Michael Scott Foster, the guy who attacked Clarence Daniels at a Brandon, F. WalMart because he saw his legally carried concealed weapon is still being held at the Hillsborough County Sheriff even though it was charged with battery (a misdemeanor) and bond set a $500.
He was originally set to be released the same day at 6:23 pm, but something must have happened inside the jail as he is now being held under the Baker Act.
So maybe we face the possibility that Mr. Foster may have a previous mental problem and that is nothing to laugh about or make snarky comments. County records show no other arrests for Foster and no entries in the Florida Corrections Department database.
Let’s just say that we are seeing an unusual and sad case and we can only speculate. And also to hope Mr. Foster recovers and Mr. Daniels be without injury.
At the same time it might not be remarkable sad either, what if he’s just a typical anti-rights nut, and has been apoplectic about being the one who was arrested?
I have searched wide and far and nothing on guns, pro or against. He is registered to vote as No Party Affiliation.
Certainly, he could just be your standard run of the mill crazy. Of course by age 43 I’d also expect your run of the mill crazy to have accumulated some prior criminal run ins and not just now mysteriously be triggered by a man with a gun.
I admit it’s just 100% pure speculation, I’m only suggesting that IF his response to being arrested mirrored Watts’ or the typical CSGVer’s (then multiplied by the raw emotion of being the actual one arrested) I could see the police questioning his sanity….
Officer: “Do you understand why you were arrested?”
Crazy: “NO!”
Officer: “You can’t just go around attacking people.”
Crazy: “BUT HE HAD A GUN!”
Officer: “It was ok for him to have a gun.”
Crazy: “But HEEE had a GUUUN!”
Crazy: “THE ONLY REASON TO CARRY A GUN TO THE STORE IS IF YOU’RE UP TO NO GOOD!”
Crazy: “I’M THE GOOD GUY!”
Crazy: “I SHOULDN’T BE THE ONE ARRESTED!!!”
[rinse and repeat how ever many times it takes for the police to accept that he has no concept that what he did was wrong, and that he’s paranoid and delusional.]
Officer: “Fred, can you get me the Baker Act paper work?”
My thoughts exactly.
So… Munchhausen’s? Sorta?
Or maybe they see this as one guy who shouldn’t carry a weapon and used the baker act to make sure that he never gets his hands on a weapon or a permit.
I work with high functioning autistic kids over the summer. Some of them, who are quite capable of living on their own, and attend college, have triggers that just send them off into quite the fury.
If a LEO was to respond to a call like that, not knowing the person, and confused as hell, Baker Act paperwork is a convenient cover your ass method. And not saying that in a derogatory manner. Invoking the Baker Act gives you some more options in psyc evals and the like.
It can also be used if the cop just wants to fuck with someone. That’s what makes it so dangerous.
Cops are very reluctant to Baker Act somebody. No idea why, but I had some experience in a place I used to work dealing with two people that were less than stable and the cops did not want to do a Baker Act on either. I imagine it is the amount of paperwork or something like that.
The irony of it all is that almost everybody that ever shot up a mall, school, fast food restoraunt, was white and mentally ill.
So your saying blacks and hispanics never shot up a mall, fast food restaurant or school? I’m pretty sure you are wrong.
And he’d be wrong.
They already removed the Baker Act line from his jail record.
Released at 00:52 (12:52 am)…ten minutes ago.
Why is this sad? If he is mentally ill, then he is on the road to getting treatment. That’s not sad, that’s a good thing.
Racism is an illness, so yes he would need psychiatric help. He is a threat to all harmless, law abiding people of color. My dad has worked hard all of his life, took great care of his family, never been to jail nor been involved in ANY negative altercations. He has 3 handguns for his families protection. Neither time did any of his kids, find, play with or shoot any of his guns. If this would have happened to my 7 year retired dad, I would be very upset.
Hoplophobia is a mental disorder, perhaps…
Jake2A, thanks for posting the update. The Baker Act does indeed look like a catch-all way to keep someone confined for at least a few days, and all it would take to enforce is one of the authorities involved to say that the person MAY have a mental illness. Because the DSM IV lists nearly every possible human expression as a mental illness or disorder, holding a person under the Baker Act should be quite easy.
I wonder if they hoped to hold him for a few days to see if there would a be negative and possibly violent public reaction. There have been quite a few protests and riots in the last few months over violence resulting in deaths to black men, and it may have been for his own protection.
Not exactly. You have to articulate a specific reason that gives you probable cause to show that the person is a threat to himself or to others. I have had it done to people myself quite a few times. Things like suicide notes, verbal threats, attempts to overdose on pills.
There were also times when I hesitated and it turned out I was wrong. There was a woman whose husband told me that she had threatened to kill herself because they were going through a divorce. He produced an empty pill bottle as proof. Ha also showed us that she had ligature marks on her neck from attempting to hang herself. The pill bottle had a date on it from two years prior.
She insisted that she had not attempted to kill herself, the pill bottle had been empty for months, and the ligature marks were where he had tried to choke her. She said he was trying to make her look bad to gain an upper hand in the divorce. She was very believable. I did everything I could to convince her to go of her own free will, but she refused. I was going to take her word for it and leave, but the cops Baker acted her. I went along with it, because I had to by law.
When we arrived at the hospital, blood tests revealed that there were massive amounts of the medication from the empty pill bottle in her system. I was wrong, and she played me.
Not exactly. You have to articulate a specific reason that gives you probable cause to show that the person is a threat to himself or to others
Could it be that while being processed in jail, he might had some sort of episode? Or said something like “I want to kill myself” and they felt he meant it?
[…] Not shocking: The man who tackled a concealed weapons permittee in a Walmart seems to have some mental issues. […]
I am just discovering this page. I would like to say that I had no mal intentions on this incident. I am not crazy, I am not anti gun, I am not racist. The guy armed himself outside of his car outside of Wal Mart in a manner that scared the s%&t out of me. My true thought was he was going to shoot his wife and coworkers. It appeared to be one of three choices in his eyes while stooping down behind his car to put the gun under his jacket; rob Wal Mart at noon, ex employee, or wife boning freind at work.
It wasn’t until he entered and walked in the group of kids that made me act. I was going to tell the door security guard but no one was there. When he slightly turned to the pocket of children, I thought something worse would happen.
I was not trying to be a vigilante. I was not playing hero. I was not planning on anything at all, in fact. Wrong place, wrong time. Being that I thought it was the wife scenario, I was willing to take the bullet for her, presuming she’s minority as well, so, you guys who pull the race card, I’m not in that deck of cards. Sorry.
I feel the arrest was to cover the Fla law’s tracks on issuing gun permits to people who can’t even read (Clarence Daniels can’t read nor write). I was an easy target to “Baker Act” since they thought I was crazy for approaching a gunman.
For those who still find their negative side in all of this, it’s not crazy when I would take a bullet for you or your child. How many would have the same name calling characteristics if I would have stopped the guy in Orlando? If I had seen him, my reaction would to have been to disarm him if I saw possible.
And, for those who wonder why I didn’t call 911; have you ever tried to call them in Florida? I did before and they returned my call the next day! There was no time! I couldn’t wait for officers to come make a report after 11 people were dead.
So, to all who had an opinion or concern about this issue, rest assured that it was not what the cops called the media to the scene to portray. This was blown out of proportion.
Good luck to all!
Michael Foster
You assaulted a man who hadn’t actually done anything because you saw him arming himself. You’re literally just as bad as women who call the police on fathers who are watching over their children at the park.
Mr. Foster, I am at a loss of words. Well, not really but you can expect my reply in a future post where I retract from giving you the benefit of the doubt.