Woman who dies at Phoenix airport may have strangled herself

Thursday, 02 Oct, 2007 0

Could a woman arrested at a Phoenix airport have accidentally strangled herself while trying to escape from handcuffs?

Police cited that as the apparent reason for the woman’s death. Forty-five-year-old Carol Ann Gotbaum was arrested when she became irate with airline workers. She was handcuffed with her hands behind her back.

The woman was arrested when she got angry after being denied boarding for a US Airways flight. She arrived past the flight’s boarding cutoff time, according to the airline.

“She was rebooked on the next flight, but witnesses told police that Gotbaum got irate and began running through the terminal. Officers said they were unable to calm Gotbaum, so they arrested her and placed her in an individual holding room,” reported The Arizona Republic. “She apparently forcefully resisted being handcuffed and screamed continually while in the holding room.”

Officers went to check on Ms Gotbaum after the screaming stopped and found her “unresponsive,” according to the AP. Authorities say neither a Taser stun gun nor pepper spray were used in the incident.

After Ms Gotbaum missed her flight to Tucson, airport workers who witnessed the incident told a newspaper that they heard Gotbaum yelling “I’m not a terrorist! I’m a sick mom! I need help!”

The woman was identified as the daughter-in-law of city New York Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum.

Report by David Wilkening



 

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