Police shot man with 50,000-volt Taser after he suffered epileptic fit in gym

Police shot man with 50,000-volt Taser after he suffered epileptic fit in gym

www.dailymail.co.uk

Police watchdogs have launched an investigation after a Taser was used on a man suffering an epileptic fit.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission has launched an investigation after Greater Manchester Police officers allegedly shot the man with a 50,000-volt stun gun after he collapsed in November.

Paramedics were called to the Powerleague gym in Whalley Range, Manchester, after the 40-year-old man suffered from a seizure.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Sorry to share more unessecary police taserings, but I'd rather it be seen that not. Basically, this man has a seizure and collapses. When the ambulance crew arrives and tries to help, he starts punching and biting them. The ambulance crew calls for police back-up. Instead of physical restraint, an officer provides 50,000 volts of electricity.

This is just wrong. On one side, you have police using painful instruments on a guy that is already dealing with a seizure. On the other hand, you have an unpredictable man in the middle of a fit. I have to side against the police on this one, since the officers and ambulance crew together could have surely been able to overpower him together.

www.dailymail.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by fleetlord


Now, I'm no cop lover, but this guy had it coming. He was biting and punching people, and wouldn't cooperate with the police.

reply to post by fleetlord


Wow. What a bunch of in-competant (sp) paramedics. You don't attempt to restrain a seizing patient.

You get near a seizing patient then you can expect to get hit and if you're close enough, bitten.

reply to post by ReVoLuTiOn76


"Oh, I'm sorry officer. Let me stop having a seizure so that you can restrain me calmly."

Give me a break.

reply to post by ReVoLuTiOn76


When you have a seizure you loose all control. How did the guy have it coming when you can't control yourself because your brain is firing in an uncontrolled fashion? Basically this guy was essentially already being shocked before he was shocked with 50k volts.

[edit on 13-4-2010 by DaMod]

reply to post by angrymomma


Look at it this way. This guy was at the gym and had a seizure. He was probably ripped and on creatine or steroids. Normal restraining methods wouldn't be efficient enough to properly subdue this man.

Also don't think I always side with the cops. Normally I'd be on your side, but this time I do not see any wrong doing.

Originally posted by ReVoLuTiOn76
reply to post by fleetlord

 

Now, I'm no cop lover, but this guy had it coming. He was biting and punching people, and wouldn't cooperate with the police.

Right, because a person suffering from a seizure has complete control over himself.

I hope he sues the police for battery.

reply to post by DaMod


I understand this, but how would go about trying to restrain someone that is going absolutely crazy, like he's coked up or something. I know what a seizure it like, my mom has them alot, and it would not cut it with just trying to physically keep him down and from harming anybody else who are only there to do his job.

reply to post by ReVoLuTiOn76


Why does a man at a gym have to be on steroids? You know what I see a lot of times at the gym? People that want to be in shape or people that want to look good. Not everyone that goes to a gym is the freaking Beastmaster.

Oh, and from the source:

"During the incident one officer discharged a Taser at least once into the man, who was also restrained."

Originally posted by ReVoLuTiOn76
reply to post by fleetlord

 

Now, I'm no cop lover, but this guy had it coming. He was biting and punching people, and wouldn't cooperate with the police.

What the police will do now is start a ten year campaign to hound his brother in law who is at home in bed, and they think its him, lol.

reply to post by fleetlord


Fleetlord.....

I agree.....

There is no excuse for the behaviour of the police during this incident.

Kind regards
Maybe...maybe not

So you have just undergone a massive disturbance in electrical activity in your brain ...... so there 50,000 volts for being uncooperative !

He should count himself lucky that they didn`t use their batons to subdue him .

reply to post by UmbraSumus


You mean, police are good for more than pulling triggers?
(And I don't mean all police officers)
This specific officer does not seem to realize that someimes using good 'ol muscles can be a good thing, and contracting that finger might not be the best course of action.


[edit on 13-4-2010 by fleetlord]

Well, I took a defensive driving class a while back (not going to go into the circumstances) and the officer teaching the class told us we could ask him any question re: any aspect of law enforcement.

Basically he told us that there are really no regulations when it comes to using tazers since they are considered a non-lethal method of restraint. Furthermore it basically falls just under the category of physical restraint as far as danger to the perpetrator.

So in other words taze first restrain 2nd. He said they can taze even if there is no need for physical restraint which includes verbal abuses.

This is the freaking policy....

This is not verbatim, but it is what he said.

[edit on 13-4-2010 by DaMod]

The simple question that will sort this issue out is this:

What would the police have done before they were issued with Tazers, say twenty years ago?

Answer: They would have given the man a clear area, and kept the peace. The wouldn't have given him a potentially lethal shock of electricity.

reply to post by fleetlord


Sometimes it makes me wonder if the police should have an IQ test before they even allow people to become officers.

Yet, officers are agents and are supposed to be dumb lackeys it seems like.



edited to add: makes me want to tase all the taser abusing cops.




[edit on 13-4-2010 by Quickfix]

reply to post by fleetlord


What gets me is the willingness to risk harming an individual .... in an effort to stop them harming themselves .

from the same article .....

Last year an 89-year-old war veteran, apparently suffering from the onset of Alzheimer's disease, was Tasered because an officer feared he might harm himself. Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk...

The paramedics should of just backed off and ensured that the man wasn`t going to harm himself on anything in his immediate vicinity .

I had a few growth-related seizures as a child, but I am completely unfamiliar with any form of epilepsy that causes a man to aggressively bite those in close proximity.

I am not claiming to be 100% on this, as I am still trying to read into it and research cases of epileptic people biting people aside from when people try to place a mouthpiece into the vicitm's mouth (to avoid damaging teeth).

I can understand the "punches" as some people suffering rom seizures do indeed throw their limbs in an uncontrollable manner, but the biting of the paramedics seems a bit odd.

Forgive me if I have missed something and please direct me to where I can find more information on seizure victims aggressively biting people.

Just my .02, tazers have turned lazy cops into even bigger pu#ies than they already are (not speaking to all law enforcement officers here). If you can't restrain a man through your own physical force maybe you should find a new profession. Save the tazers for when you are outnumbered, massively out-sized or disarming a suspect with knife or other dangerous weapon.

[edit on 13-4-2010 by Shark VA84]

I'm a former jail deputy and have witnessed several inmates having seizures and have also witnessed many inmates faking seizures. So I can relate too looking at the situation and being on-guard. However this incident happened public and not in a jail.