The Taser is supposed to allow security forces to subdue a violent individual in a non-lethal manner.
Unfortunately, as in the case of Mace Hutchinson – a 16-year-old from Missouri who was Tasered 19 times (!) after breaking his back and foot in a 30-foot fall from a bridge – the electric-shock weapon is often used as a surrogate for unwarranted police violence, presumably because it doesn’t do any lasting harm to the victim.
Here are a few examples of when the taser’s misuse has been exceptionally stupid:
#5 – 66-year-old Minister tasered over a joke
Rev. Al Poisson was visiting his grandson in the hospital and jokingly told two gruff security men to cheer up. They decided that taking him outside, tasering and beating him would do the trick.
#4 – Unconscious Drunk tasered in Mc-Drive
A DUI-er who passed out while waiting at a McDonalds drive-thru in Indiana was (strangely enough) “ignoring [security guards'] directives” to move his car. The solution? Break the passenger side window, taser the guy (for good measure), drag him out, and move the SUV.
#3 – Brawling man accidentally shot (instead of Tasered)
Admittedly, it was pretty stupid for Michael McCarty to take a swing at his Ex’s new boyfriend in the middle of a Kentucky police station. But Lt. Jones, officer in charge, decided that the best way to stop the fight would be to taser McCarty. Unfortunately for them both, the policeman mistakenly drew his firearm instead of his taser, and McCarty was shot in the lower back.
#2 – Apprehended suspect tasered to death – and then some
Baron “Scooter” Pikes was tasered 9 times in Loisiana after being apprehended and handcuffed for an outstanding warrant for cocaine possession. The multiple 50,000 volt shocks were more than enough to kill him, but what makes this story so outrageous isn’t only that the latter half were administered when he was already inside the police car, but the fact that the last 2 came when he was probably already dead. A grand jury is expected to give its recommendations regarding whether the officer in charge – who has already been fired – should also stand to criminal charges.
#1 – Cop tasers himself
Quicker on the trigger than on the draw, this Dallas policeman got to experience first-hand the non-lethalness of his new weapon – by discharging it on himself during the arrest of a traffic violator. To add insult to injury, the local news helicopter caught it all on camera:
This is a far cry from the nobility of North Wales Police force, which, in an effort to explain the new device to the citizens of their community, blog an educational Python-esqe video of the Chief Constable getting it as good as he can give it:
P.S. Other stories which didn’t make the cut:
Police Accidentally Shock Nude Man In Genitals With Taser
