I know a New York grand jury can be persuaded to indict a ham sandwich. But in the past it actually had to be a ham sandwich--not a turkey on rye. No more in modern New York City (via Reason):
An unarmed, emotionally disturbed man shot at by the police as he was lurching around traffic near Times Square in September has been charged with assault, on the theory that he was responsible for bullet wounds suffered by two bystanders, according to an indictment unsealed in State Supreme Court in Manhattan on Wednesday. ...
Initially Mr. Broadnax was arrested on misdemeanor charges of menacing, drug possession and resisting arrest. But the Manhattan district attorney’s office persuaded a grand jury to charge Mr. Broadnax with assault, a felony carrying a maximum sentence of 25 years. Specifically, the nine-count indictment unsealed on Wednesday said Mr. Broadnax “recklessly engaged in conduct which created a grave risk of death.”
To be clear, the police fired the shots that wounded two bystanders. And the accused did not even have a firearm.
It's bad enough that it is tough to go through a normal day without violating multiple proliferating laws and rules with criminal provisions.
If this goes through, New York is no longer a city of laws, as Mark Steyn comments:
The defendant is looking at 25 years in jail for the crime of provoking law enforcement into shooting random citizens. If this flies in New York, then there is no law.
If the district attorney isn't removed from office for this assault on rule of law, the city has simply moved a little further down that path. I sure wouldn't risk drinking a 17-ounce soft drink in that city.
