It seems that pleasantries are socially unacceptable. At least it is for Evansville, Ind.-based Memorial Baptist Church youth pastor and firefighter George Madison, Jr., 38, who waved at police when they approached an intersection. He was on his bicycle and they were in there police cruiser when he greeted his fellow men in uniform.
While passing through the intersection, he offered the gesture which was immediately followed by swift action on behalf of the Evansville police officers who made a left turn in front of him. “The officer jumped out and says, ‘What are you doing throwing your hands up at us?” Madison said. “He is talking to me as he is coming toward me. I tried to explain, but I couldn’t get a word in edgewise.”
They thought he was flipping them off when they handcuffed and threatened him with a taser gun. “I remember looking down the barrel of a Taser, because (the officer) was gritting his teeth and saying, ‘Don’t make me pull this trigger,’” the father of four tells media.
Madison admits he was scared and felt very alone. “I said ‘Please don’t hurt me.”
An internal affairs investigation is underway.
