well have just thrown urine on her shoes.
Grimm
02-12-2002, 02:17 PM
What is obviously apparent to me is that the flight crew was very successful in aggravating one of their customers. Then some flight marshals had to prove that "they were in charge" after the situation had settled itself by harassing the entire flight when there was absolutely no chance of having to face down the 59 year old man.
When you provoke people you establish a confrontational situation. Expect some resentment. Live with it.
People act in a certain way, if you are a flight marshal and cant tell normal behavior from abnormal behavior, find a new job.
Some words just pop into my mind about this:
Incompetent
Unprofessional
Exaggeration
Panic
Cowards
Self-righteousness
Ignorance
Timorous
leemaj
02-12-2002, 03:11 PM
hes not a terrorist, they should just let the man go. the law is justified, so they should keep it, but they shouldnt prosecute the poor guy.
leemaj
02-12-2002, 03:32 PM
Originally posted by welfareloser
again, nuthin. yes, your last reply was about the punishment being too severe. fair nuff. i agree.
but you've also been talking about his right to be a dink. comparing his "protest" to the 1st and second amendments. giving up freedoms. being tired of all this crap.
i'm responding to those sentiments. if he dint like the rules, maybe he could protest in other ways. a boycott might get the airlines to streamline their security measures... maybe even hire some ppl with iq's in the triple digits and some training to come up with rules that make sense. letter writing campaigns to congressppl. staging a sit-in with big protest signs at the airport. but breaking the rules in a belligerent manner such that his fellow passengers had to put up with MORE crap is a dippy way to protest the crap.
he knew what the rules were. he broke the rules.
i am VP of Amnesty Internationl in escondido, CA just north of san diego at san pasqual hgih school....ill letu know if any letter writing campaigns start up
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