Cop Tasers Unarmed Legless Man...Twice!

[Bill Mattocks]

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/09/22/crimesider/entry5328679.shtml

Williams and witnesses say officers tasered the wheelchair-bound man twice, then left him handcuffed on the sidewalk in broad daylight, with his pants down.

Williams spent six days in jail before prosecutors said they lacked evidence to charge him.

 

[Archangel M]

I see this one of 2 ways.

1. It's as horrible as it sounds.

2. The man had the child in his arms and wouldnt give her up and the police "drive stunned" him, which is different from hitting him with the darts, to make him release the child.

I have no issue with handcuffing a wheelchair bound suspect. And portraying a legless person as some poor helpless thing to be pitied (which always seems to be implied) is a disservice to many handicapped people who are probably tougher and stronger than their bipedal counterparts.

http://www.holytaco.com/2008/03/24/legless-wrestler-kicks-crap-out-of-opponent/

 

[shesulsa]

With no details released, I won't give opinion here. DV calls are always suspicious, and no one wants to hand their daughter over. I *do* wonder, however, why they held him for six days without charging him.

 

[Archangel M]

Well the cops believe they had PC to charge so he was arrested, charged and probably sent to a holding facility after arraignment. The DA decided not to prosecute the case. It's not like he was held without charge.

 

[Tames D]

I see this one of 2 ways.

1. It's as horrible as it sounds.

2. The man had the child in his arms and wouldnt give her up and the police "drive stunned" him, which is different from hitting him with the darts, to make him release the child.

I have no issue with handcuffing a wheelchair bound suspect. And portraying a legless person as some poor helpless thing to be pitied (which always seems to be implied) is a disservice to many handicapped people who are probably tougher and stronger than their bipedal counterparts.

http://www.holytaco.com/2008/03/24/legless-wrestler-kicks-crap-out-of-opponent/

I wonder if he was an actor or musician? After all, according to you, 99% of them are narcissistic loons, right?

 

[Archangel M]

I wonder if he was an actor or musician? After all, according to you, 99% of them are narcissistic loons, right?

WTF does that have to do with this topic?

 

[Bill Mattocks]

More details...

Note also that both sides have lawyered up.

And of course, since the department won't really be able to talk about the incident, the victim/suspect will get to say what he wishes to the press, so I keep in mind that this is one side of the story.

http://www.mercedsunstar.com/multimedia/story/1068479.html

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/na...man_in_a_wheelchair/srvc=home&position=recent

Between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Sept. 11, Williams said, he and his wife, 28-year-old Demetrice Shaunte Phifer, were arguing when a marked Merced Police Department patrol car arrived at the couple’s studio apartment.
While one officer spoke with his wife, Williams said, another officer arrived and ordered him, "Go back to your house!"
Williams, who had his 2-year-old daughter Ginni in his lap, said he rolled his wheelchair back to his apartment.
The officer, who is identified in the police report as John Pinnegar, approached him in the doorway of his apartment. Pinnegar said his wife had accused him of striking her, which Williams denied.
Shortly afterward, police Sgt. Rodney Court and a worker with Merced County Child Protective Services entered the room, Williams said. "I’m trying to tell him nothing happened. We were just having an argument," he said.
Pinnegar grabbed William’s 2-year-old daughter from his lap, handing her to the CPS worker. "I said, ’What are you doing? I haven’t done anything!’" Williams said.
Williams said Pinnegar unholstered his Taser, jammed it into his rib cage and shocked him twice. Williams said he fell from his chair onto his stomach on the ground outside his doorway.

http://www.modbee.com/crime/story/869707.html

Andrade said the officers felt threatened but didn't explain what Williams said or did to cause such fear. He named the safety of Williams' daughter as the primary reason officers decided to use a Taser on him, but acknowledged later that the girl was in the hands of a child welfare worker when the Taser was used.

And I note that the various media sources keep asking if this is a 'race thing', since the stunnee is black and the stunners are white. However, their fishing expedition seems doomed to failure - the stunnee says they did not use racial terms or epithets and that he does not think the tasering was racially motivated. Clearly, the media is trying to drum up some racial underpinnings for this issue.

http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=7033614

A neighbor shot video of Gregory Williams being arrested outside his apartment earlier this month. The Merced Sun Star newspaper provided the video to ABC30.
Police Chief Norman Andrade says his officers felt threatened by the wheelchair bound man. The chief also reported that officers tried to detain the man for 30 minutes before using a taser.