This video is the latest case of a person seriously injured by multiple taser hits from police. Angela Jones, 50, went into cardiac arrest after three hits from police at a routine traffic stop. Jones had objected to the police officers demanding to go through her purse and then tried to get back in her car when she was shot with the taser.
The officer stopped to question Jones who was stopped along the side of the road. She denied drinking but the officers removed her from the car and questioned her for 15 minutes. That seems a reasonable response since they had to be sure that she was not a DUI case. It was then that they asked her to give them her purse. She refused and said “I just don’t feel like I want you to take my purse from me.” She ran back to her car and the officer then tasered her. One officer deployed his TASER® X-26 TM three times. Jones can be heard screaming in pain as the officer yelled at her not to move . . . while tasering her. She then stopped breathing.
One officer was able to revive her with CPR on the sidewalk.
There was no illegal drug or alcohol levels in Jones’ system. Nevertheless, police charged her with resisting arrest and possession of less than one ounce of pot. It is not clear what she was being arrested for at the time. We have previously seen cases where alleged abusive police conduct results in questionable charges against a victim — an incentive to settle the claims against the police and a rationalization of the alleged abuse. In this case, I am curious as to why a driver cannot refuse to hand over her bag. If they were arresting her, they can search the car and the purse at incident to the arrest or as part of the custodial exception at booking. They would not have to ask permission.
Then there is the controversial use of the tasers, including shooting people in the chest (which the manufacturer warns against). Police too often use tasers where they would previously physically restrain a person. The speed with which tasers are deployed in many cases has drawn widespread criticism. There is a growing view that tasers are becoming the instant response of many officers to any resistance or problem.
When Jones runs back into the car, I do think that there was legitimate concern by the officers that she might be grabbing a weapon. It is certainly an uncommon response even when arguing over a search. That makes this routine traffic stop less routine in the end. However, the need to use the taser — particularly three times — remains a question. My greatest concern is the criminal charge since I fail to see the basis for the arrest before the tasering.
What do you think?
Source: CBS
James, it doesn’t look like they are going to. Everywhere I look I see things like this and they just seem to get worse and worse and worse. I read these things every day, and I just say out loud to myself ”This just has to be STOPPED!” I mean, it is SO illegal and totally immoral and wrong. I don’t understand.
And James, seriously, what if you WERE walking in a field drunk? Where is the actual serious HARM in that? To me, I would think either the police get you, find out where you live and take you home, or put you in the slammer to go home in the morning. That’s it! I mean, unless you INJURED someone or stole something, or something like that. But why in the WORLD carry on like that over nothing? I am so sorry you had to deal with all that. They totally ruin people’s lives!
Could you tell us what state this happened in? Please say it wasn’t in Florida! I really hope this goes away for you soon; how awful to have to keep going to court over it!
They didn’t used to beat women up. Now, they not only beat women, they beat PREGNANT women. I don’t know where it’s going to stop.
Secondly, if you do a Google search of the grand prairie. police, you will find that the NAACP is pursuing them in another excessive force incident. When will someone step up and put boundaries on this cops that think they are above the law?
This totally hits home for me. I recently was surround by police in a field while sleepwalking. They thought I was drunk and started screaming at me. i woke up to screaming and flashlights. I put my hands in the air and said,” I don’t know where I am. I will not resist.” They ordered me to lay down in the mud saying get on the ground mother fu#@er. I was shot with a rubber bullet and tased twice. Then when I asked what was going on I was told I was drunk. I asked three times to take a breath or blood test to prove my innocence.the response was,” Shut the fuc# up mother fuc#er. Didn’t you learn the first time? Ill tazer you again. Then I was put.in jail for just shy of three days with no explanation. On the end of the second day I was told I was being charged with evading arrest and public intoxication. Now I go to court every month while they decide what to do and mysteriously the public intoxicated case has vanished from the records. the Da had a hard time explaining why someone who was evading had taser leads in the front of his abdomen and why they tased me while on the ground when.I asked what I did.wrong.
Joe, I always remember that back in the day, cops shot to wing people when possible. Also back then, it was common knowledge that people went into that job with their eyes wide open. But nowadays the attitude is shoot to kill and ask questions later. Not sure when that attitude became the new mantra, but it has. And nowadays, it is not SUPPOSED to be such a dangerous job for that very reason. Nowadays, it’s taser an innocent woman (innocent until proven guilty you know) because she MIGHT jump into her car to pull a gun on me or to pull me into a highspeed chase etc. And if she dies, oh well, no great loss there. She was OBVIOUSLY guilty or the police wouldn’t be questioning her!
