It's Mine!

[Becks]

Becks Seal of Approval.

[Bradester]

That cop makes me feel all tingly inside. There's nothing quite so terrifying as that deathly calm silence.

[mattm04]

Glass bowl: $50, greed: $0, getting arrested for assault on a federal employee, assault on a police officer, destruction of private property, theft of first class mail: PRICELESS!

[JoitheArtist]

Now I get it, though. What next, customers are going to grab paper weights and scream "MINE! YOU CAN'T HAVE IT!" with that zombie look on their face, blood splashing everywhere, hissing violently like a feral cat?

Yes. I can SO see that happening, with some of the customers I've seen.

[Leopardmadcat]

Sad thing is all she'll get is slap on the wrist:

Assault of the Federal employee (aka the carrier) ... 50 hours community service, with 2 year probation standard.
Assault of the Police officer ... probably won't stick as she did not intend to make contact with the officer. (and technically SHE didn't.)
Damage of private goods ... Costs of same + $100 to $500 fine.
Public Nuisance Charge ... another 50 hours community service, probably served concurrently to the previous issued.
Theft of Mail (1st Class) ... won't stick as she can claim she didn't know about the mail inside said item. (as stupid as that sounds...benefit of the doubt always goes to the defense though.)

So in total she probably gets 50-100 hours community service, 2 years probation, and a $100-$500 fine + costs of damaged goods.

That's if she has a clean record previous of course...

[Darkwish]

OMFG...

I would LOVE to have a video of her expression as the realization sinks in as to what she just did and the amount of trouble her antics just got her in.

And the cop's response was priceless!

Luckily it seems there were no serious injuries. It could have been MUCH worse with broken glass/pottery.

[Kyree]

Assault of the Police officer ... probably won't stick as she did not intend to make contact with the officer. (and technically SHE didn't.)

With that thinking, if she threw something at the police officer, she could claim she didn't mean to, and she didn't technically touch him, so all is good?

[Samaliel]

Witnesses would make the difference, in such a case. Lying while testifying under oath isn't exactly a smart move, and while some people might want to make such a dumb person eat dirt, I'd bet the risk/gain ratio isn't satisfactory enough for any one to try and pull that kind of stunt.

Witnesses would state that the carrier accidentally fell backwards, that the woman was unaware of the cop's presence and therefore not intending to hurt him.

If she threw something at a cop and there were witnesses, they would be able tell, by the body language of the woman, the way she threw the object, etc. if she intended to hurt the police officer or if she just had a lousy shot which happened to land on a cop (which could still get her into trouble, but this would probably not count as "Assault").

[Akasa]

I say any punishment, even if its just community service, is worth the thought.
So many times that behavior goes unchecked with nothing done/able to be done in responce its nice to see something actually done to the perpetrator.

[cinema guy]

I would think that her defence would claim that she didn't realise the item was not for sale, that she wasn't aware that it contained mail and she had no intention of hurting anyone, in fact the whole thing was just a big accident. I imagine she will get off scot free.

However the anxiety at being charged with these offences and any legal fees she has to pay are certainly punishment in themselves.

[Samaliel]

Even if it's an accident, she's still responsible for the damaged goods, which she hopefully will have to pay.

[ebonyknight]

With that thinking, if she threw something at the police officer, she could claim she didn't mean to, and she didn't technically touch him, so all is good?

Not quite. She didn't intend to knock the officer down. Now, if she threw something at the police officer, then she obviously intended to throw something AT the police officer. Clear difference. Though I am not sure why she would want to do such a foolish thing.

Although I am all for punishing the stupid, I believe she should get a slap on the wrist. Other than being greedy and being sucked into the herd mentality (neither of which is illegal), there was no malicious intent.

[Apathy]

I say any punishment, even if its just community service, is worth the thought.
So many times that behavior goes unchecked with nothing done/able to be done in responce its nice to see something actually done to the perpetrator.

/agree

I don't think this lady needs to go to jail for a few years or anything. If she gets all the community service and has to pay for the damages, that's good enough for me. I'm thrilled she got any come-uppance at all. (But if she gets completely screwed, that's fine too.)

[Record Store Tough Guy]

I dunno. Depends if the judge or jury is of the "ignorance is no excuse" frame of mind. Just because I don't know that the car I'm stealing has a baby in it doesn't mean I also won't get charged with kidnapping. But I think they'd have to prove intent, also.

Probably won't actually end up with any hard time, especially if she pleads guilty, shows remorse, yada yada. But the experience will probably shake her up pretty good.

[Alpha Strike]

The "lady" in question shoved someone, in a crowded store, with merchandise (seemingly) in close proximity. Even if she never wanted to hurt anyone, she should have realized that the results of her actions could very likely cause that to happen.

So while I'm not saying she should be tossed in a prison cell and the key lost, I hope they do more then just slap her wrist.