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Woman Dies From Anxiety Attack While In Police Custody
posted (November 21, 2018)
A 35 year old mother of one is dead tonight - and her family says it's because police mishandled her anxiety attack.

Yesterday afternoon at 1:00, Ruth Ferguson was at work at Stella Maris school - where she has been teaching for 11 years. That's when two police officers - acting as process servers - went to the school to pick her up - reportedly for a debt she owed to a loan shark. Apparently the cops had a bench warrant to imprison her for 6 weeks if she did not pay.

Now, to get a sense of the full story you have to understand how police work as process servers. It's basically a side gig - private work for law firms, banks, and loan sharks where the cops use their uniformed authority to effect lawful court orders - mostly on those who have outstanding debts.

But these cops seemed to be in a rush - and when Ferguson complained that she was having a panic attack - they must have thought she was bluffing and they took her away anyway. Five hours later, she was dead - from a massive heart attack. Tonight, her family and friends say the cops are to blame for not having the training or sensitivity to realize the seriousness of a panic attack. We spoke to a her lifelong friend, Sheree Salgado who was at Stella Maris when the cops came to arrest Ruth Ferguson:...

Voice of: Sheree Salgado, Friend of Ruth Ferguson
"Around 1pm police came to see her. We don't know what kind of warrant they have for her arrest. But she was told that she needed to go down to the court or the station. While in the office with the police, she claimed that she was having a panic attack. Police completely disregard that and told her that we need to take you down."

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"Information is that the police acted insensitively."

Voice of: Sheree Salgado, Friend of Ruth Ferguson
"Yes they did, Jules. Actually according to eye witness, when she was leaving the school compound the male police officer said that in her presence "you gwine da jail.""

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"This is someone who is already in the throes of an anxiety attack."

Voice of: Sheree Salgado, Friend of Ruth Ferguson
"That's right, she was already."

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"And then they proceeded to take her to the station, but not in a police mobile, or not in a private vehicle."

Voice of: Sheree Salgado, Friend of Ruth Ferguson
"Yup, she was - they took her on the public transportation we call the city bus."

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"This person is having an anxiety attack, from no doubt, having to do with the embarrassment of the situation of being arrested at work and they compound that by taking her in the custody of 2 officers to the police station on bus?"

Voice of: Sheree Salgado, Friend of Ruth Ferguson
"We can come to par like taking her on a public transportation, knowing before she left from here, she said that "I am having an anxiety attack.""

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"So what happened next?"

Voice of: Sheree Salgado, Friend of Ruth Ferguson
"The female police proceed to take her on the bus and again she claimed that "I am not breathing properly, I'm having an attack." They completely disregard that and allow the bus to go all the way down the boulevard and when they reach the Medical Associates clinic, that's when she got off and went directly into the emergency section complaining that she was unable to breathe properly. It was already too late, because the nurses there explained that her airway was already closing in. So they had to rush her to the KHMH in a critical condition. When we want over there around 5:50pm, the doctor explained that she had a massive attack. She is an example of what could happened to you when you are in a panic attack if you are not calm, if somebody is not there to talk to you and let you know that everything is going to be okay. It could lead into death."

"They have no remorse. Those 2 police officers have no kind of compassion. They could have waited on her until after she left the school compound, because she is not living at Stella Maris School. She has a home. They could have waited until she was off the compound to actually do an arrest."

Police were at the school today taking a statement for an internal investigation.

The family is seeking an attorney to bring legal action against the police.

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