A 'saggy pants' violation led to a fatal police chase. A Louisiana lawmaker wants to repeal the law.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Anthony Childs clung to his shorts as he ran past the police cruiser, holding them at his waist to keep them from falling down.

The officer had spotted Childs walking along the sidewalk in Shreveport, La., on the afternoon of Feb. 5 and cut a sharp left turn at the next intersection to speed up next to him. Childs, the officer saw, appeared in violation of Shreveport’s “saggy pants” ordinance, prohibiting wearing pants below the waist in public, punishable by a fine of up to $100 and up to eight hours of community service.

Childs fled as the cruiser approached, ditching the sidewalk for a vacant field. The officer hopped the curb and gunned it through the grass, gliding to a stop as he caught up to Childs.

“Hey! Hey!” the officer yelled, according to dash-cam footage of the incident. He could see now that Childs had a gun. “Put the gun down!” he yelled twice. The rest all happened in a matter of seconds. A succession of gunshots rang out. The officer fired eight shots, striking Childs three times as he lay on the ground. But the coroner later ruled that the bullet that killed Childs, 31, was the one he put into his own chest. It was the only shot he fired.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/a-saggy-pants-violation-led-to-a-fatal-police-chase-a-louisiana-lawmaker-wants-to-repeal-the-law/ar-AAC8OSk?li=BBnb7Kz

I think the saggy pants look stupid as fuck but do they warrant that kind of pursuit?

[csziggy]

1. So hip huggers and low rise pants are illegal in Shreveport?

From the OP: "Shreveport’s “saggy pants” ordinance, prohibiting wearing pants below the waist in public, punishable by a fine of up to $100 and up to eight hours of community service."

Low-rise pants, also known as "hipster jeans", "low-cut jeans", and "lowriders", are a type of pants that sit low on, or below, the hips, usually at least 8 centimetres (3 inches) lower than the navel. Low-rise pants have been available since the 1900s, in styles for both men and women, with popularity increasing in the 2000s.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-rise_pants

[MineralMan]

2. I doubt if any of those young women would be chased and shot

by the police. That treatment is reserved for young black men.

[csziggy]

8. True - my comment was facetious

I should have addressed the serious problem of cops killing young black men - which is completely out of control.

[Odoreida]

3. I agree that the saggy pants law should be repealed, but ...

Misleading headline. He pulled a gun on a cop.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

6. Not defending him pulling his gun per se.

You generally don't drive your patrol car across the grass in that kind of pursuit for a hundred dollar infraction.

[LanternWaste]

7. Accurate, not misleading.

The clothing was in fact, the genesis of the pursuit, not the firearm.

[struggle4progress]

4. "Eeek! Saggy pants!"

From ghoulies, and ghosties, and long-leggedy beasties, and things that go bump in the night, Good Lord, deliver us!

[Vinca]

5. If cops have time to chase saggy pants violations, there are too many cops.

IMO, saggy pants are hysterical. I watched a kid totally lose his jeans while he walked down the street. One of the dumbest fads ever.

[LuvNewcastle]

9. I agree.

Would a cop go out of his way to ticket a jaywalker? It's a silly waste of time, and if the cops in Shreveport have the time to chase people down for tiny infractions, there must be too many cops. I hate to see people in low-riding pants because I don't want to see their asscracks, but I don't want anyone to die over it.