Quote Originally Posted by ian 2411 View Post
I am also lead to believe from a friend of mine, the the person with the chair leg had also been drinking, which we all know dulles the sences and slows reaction.
Not only that, but the way the police "attack" these situations generally involves a lot of yelling, contradictory commands from different officers, all designed to confuse and disorient perpetrators, to slow their reaction times. This also tends to ramp up the adrenaline of the officers, leading to the potential for serious problems when they lose control. Only through training can these effects be minimized, though not eliminated completely.