Is New Orleans Smith the same aas Dallas Smith?
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1198674&page=2

The recent Bourbon Street incident allegedly involves a New Orleans
policeman named Stuart Smith, an 8-year veteran.

Approx 8 to 10 years ago there was an occurrence in Dallas whereby a
policeman named Smith asphyxiated a man inside a shopping mall in
front of his wife and two daughters.  It was recounted on CBS 60
Minutes.

Find that CBS story or equivalent.

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Clarification of Question by grthumongous-ga on 10 Oct 2005 14:13 PDT

mwalcoff, while I am certain it was Texas, somewhere in a major Texas
metropolis, I am now less sure that it was Dallas.

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Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 10 Oct 2005 14:25 PDT

Here is an excerpt from a transcript of a "60 Minutes" report
involving an off-duty San Antonio police officer named James Smith who
was alleged to have placed a man in a choke hold, which may have led
to the man's death. James Smith was moonlighting as a security guard
at a Dillard's store at the time:

"[ED] BRADLEY: (Voiceover) According to Susana Montesinos, Smith then
pushed her husband through the doorway. Montesinos pushed him back.
And then, she says, Smith backed her husband into a corner and put him
in a choke hold.

Ms. MONTESINOS: And then Smith took the--the other hand like this...

BRADLEY: So he--he had his one arm around your husband's neck?

Ms. MONTESINOS: Mm-hmm, yes.

BRADLEY: And with his other hand, was pulling that arm?

Ms. MONTESINOS: Yes. And I'm screaming, and my daughters, too. And I
know, I saw he cannot breathe. And they don't help him.

(Footage of ambulance; officer's car; people on sidewalk)

BRADLEY: (Voiceover) Eli Montesinos collapsed there in front of his
family, and died six days later."

http://www.drhrlaw.com/news/60minutes.html

Could this be the story you're remembering?

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Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 10 Oct 2005 15:03 PDT

Here's another brief mention of the same story:

"Eli Montesinos Delgado 44 ? 
January 1, 1997. 
San Antonio:
Mr. Delgado suffered fatal injuries during an alleged struggle with
off-duty San Antonio Police Officer James A. Smith, who was working as
a security guard at a Dillard?s department store. He died five days
later on Jan. 6. A grand jury declined to indict Officer Smith."

http://stolenlives.org/read/index.php?action=show&section=area_texas.xml&display=TEXAS&area=46

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Clarification of Question by grthumongous-ga on 10 Oct 2005 17:23 PDT

Hi Pink.  
Yes! That's the 60 Minutes segment I remember.
A different "Smith". 
My apologies to the good folks in the Dallas P.D.
http://www.dallaspolice.net/index.cfm?page_ID=620

 
mwalcoff, sorry for the bad lead in my original question. Yikes.

Pinkfreud, please make it an Official Answer.

I'm glad to have been able to help you with this. I remember the "60
Minutes" segment quite well; several years ago I lived in San Antonio,
and news stories related to San Antonio tend to stay in my mind.

Below I have reposted the material I found.

"[ED] BRADLEY: (Voiceover) According to Susana Montesinos, [James]
Smith then pushed her husband through the doorway. Montesinos pushed
him back. And then, she says, Smith backed her husband into a corner
and put him in a choke hold.

Ms. MONTESINOS: And then Smith took the--the other hand like this...

BRADLEY: So he--he had his one arm around your husband's neck?

Ms. MONTESINOS: Mm-hmm, yes.

BRADLEY: And with his other hand, was pulling that arm?

Ms. MONTESINOS: Yes. And I'm screaming, and my daughters, too. And I
know, I saw he cannot breathe. And they don't help him.

(Footage of ambulance; officer's car; people on sidewalk)

BRADLEY: (Voiceover) Eli Montesinos collapsed there in front of his
family, and died six days later."

DRHR News: 60 MINUTES (7:00 PM ET) March 25, 2001, Sunday
http://www.drhrlaw.com/news/60minutes.html

"Eli Montesinos Delgado 44 ? 
January 1, 1997. 
San Antonio:
Mr. Delgado suffered fatal injuries during an alleged struggle with
off-duty San Antonio Police Officer James A. Smith, who was working as
a security guard at a Dillard?s department store. He died five days
later on Jan. 6. A grand jury declined to indict Officer Smith."

Stolen Lives: Killed by Law Enforcement (Texas)
http://stolenlives.org/read/index.php?action=show&section=area_texas.xml&display=TEXAS&area=46

Here's a news article with more details about the incident:

Texas News: Officer cleared in death of Mexican national
http://texnews.com/texas97/officer103197.html

This is the search string that led me to the "60 Minutes" transcript:

Google Web Search: "60 minutes" "san antonio" police asphyxiated
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%2260+minutes%22+%22san+antonio%22+police+asphyxiated

Best,
Pink

I've looked through descriptions of 60 Minutes broadcasts from 1993 to
1998 on the Burelle's website but can find nothing about police
brutality in Dallas. There was one program about police brutality in
New Orleans.

I knew James Smith of San Antonio Police Department well. Though he
has exiled himself from his family and friends he is still in my
opinion my friend. No they are in fact not the same person.