July 20, 2008
Queens-Midtown Toll Dispute Ends in Toll Taker's Firing
It's one tall toll tale: The Post has a pretty crazy story about a toll worker who ended up pulling his "MTA Bridges and Tunnels-issued Glock 9mm pistol on a driver who handed him a wad of crumpled cash."
The drama happened last year, when a driver hand crumbled bills to Bridge & Tunnels officer Daniel Bell. Bell refused them, saying the driver, FBI agent Wilfred Rattigan, had to straight them himself. Rattigan asked to see a supervisor, so Bell asked for his boss to come. Then the fed "perfectly unfolded the bills to pay the $4.50 toll." Bell claimed he had to wait for the supervisor, and then the incident got ugly. From the Post:
The agent then reached under his seat and pulled a black bag onto his lap. Bell, 38, asked what was inside the bag, and Rattigan responded, "A weapon - and here is my identification," according to hearing documents.A number of other officers descended on Rattigan's car with their guns drawn! Rattigan was able to leave when it was confirmed he was an FBI agent, but naturally he filed a complaint with the MTA.The toll collector then ordered Rattigan to take his hands out of the bag, but Rattigan continued to pull out his ID.
Bell drew his pistol and ordered everyone in the car to place their hands on the dashboard or the seat in front of them.
Bell, who had a number of rudeness complaints against him, was ultimately fired. Though a judge found he was justified in drawing his gun, she believed Bell should have accepted his Rattigan's money. Bell is currently appealing the decision. As for Rattigan, the Post reports he sued the FBI in 2004, "claiming that the bureau discriminated against him after he converted to Islam and that it failed to provide him with the resources to investigate terrorism properly after 9/11."
Photograph by Triborough on Flickr
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"The agent then reached under his seat and pulled a black bag onto his lap. Bell, 38, asked what was inside the bag, and Rattigan responded, "A weapon - and here is my identification," according to hearing documents.
The toll collector then ordered Rattigan to take his hands out of the bag, but Rattigan continued to pull out his ID."
If I had a gun I'd pull it then too.
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I don't understand why Rattigan couldn't just straighten out the bills when asked the first time. Does everything have to escalate to "Can I see your supervisor?"
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rattigan should be suspended or fired too, what kind of asshole reaches for his gun in such a situation?
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why wasn't his gun on his person?
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Why on earth did the FBI agent take out the bag from under his seat and place it on his lap to begin with? Was he preparing for a confrontation?
I imagine being a toll collector is a pretty thankless job- must've ticked him off to be handed crumbled bills and be expected to straighten them. Not the worst thing in the world but after a while may make you go postal.
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None of the parties involved should be allowed to have guns.
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Yeha, the FBI shouldn't have guns. Dumbass.
The toll-guy was perfectly justified in unholstering his weapon, as the FBI agent's actions could easily be perceived as threatening...and the judge agreed.
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Do all toll-collectors have guns?
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these two are meant for each other... Karma is so great sometimes :)
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that's what I was going to ask, it appears there's guns everywhere we look in this City. even the contracted out security carries a firearm. terrorism must be good for business.
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Those two should avail themselves of the vast variety of hemorroid creams and salves that are out there in the market.
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@Novanglus
I didn't mean that FBI shouldn't have guns, I meant that those individuals were all too quick to reach for theirs for such a trivial problem. Those individuals are probably not trained well enough to be trusted with guns.
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They both should have been fired. The toll taker for being stubborn and rude (hello, that's your job). The FBI agent for using the threat of a gun to get his way with a toll taker. Two idiots with government jobs who don't deserve them.
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atomische:
no need to explain; you made your point just fine.
This sounds like a case of unstoppable jerk meets immoveable D-bag.
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Yep, definitely enough blame to go around. Bell refused to accept the money not once, but twice. Rattigan got mad for being called "dude"? Yes, that's dumb, but hardly cause for calling for a supervisor. Don't people like him think supervisors have anything else to do? No reason whatsoever for him to take out his bag, it should have stayed under the seat. He asked for the supervisor then decided he was going to ID himself as FBI and not wait for him? If he was taking his bag out for ID, he should have answered "My FBI ID" rather than "a weapon." First things first, you show them you're FBI then they wouldn't worry about a weapon afterward. I don't think I want such a "genius" responsible for our nation's security.
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Someone should tell these two that some of the decaffeinated brands are just as tasty as a regular cup of coffee.
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Sounds like an excess of douche all the way around. Assuming the events unfolded as reported, you have to then wonder about the credibility of Rattigan's claims in his lawsuit. Anyone who would act like that over a toll is probably not someone who can generally be trusted.
What I don't understand is why this guy Rattigan would reach for either his weapon or his FBI ID at this point. What relevance does either have in this case? If you are talking about a weapon then you are going way above and beyond any sense of reasonableness and if you are pulling out your FBI ID then you are just a douchebag with an over-active sense of entitlement.
A lot of stupidity is contained in this one story. How easily all of this could have been avoided if Rattigan would have just had an E-ZPass. And to act like that, what an embarrassment to the Bureau.
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It sounds like a confluence of assholes.
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They deserved each other.
Great to know we have such great law enforcement
employees in the age of "Dumb down America".
How many cars were backed up after this stupidity?
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"The drama happened last year, when a driver hand crumbled bills to Bridge & Tunnels officer Daniel Bell."
Not exactly the proper verb tense there, is it, Jen?