That excop that I know assured me that tasers were to be used ONLY when there was great danger and no other alternative. I’m sorry, but that was not the case in this video. It’s also not the case in almost all incidcents of taser usage I read. Makes you wonder how many there are we don’t hear about. I had heard they were trying to take the tasers away from the cops in Britian for this very reason. Not sure if they ever did that or not. But they should do it here.
I forgot to add that the vast majority of police deaths come from car accidents or off duty deaths, not from being killed on duty by criminals or citizens, like the woman in the video
I have to disagree with those claiming the woman contributed to her situation. After all the 15 minutes were excessive and suggests the officers were fishing to try and find a reason to arrest her. Darren Smith’s post tries to justify the use of the tasers, he gives reasons for the first 2 taser’s of the woman, but he conveniently leaves out the 3rd taser and offers no explanation for it.
Also I am so tired of every time law enforcement is criticized everyone first must qualify their statements claiming how dangerous cop’s jobs are, how many have given their lives, and when an officer kills someone the excuse used and accepted by just about everyone is “my job is dangerous and i could of been killed”. I do accept that law enforcement is a dangerous career but not nearly as dangerous or deadly as law enforcement suggests. There are many, many more dangerous jobs out there. Being a police officer is not even listed in the top 10 most dangerous occupations. Being a fisherman is more deadly than being a cop, being a taxi driver is more dangerous than being a cop, being a roofer is more dangerous than being a cop. People just assume its more dangerous than it is, because law enforcement’s mantra and because they deal with crime. Now if this involved a police officer in Juarez, MX then I would be more sympathetic to their positions.
“We need more peace officers and less police.” Probably the best statement on the thread. Escalation is an issue that leads to these incidents, and too often the escalation is by the police.
Pete9999: “i can remember my uncle, a police officer, telling his daughter never to stop for police in a deserted area. turn on the emergency flashers and drive to a well lit area, preferably where people are.” It is likely really bad advice today. A black woman either in Yavapai or Coconino County did just that, after that county’s Sheriff had publicly announced that women should do just that, and had a Deputy so angry that the escalation was immediate. She ended up being convicted of “Resisting” or some other charge. It was reported that she had tried to contact police to confirm it was a cop behind her. No service.
My daughter went through driver’s ed (expensive) taught exclusively by ex-cops with some off. They gave her the same advice as well. Also that there are good cops, bad cops, and fake cops but that she should trust none of them in the same way you wouldn’t trust a stranger.
I don’t like Pig either and have never used it. I have cops in my family and they aren’t pigs.
feemeister, I’m reminded of the following:
Police Union Under Fire For T-Shirts Reading “U Raise ‘Em, We Cage ‘Em.”
http://jonathanturley.org/2011/11/02/police-union-under-fire-for-t-shirts-reading-u-raise-em-we-cage-em/#comment-454003
A comment from the above posting:
Junctionshamus 1, November 2, 2011 at 11:34 am
Have in my possession a cap from the LAPD Officers’ Association, received in 1984 – “To protect and serve, when we (f)ucking feel like it!”
———
There are some good cops, to be sure, but…
Anonymously, what would have happened to you or me, had we said that? I think a bit more than being canned or investigated, don’t you? What an idiot that guy is. You don’t SAY stuff like that! You’d think a cop would know that! And additionally! He is liable to find out his retirement has been confiscated! The State (Florida) does that for certain infractions.
Shano, I think the reason that cop was fired was because that was in Canada. I doubt if it would have happened here! He probably would have had a medal pinned on his chest here. That 3 year old is probably involved with the 18 month toddler they had to pull off the plane because he was on the NO FLY list!!!!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/22/cop-quits-assassinate-obama_n_2175289.html
“JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville police officer has quit after admitting he told colleagues that he would volunteer to assassinate President Barack Obama.
Sam Koivisto told the Florida Times-Union () on Wednesday that his comments had been blown out of proportion and that he’d planned to retire in five months anyway. http://bit.ly/10zfc6q
The 57-year-old retired earlier this month while facing an internal investigation into his comments to other officers after the election. He told them that if an order came to kill Obama, he “wouldn’t mind being the guy.”
