Execution by Taser

Death of teen on bike shows risks of expanded use of Tasers

Late one night in October, a 17-year-old on a bike was chased by a police officer in a cruiser. When the boy refused to stop, the officer aimed his Taser out the driver's window and fired. The boy fell off the bike and the cruiser ran over him, killing him.

Victor Steen was the fourth person who died in Florida in 2009 in an incident in which a Taser was used. It was the 57th such death since 2001, according to statistics compiled by Amnesty International and the St. Petersburg Times. At the time this placed Florida first in the nation as the state with the most fatalities related to Tasers, a weapon that delivers an incapacitating electrical jolt.

Number 54 was a mentally ill man in Fort Lauderdale who was hit with a Taser in April as he wandered in traffic, refusing to go with police. He had a heart attack and died at a hospital.

Now that the cops have a toy they can freely use, they seem to be a little trigger-happy. And they're killing 5-6 people per year. I'd say it's time for police departments to have similar rules for Taser use that they do for firearms.

i crapped myself when they first got there hands on them over here in the uk. they were bad enough with c.s gas! shooting the thing at a kid on a bike while following in a car is just down right neglagent im sure the kid was no saint but getting tazed and run over is a bit OTT to say the least.

well I find this thread title to be sensationalistic as it is NOT
execution by taser. It's execution by running him over.
I do find this story very disheartening. Both the officer
and the suspect were at fault. However the officer
practiced very poor judgment in his handling of
this incident. There are lots of ways to stop a guy
on a bike without killing him or using a taser.
I bet this officer gets sued by the family for
wrongful death.

Just wait til our streets are patrolled by
Blackwater or other private contractors.
This will be an everyday occurrence.



[edit on 3-8-2010 by boondock-saint]

I have more fear from a taser then from a gun. This device is just a well masked torture instrument. And this toy's in sadistic hands - good idea!

Originally posted by boondock-saint
well I find this thread title to be sensationalistic as it is NOT
execution by taser. It's execution by running him over.

He's just the newest example. The other examples died as a direct result of the electric jolt - heart attacks, etc.

Plus, the cops should have anticipated that he could fall in front of their car. He was on a bicycle, after all. That's negligent homicide at a minimum.

Tazers are a very serious issue. In days gone by, police had to keep a cooler head, reason more with a suspect and de-escalate a situation.

Today, at any sign of resistance the police immediately go for the tazer. Like this story, or the video from another thread where the guy won't get out of his car. That kid was in no way a threat to the cop, he was simply refusing to get out. Cops bust the window and tazer, in one smooth motion.

On the deepest level, the tazer's "ease of compliance" make policing dumber, and conditions officers to use pain to coerce. A horrible recipe in my book.

Already posted here

Closing duplicate

Thank you

Semper