State troopers (in MN) used Taser on driver who later died

[question everything]

Source: Star Tribune

By TIM HARLOW, Star Tribune

Last update: January 16, 2008 - 2:31 PM

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating an incident in which members of the State Patrol used a Taser to subdue a motorist at an accident scene. The driver later died, authorities said, adding that the cause of his death has not been determined. Five troopers are now on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure.

Troopers responded to a traffic accident around 5 p.m. Tuesday on Interstate Hwy. 694 in New Brighton. They said they encountered an "uncooperative driver" and used a Taser when he would not calm down. The man, who was from Fridley, was taken to a hospital where he died.

The driver's name has not been released.





Read more: http://www.startribune.com/local/13841301.html?pt=y

[superconnected]

1. The cops just get scarier and scarier

I wonder how many citizens they've killed this year.

[Seattleman]

2. Tazer deaths

I can only imagine that if were to tazer a cop, you would be charged with attempted murder.

Years ago, the police used to be "Peace Officers". Now they are "Law Enforcement Personele".

The creeping beast of authoritarianism is always on the prowl.

[thunder rising]

3. MN cops? ... man the worm has turned

[unapatriciated]

8. 307 related deaths from 2001-2007

http://educate-yourself.org/pnt/amnestyintnltasernews.shtml

http://www.commondreams.org/news2006/0328-02.htm

[uppityperson]

4. Damn. Looking for more info on this.

[MadMaddie]

5. It's concerning all around...and we don't have all of the details

but the officers were responding to an accident...it's possible the drive suffered a head injury.....with head injuries come erratic behaviour...

Where is the common sense? The driver probably needed medical attention instead of brutality.

But again since we don't have all of the information...

[951-Riverside]

6. Volunteer Warnings, Risks, Liability Release and Covenant Not to Sue

...The taser legal forms are just full of goodies.

http://www.taser.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/Controlled%20Documents/Warnings/LG-FORM-VOLUNTER-001%20REV%20B%20Volunteer%20Exposure%20Release.pdf

I made highlights of the legal forms in this thread
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=2651913&mesg_id=2651913

and of course their legal form BOOK

[jody]

15. Thanks for the link. n/t

[Magleetis]

7. Power and control

Police have praised the weapon -- which sends an electric current into the victim -- for its ability to bring a quick end to a persons life.

[Danger Mouse]

9. Wow, for nonlethal weapons, they're pretty damn lethal.

[pingzing58]

10. We are not a POLICE STATE but a gov. of the people, etc. If we do not

take charge and bring the police under civil control we have no one to blame but ourselves for allowing this to happen. Their training in upholding the rights of citizens is severly lacking. The mere questioning of a peace officer concerning why one was stopped or questioned the vague "suspicion" is used. If one argues then one is labeled "combative" and deserving of being arrested because the officer "feared" violence. If you resist arrest then you are "tasered" to the point of complete submission while the person naturally responds with a "flight or fight" reaction and leading to more tasering to the point that the innocent person is murdered by the peace officers (police). Every police Dept. needs a civilian review board consisting of both those who defend police brutality and those who are emotionally distanced enough to uphold the rights of citizens whoes tax money pays for their salaries.

[Bonobo]

11. Well, umm, since we KNOW they can kill, doesn't it become MURDER at some point?

Just wondering...

[Bonobo]

12. So this was a crash they responded to. Meaning guy wasn't a criminal. Probably

more like an angry, upset victim of an accident. Gotta work on those people skills. Shit, even if the kid was upset, I know plenty of good moves I could show you if you just wanted to get him under control. A nice wrist grab, combined with the proper application of force just above the elbow does wonders!

Ya see, problem with tazers is, it's the lazy man's weapon of choice. These guys are getting too fat and lazy. That's the problem. Slow, stupid, lazy, no people skills. Fuck them.

[mzmolly]

18. He was on his way to pick up parents at the airport.

Sad story. :(

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[L0oniX]

14. Honest cop is a myth. The blue code. They lie. They plant evidence. They beat people.

They beat protesters of which some have been killed. When they set someone with their lies, people end up on death row because of it. They are not there to serve the public but are there to do whatever the gov wants. Just wait till when our economy crashes and people start to panic and pour into the streets and then you will see these pigs for what they really are. When one of their buddies fucks up they cover for the person and that's the blue code. Fucking pigs down here actually got caught planting dope in peoples cars so they could confiscate the cars and other possessions including homes and boats. Homeless people here get killed by the pigs. 2 men in the last 2 years have been killed by the pigs when they pushed the victims down on the ground and pushed a knee into their backs and basically squished them to death. The victims were drunk in public and that deserves death? The pigs do not protect battered wives and women get killed because the pigs say they have to wait until something happens before they can do anything about it. I'll never trust the pigs.

[geardaddy]

16. I'm not surprised by there being an accident

in New Brighton. That stretch of 694 sucks!

[mzmolly]

17. What no one understands is that tazer related deaths are "coincidence."

:sarcasm:

The victim has now been identified as Mark Backlund.

[tblue37]

19. Some other excerpts from the article:

Lt. Mark Peterson of the State Patrol wouldn't describe the uncooperative behavior (emphasis added).
(I wonder why.)

<snip>

He (a rep from the company that makes Tasers) said no one in Minneapolis has died directly from a Taser. The Hennepin County medical examiner found a Minneapolis man shot with a Taser died from cocaine abuse, heart disease and emphysema in 2003. The next year, another Minneapolis man with heart disease and hypertension died from a heart attack after he was shot with a Taser.
(But how can they tell in advance who has such conditions and will die from being Tased? THEY CAN'T.)

In the United States, more than 290 people have died since June 2001 after being struck by police Tasers, according to the human rights group Amnesty International. It said in October that only 25 of the 290 were armed, and none had firearms (emphasis added).

The group has called for a moratorium on Taser use until more research is done.

"We believe that they should be used as an alternative to lethal force," said Dori Dinsmore, the group's Midwest director, "not as a tool to ensure routine compliance(emphasis added)."

A 2004 study from the group shows many of those who died had underlying health problems such as heart conditions or mental illness or were under the influence of drugs. Many also were subjected to repeated or prolonged shocks.
(Again: How can they tell in advance who has such conditions and thus will die from being Tased? THEY CAN'T.)