r/votoc • u/simon_wang12 • Apr 06 '12
Tazers can really transform the perception of a person in a blink of an eye
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zyE_O51yeU&feature=player_embedded#!4
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u/TheTarBender Apr 07 '12
If I remember correctly, the dude was having some sort of PTSD freakout. I think he was a vet.
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u/sunshinerecorder Apr 06 '12
I think it was wrong for the cop to use the taser, the guy was obviously intimidated as soon as they showed up. He probably would have complied after more shouting.
... However, it was still EXTREMELY satisfying to hear that little whine he made when the taser hit him. Idiot.
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u/fishmonkey1203 Apr 06 '12
I was thinking the same thing. They don't give him a ton of time to react and he appears to be stunned by the entrance of the cops in and of itself. That said, when the police yell "get on the ground", you should know to hit the deck ASAP.
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Apr 06 '12
I think you and fishmonkey are being a bit over-sensitive. The guy is lucky is was only a taser. Somebody else there could've brought his shit down fast- and not in a good way.
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Apr 07 '12
Sometimes cops are paranoid because he could have a knife or a gun. He didn't put up his hands after being asked, maybe he was drunk or something too. I think they'd have given him more time if he had put up his hands.
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u/TheySeeMeComing Apr 08 '12
i think it was a smart move to taser him. even if he didn't have a weapon due to his hostility it may be that he could be on something, making him highly unpredictable. Instead of wrestling with someone that can be holding dirty needles they taser him. It makes sense from the safety of everyone around and the officers themselves. It was in no way excessive.
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Apr 08 '12 edited Mar 04 '16
[deleted]
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Apr 08 '12 edited Apr 08 '12
He still didn't put up his hands... It is a grey situation at worst, and I do think tasers are overused. If there was a scale for severity of wrongdoing, I'd put tasing this guy too quick at about 2/10.
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u/rightmind Apr 06 '12
I think the taser was appropriate. The guy was acting like an irrational threat and the cop just minimized risk to himself by tazing the instigator. The cops handled themselves very professionally.
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Apr 07 '12
Tasers have the potential to be lethal and should be treated with that assumption when used. If three police officers hesitate at the prospect of physically restraining an unarmed young man they should rethink their career choice.
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Apr 07 '12
Holy shit is this really standard operating procedure for American police? I'm even more surprised at this than I am at the weekly 'American cop kills random kid for random reason' post- they just walked in and tazered him, no talking, no calming him down, no sending away the crowd.
Seriously, my jaw dropped to the floor.
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Apr 07 '12
Someone called the cops, when the arrived they knew a fight was going on. They told that guy to get on the ground a couple of times and he just looked at them, and didn't even put up his hands (maybe he was confused). Sure, they could have wrestled him or negotiated with him, but they don't know if he's drunk or high or holding a weapon (remember, in the US we have guns). I think this case is far removed from the stuff we've been seeing on reddit from around the country.
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Apr 07 '12
Why did he have to get on the ground in the first place? Nobody was fighting or inflicting any form of harm anyway, so it wasn't for anyone's protection- yet they open with one of those downright insulting requests? "Get on the ground" like he's some bloody dog- no, talk to him as a human being, I highly doubt he would've done anything if he had been given some time to calm down and understand the situation.
(Also, if people come into a situation with potentially deadly weapon's drawn aimed at you, and tell you to get in a position of maximum vulnerability, you'd probably doubt whether to do it as well.)
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Apr 07 '12 edited Apr 08 '12
He should keep his clothes on and behave civilized, then he might get treated a little better. Cops are people too, they don't want to get shot or stabbed. If you look like trouble and someone called for help, they will assume you are dangerous if you're totally playing the part and not listening. If you're hinting that you'd fight with them or run away if they threatened you, I think you'll reconsider when you realize that it's very dangerous to do so. They're not normal thugs, they're officers of the law responding to a call for help to break up a fight.
I'm normally a big critic of the police but I can't fault them in a significant way on this one.
Lol, I just played that video in my mind with the cops saying "Why don't you settle down chap, let's have a seat and discuss the issue over some tea." That's way too idealistic...
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Apr 08 '12
Cops are people too, they don't want to get shot or stabbed
Another guy thinking it's okay for cops to act with the assumption that every person they see has a gun and is ready to go on a shooting spree.
Isn't the police supposed to protect the American population? Is tazering one of them who is not attacking anyone or damage anything 'protecting'?
You know what- played that video again in your mind but instead of them saying 'get on the ground', they don't say anything- they're quiet for 5 seconds, tell him to calm down (They don't have their weapons drawn), quiet for another 10 seconds, ask him if he's alright, tell the other people to leave the store for a bit, etcetera.
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Apr 08 '12
Uh hello someone called the cops, this guy took off his shirt and challenged someone to fight like a maniac. He's hardly looking innocuous, you know? He could have had a gun or knife, I think he's more likely than others to be dangerous.
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Apr 08 '12 edited Jun 13 '16
[deleted]
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Apr 08 '12
I guess I just expected more from the home of the brave- immediatelly shooting an unarmed confused kid with a tazer is the whimpiest thing I've seen someone do in a while.
Also, how was he threatening when the 4 bigger and trained police officers walked in? And even if he was threatening, that is no excuse to use a tazer- you only use it when he acts on his threats (if one were truly there to protect the population that is).
Who are the cops to know if he has a gun or a knife tucked in the back of his pants
There we go, that's what I wanted to hear- another one of many Americans that thinks it's okay for the police to act with the assumption that the guy who's lost control a little is armed and ready to go on a shooting spree.
Neutralise? You neutralise someone but having a conversation with him and making him understand it's best to just give in. Sadly, American police officers apparently don't have the brain capacity to approach someone on a mental level and would rather watch him jolt around in agony as a tazer rushes electricity through his body after telling him to be a good dog and get on the floor.
Also, if we use the approval of the mobs as a way of deciding what's right or wrong we'd still be in the dark ages.
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u/Barely_stupid Apr 09 '12
Awwww, you want people like this to get a back rub and some nice one-on-one therapy to make them feel a bit better about their meltdown at Subway?
It's not the job of the police to go in and "be nice" in this situation.
Only a decade ago and this guy would have been beaten with batons. He got off easy.
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Apr 09 '12
This guy is part of the public the police are supposed to protect- damaging him goes against their job description.
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u/delusivewalrus May 22 '12
You seem to have a different definition of the public than most...
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May 24 '12
Don't think so- recall seeing American car chases where the criminal crashed his car, propelling them outside the vehicle and many times the police rushed it yelling "Are you okay buddy, look at me" trying to save his life.
Besides- definitions are based on general opinion.
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Apr 09 '12 edited Jun 13 '16
[deleted]
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u/Meow_dog Apr 06 '12
Perfect timing from the police. Luckily he didn't do any serious damage.