This is a bizarre video. The police officers are trying to arrest a man who is mocking them and not cooperating. The officers decide to taser him rather than simply force his hands into cuffs. The man screams “I am being illegally tasered, I am defending myself” and proceeds to escape.
In defense of the officers, they repeatedly try to cuff him and do not taser him until he starts to swing his arms. However, the taser requires them to let go of the man which results in his escape. It is not clear why the two officers could not continue to hold the suspect and secure the cuffs without the use of the taser.
Mespo.
I had heard about the legislation that you mention. You quote it as Virginia state law. Any idea if other states have similar laws? I was always under the impression that it was federal law after seeing a documentary about the shenanigans at Waco a few years back.
Ryan,
See this thread:
http://jonathanturley.org/2009/11/01/shock-video-utah-officer-tasers-man-for-traffic-ticket-in-front-of-pregnant-wife/
His actions became entirely reasonable when the arresting officers said the charge against him ‘didn’t matter.’
My only question is what has made this guy so resistant to being tasered…it barely phases him.
“It has long been held in Virginia that where an officer
attempts an unlawful arrest, the officer is an aggressor which
gives the arrestee the right to use self-defense to resist so
long as the force used is reasonable. See id. at 69, 396 S.E.2d
at 856; see also Annotation, Modern Status of Rules as to Right
to Forcefully Resist Illegal Arrest, 44 A.L.R. 3d 1078 (1972).
“[T]he amount of force used [always] must be reasonable in
relation to the harm threatened.” Diffendal v. Commonwealth, 8
Va. App. 417, 421, 382 S.E.2d 24, 26 (1989).”
— Brown v. Commonwealth
This video has been around for quite some time.
I applaud the man who escaped after being tortured and punished with that little electrical device. There should be no further punishment, since the cops are now allowed to punish and torture at their discretion.
It was his wife holding the video camera.
Why does the officer to the far left have gloves on? Is it because it gives the hand strength more power like say between 18 to 24 per cent or is it because it won’t leave marks, so it will be harder to tell which officer hit him?
I do not know the under lying story but it appears that they had this very big bad criminal down and then they go for the taser and he get up and run like hell. Wouldn’t you? Was this a dash cam or some other person taking the video? Where did it come from?
Heck, I would have done the same thing as he did under the apparent circumstances. I know LEO’s have a rough job, but for the jack booted thugs there job would not be as difficult as it is.
Yesterday I read on a thread about Mike S trip through the Ghetto and I understand where he is coming from. Not that I lived in NYC each Metroplex has its less than desirable place to live. I have been there and have had no fear of the residents. It was more of a sense of fear of the cops until they realized who I was and then even then they had a different attitude.
If I had a criminal client even court appointed and they called and said that the cops were present. I would stay on the phone with them until I got there. It changed the whole attitude of the cops. The initial treatment by the cops was less than receptive. It caused one female Sgt to consider early retirement in once case.
Oh how she despised me. Maybe even today. But I was doing my job and she and her officers were out of bounds. I did not leave until they left.