More campus cops
This time from UCLA. A student was using the computer lab but failed to produce his ID during a random check. The Community Service Officers (whatever that is) asked him to leave but he didn’t so they called in the police. While they were gone to get the police he began making his way out of the lab. On arriving, the police grabbed him and when the student began yelling “Get off me!”. So far no big deal, right? They arrest the guy and figure out what is going on at the station. This is what they decided to do instead:
It was at this point that the officers shot the student with a Taser for the first time, causing him to fall to the floor and cry out in pain. The student also told the officers he had a medical condition.
UCPD officers confirmed that the man involved in the incident was a student, but did not give a name or any additional information about his identity.
Video shot from a student’s camera phone captured the student yelling, “Here’s your Patriot Act, here’s your fucking abuse of power,” while he struggled with the officers.
As the student was screaming, UCPD officers repeatedly told him to stand up and said “stop fighting us.” The student did not stand up as the officers requested and they shot him with the Taser at least once more.
“It was the most disgusting and vile act I had ever seen in my life,” said David Remesnitsky, a 2006 UCLA alumnus who witnessed the incident.
As the student and the officers were struggling, bystanders repeatedly asked the police officers to stop, and at one point officers told the gathered crowd to stand back and threatened to use a Taser on anyone who got too close.
Laila Gordy, a fourth-year economics student who was present in the library during the incident, said police officers threatened to shoot her with a Taser when she asked an officer for his name and his badge number.
Obviously, it’s unknown if it had anything to do with what happened, but CBS reported the student’s name was Mostafa Tabatabainejad. The sergeant had this to say: “If he was able to walk out of here, I think he was okay.” There is a student-recorded video of the event on the first link, but it is having trouble running, so it has been uploaded to Youtube:
At least Abel didn’t get tasered. But then, his name isn’t Mostafa.
Nice to see other people picking this up. Come join the discussion we’re having at my show.
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When I see things like this, it makes me think that all cops are power-crazy assholes.
Personally, I would never trust a cop. Our ones here in Fayetteville are certainly no gems.
Tasers are supposed to be non-lethal substitutes for guns. I think everytime a police officer uses a taser it should be treated as if he were using a gun. What I mean is if they taser someone it wouldn’t have been appropriate to shoot with their pistol they should face the same penalty as they would have if they had shot the guy. It’s harsh, but the police are out of control with these things and their is virtually no penalty for it.
I absolutely agree with you.
There is no excuse for using a tazer when they obviously could have controlled the suspect without one. No, most cops are probably not pushy, beligerant jerks, but the percentage is too high. These cops need to be fined, stuck at a desk job for a year or two, then retrained.
I think they need to be fired, and charges need to be brought against them.