Fairfax County VA FINEST pepper spray and taser stroke victim in face

The suit claimed Deschenes and Hill held Washington at gunpoint for several minutes as he sat unresponsive in the driver’s seat of his stopped car.

The officers asked him to show his hands and exit the car, but Washington could not do so because he had suffered from a stroke while driving.

According to the lawsuit, Jurgens arrived several minutes later and fired a Taser at Washington with no verbal warning, striking him in the face.

Deschenes then holstered his firearm and opened the driver’s side door of Washington’s car, “further confirming” the suspect had no weapons.

Story Link Here


Having lived in the Fairfax County area of Northern VA and the surrounding areas (D.C., Maryland) for roughly 25 years, this is not unsurprising.

The Fairfax County Police are really rather draconic in their administration of the law. Once having been suspected of "something", I was pulled over and actually boxed in with a cruiser immediately in front of, behind, and to either side of my car. It was my first car, and I was in my late teens. I'd done nothing wrong. They had me out of the car, frisked with my hands on the trunk, and then made to sit in the curb while three Officers stood within a meter of me, and the fourth was "calling it in". They proceeded to ask me a thousand questions about what I'd done, where I was going, did I actually own the car (a 1970 Ford Galaxy Custom Deluxe 500, dull olive green tank), who were my friends in the area, etc, etc, etc.

On other occasions I've been verbally threatened as well over exceedingly basic interactions with the Officer (approaching Officer [that did not appear to be in the middle of an arrest or any other "official" action involving the law] to ask a question, etc).

However, my favorite example of such interaction with local "authorities" was in S.C.. Neighbors were lighting fireworks late at night, scaring my toddler and keeping everyone awake. I called the police, and they sent an Officer out. He was unwillinag to do anything and became upset because I had the audacity to get upset with his inaction (I only had to be getting up for work in 4 hours, no reason to get mad, no....) and use language "he objected to as a good christian and officer of the LAW". When I said I didn't give an ACT OF FORNICATION about him objecting to my choice of words, the 5 foot nothing 100lb wet "authority" decided to thrust his maglight to within a foot of my face threatening me with arrest. I simply laughed, all 6'3 300lb of me [physicality had ZERO to do with it [even though damned funny], he was in the wrong], told him to commit an ACT OF FORNICATION upon himself, said goodnight, turned on my heel, went in my house and slammed the door shut, and got back into bed.


As Concrete Blonde said in God is a Bullet, "I'm a high school grad, I'm over 5'3, I'll get a badge and a gun and I'm joinin the P.D.", I feel that the wrong mentality is attracted to such positions of authority. Whether those motivated to compensate for a lack of perceived power and authority, or improperly trained / incapable of behaving as trained in moments of stress and duress, we're putting many of the wrong people in these positions.

| Insert obligatory "I'm sure some cops are good, BUT" here |


This is all getting a little old, to be honest.

I remember a thread here shortly after that incident had happened.

Pretty bad way to handle a person that is having a medical emergency. It is a shame that the taxpayers have to shell out any money to pay for the 'mistakes' of their LEO's. Mistake...

a reply to: butcherguy

I cannot begin to see their actions as a "mistake".

I would imagine they either thought going into it or thought to say afterwards "we thought he was drunk or high". That's great. It works for about 30 seconds. After which, these PUBLIC SERVANTS should either have the COMMON SENSE to realize the situation was not as they thought. Or opted to remain in control of the situation and call in an ambulance and backup.

Instead, they acted without warning. They pepper sprayed a non responsive and apparently unconscious person. They used a taser on the non responsive and apparently unconscious person, TO THE FACE.

Their actions left the man with permanent damage, when combined with the fact he was having a medical emergency.
Let me repeat that...

THEIR ACTIONS LEFT THE MAN WITH PERMANENT DAMAGE.

This is gross abuse of authority. This is negligence in proper response.

The tax payers shouldn't pay a dime. No. It should be taken 100% from the officers, based on both current and future assets. The officers should be banned from ever serving in such a role again as an officer of the law. Also, they should be banned from the owning of anything remotely considered a weapon.

Also, I believe that at that point, the training process of new officers in the area should immediately be brought under scrutiny in the form of an independent review. This being said, the instructors that "trained" them should face termination and banning from employment (including future) in the department. And, as they are part of the process that "trained", they should be held financially responsible as well.

a reply to: FHomerK

I also live here in Fairfax County, and agree with you- you don't want to get pulled over here! I've been pulled over for a tail light being out, and within minutes of pulling over, there were two other cop cars to join the scene. As far as I know, I don't fit any of their normal profiling shenanigans, as I'm a white young woman. It's a special brand of draconian (good descriptor, FHomerK) police here.

a reply to: KansasGirl

Drive up or down Route 1 south of the beltway. You know, through Hybla Valley. South of the jurisdiction of Alexandria Police. At night. Say, Friday or Saturday night.

Drive a good five to ten miles and notice the cars pulled over.

Don't forget to take notice of their skin color. Particularly down around the Krispy Kreme.

a reply to: FHomerK

Honestly, they should have been tried for the crime they committed as if they did those things while not being officers of the law.

Sweet rant about Fairfax PD.

Unfortunately you must not have paid much attention to anything for the 25 years you lived there, since this story is from Fredericksburg, and involves Fredericksburg PD. Fredericksburg is in Stafford county, not Fairfax.