When questioned by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office integrity unit, he said he also didn’t care if a nuclear explosion killed everyone in the Northeastern U.S because they supported Obama. He told the investigators his comments were hyperbole and not actual threats.”
Besides brutality, who can explain the ridiculous lack of simple common sense? The breach of our rights by the police ranges a whole scale. Would anyone think an 18 year veteran of the police force would give a ticket to a 3 year old for urinating on the family lawn? It is pure harassment armed by strangers :
http://smirkingchimp.com/news/46695/officer-fired-for-ticket-to-3-year-old-who-urinated-on-lawn
Tasers should be used as an alternative to deadly force – they are not a convenience for police officers who do not wish to get their hands dirty. Two male police officers vs. one lanky woman – this is ridiculous. And multiple strikes. The woman appears within her rights to refuse the search. The problem is that these law enforcement agencies do not care how many millions they have to pay out in damages – and Taser International is following the game plan of the tobacco companies – they clearly know the risk of their devices and are simply acting in their economic self-interest – this is a great argument against corporate personhood – they legal entity cannot be made to pay the same price as an individual – the entity cannot be incarcerated – therefore the available deterrents are much different. Hence because a corporation is unequal, they do not automatically deserve the same rights as persons.
Oh, I finally found this. The news report was interesting too. The officer was fired, but no criminal charges were brought because they couldn’t prove he did anything. According to ”them” she was injured when she tried to leave the police station while cuffed, and she ”fell.” Hard enough to leave a huge pool of blood and black both her eyes. Would be VERY interesting to have that cop’s version of the way her ”fall” blacked those eyes like that!
This is the most worrisome developments in police procedure, these swat teams bashing in doors with no evidence, or the wrong evidence.
How badly trained are police when they do not even get the right address? They have no evidence against this man except for a ‘confidential informant’, the swat team kills this innocent marine veteran while breaking into his home:
http://www.kpho.com/story/20142545/depositions-show-contradictions-in-fatal-swat-raid#.UKuyYmJl_oc.twitter
Malisha, back in the 70s I lived in Orlando, and had a boyfriend who was from Memphis. He told me at that time, that when there were crimes in Memphis, that people did NOT call the cops, because they were worse than the crooks. They just dealt with it. That was unimaginable to me (about 19 at the time); Orlando was not like that at all. But now it looks to me like his Memphis cops have spread out and overtaken the whole country. When I read about people who have called the cops for help (i.e, the old deaf black man riding the bicycle who fell off, and someone called the cops to check on him, and the people who called because the man was having a seizure in his own home) and the cops came and tasered both of them to death (the seizure guy was brought back after 11 minutes by the paramedics and has brain damage) it just flat out makes me cry. What part of the complete egregiousness of these actions do they not understand? They are ALWAYS cleared by the higher ups. Why don’t we have CITIZENS review the actions of these cops, instead of other cops? and if on the off chance it’s true, and these people ARE following procedure, then the procedures need to be changed bigtime! And I saw the tape again recently of the woman at the cop station who was cuffed (I think behind her), and they turned the camera off and beat her and when the camera came back on there was a huge pool of BLOOD that had come from this woman and she was almost dead. And then they showed the picture of her afterwards with eyes swollen red and shut and her whole head like a piece of meat pulp. How can they not see how wrong this? Why is it not a crime with a death sentence when things like this are done? Why is this type of abuse and torture allowed to go on?
The one thing I WILL say for the cops in this instance is that they did start helping the lady immediately, and they weren’t like those others that just beat people to death. But WHY did they use a taser in the first place? There was no need whatsoever for a taser. I hope this lady recovers, as I seriously don’t see anything that she did wrong. And I would not count that pot as evidence, because it certainly could easily have been planted, so I think that should be thrown out. Along with those cops from their jobs, as well as their superiors, if they say that these cops acted appropriately.
Malisha,
“I can’t even see a basis for the arrest AFTER the tasering.”
A case of adding insult to injury, IMO, and covering their own a$$es… knowing that they’ll be sued, at the very least.
“Folks, the police are just plain OUT OF CONTROL. Unless you live in a really REALLY bad neighborhood, you don’t have as much to fear from criminals as you do from police.”
True and true.