Fairfax isn't even mentioned in your own source.

a reply to: FHomerK

Also being a Fairfax County resident for most of my life, I can say that not every interaction I have had with the PD has been pleasant, however; they haven't all be unpleasant. I have found them mostly to be fairly professional in almost every interaction I have had with them. (Except when I reported the drug dealing spot about 1/4 mile away from my neighborhood..in which the officer was rather...flippant about that.)

I digress. Hopefully this is an isolated incident, and though I agree that the response was draconian and rather uncalled for, I can hope that they use it as a teaching moment and learn how to identify a medical emergency for what it is, instead of confusing it for a non-compliant, belligerent threat.

a reply to: kelbtalfenek

How's the traffic lately ::snicker, snicker:: ?


I've honestly got to say, I never had a positive interaction with the Fairfax County police department.

I feel like police should have to pay into some sort of malpractice insurance so when they F up I don't have to pay for it. And. Also I think this incident is disgusting!

a reply to: Shamrock6

Sweet cool "gotchya bro" moment. Honestly, when I read it, I read "Fairfax County".

I guess you've never once done that. Nope. You's perfecto!

Regardless. Put a fill in the blank for the police department. It still fits.

Enjoy that warm feeling of smugness and intellectual superiority, I'd imagine it's what you live for

originally posted by: bananashooter
I feel like police should have to pay into some sort of malpractice insurance so when they F up I don't have to pay for it. And. Also I think this incident is disgusting!

I thoroughly agree.

originally posted by: FHomerK
a reply to: KansasGirl

Drive up or down Route 1 south of the beltway. You know, through Hybla Valley. South of the jurisdiction of Alexandria Police. At night. Say, Friday or Saturday night.

Drive a good five to ten miles and notice the cars pulled over.

Don't forget to take notice of their skin color. Particularly down around the Krispy Kreme.

Oh I know! For a few years I lived off of Route 1 in Hybla Valley, in a little townhouse development that was nice and quiet for a few years until the riffraff from Route 1 started creeping over. I definitely can picture exactly what you're talking about with the police stops on that road.

Drive through Old Town, however, on that same Friday or Sarurday night and notice how many police stops there are, even though probably half of the cars on the roads there are driven by folks going home buzzed from the fancy Old Town bars.

yep, a nudge and hey buddy would be proper unless your a wimp

thats what it is...treat the citizens like a classmate in gym class sorta...a hey buddy....a small touch nudge on the shoulder

originally posted by: FHomerK
a reply to: kelbtalfenek

How's the traffic lately ::snicker, snicker:: ?


.

Hahahaha! Awesome. You actually made me laugh out loud.

ETA: you know of course, that it still sucks hard.

a reply to: KansasGirl

Hey now, don't go knockin my backyard Old Town! I worked in damned near EVERY ONE OF THOSE RESTAURANTS (there are no bars in VA, thanks to the VA ABC, they are restaurants as they must serve a minimum of 51% of their sales in food, not alcohol) waiting tables and bar tending.

Hell, I even spent a summer or two turning 200lbs of raw onions into Hard Times Cafe onion rings every Saturday morning for you ingrates!!!!!

And you're right, they make alot of cash in Old Town from traffic stops.

But down south, I'd routinely do 55 in what is it, 45mph zones...because the cops were always busy with pulling people over that don't glow lilly white, like moi. It's blatant profiling, pure and simple. And, it's blatantly wrong.

NoVA has an amazingly bad race issue....from ANY SINGLE ANGLE you look at it. Don't get me started about my experiences attending T.C. William's HS on King Street....

Remember the Titans, Denzel!!!!

a reply to: KansasGirl

Uh, sucks worse!!!!

What was it, 2008 or so that they cut all the contracting out of Crystal City and moved it to Fort Belvoire?

Really SMART planning, as the Fort has no access from the beltway [those gates were closed immediately after 9/11], and Rt 1 is 2 lanes either direction. Are they even considering extending Metro down in that direction, possibly with a new color line?


For those who don't know, the train lines are given colors. Red, Green, Yellow, Orange, didn't they just open the Silver line? I haven't lived there in 12 years, but I joyfully laugh at my friends quietly as I listen to them bitch and moan

a reply to: FHomerK

Sweet cool "gotchya bro" moment.

Thanks bro. Not sure how much of a gotcha moment it really is when all it takes is pointing out you didn't pay attention to your own source.

You's perfecto!

See Augustus for a fan club membership card.

Enjoy that warm feeling of smugness and intellectual superiority, I'd imagine it's what you live for

I'll enjoy my warm feeling of reading comprehension, thanks. Sorry you got so upset at having your lack of comprehension pointed out.

a reply to: Shamrock6



oooooh..... you must have quite the intellectual woody right about now!!!!

Pal, listen. I read the story. The nature of it made me upset, and yes, I superimposed Fairfax over whatever podunk county it was. I honestly read it as "Fairfax". Crucify me. Here's the wood, nails, and hammer. Good on you.

Here's the deal. The point I was trying to make, even as I mentioned my experiences in two different states, is that this is a problem regardless of what county it is. Look at the news. Talk to people. They'll say the same thing.

So, are you going to actually add anything to the obvious intent of the article / post, or are you just getting your proverbial jollies off on this?

a reply to: FHomerK

You sound easily upset then. Whining about having the glaring error pointed out to you and waving the victim card around only furthers that.

I'm sorry that you've had negative experiences with law enforcement. Plenty of other people have. And plenty of other people have had positive experiences with law enforcement.

I already added my thoughts to the original thread that was posted years ago about this incident: the officers were way over the line in their use of force with this individual. You can stop worrying so much about my woody and jollies now. It's a little weird that you keep talking about it.