Taser's: the new weapon in the war against freedom
An interesting story that I stumbled across whilst perusing my daily "conspiracy theory" websites.
Link to the original NBC story
I guess the fact that he had an Iranian name had nothing to do with this? Just a bit of random police brutality?Video Shows UCLA Police Using Stun Gun On Student
LOS ANGELES -- A cell phone captured video of a 23-year-old student being administered multiple Taser shocks by UCLA police on Tuesday.
The UCLA student was hit with the Taser shocks multiple times while he was in the Powell Library Computer Lab.
Another student recorded the incident on a camera phone. On the video, Mostafa Tabatabainejad can be heard screaming during the incident, which took place at about 11:30 p.m., the Daily Bruin reported.
According to the paper, Tabatabainejad did not show ID to community service officers who were conducting a random check. UCLA police said Tabatabainejad was released by police after he was cited for obstruction/delay of a peace officer in the performance of duty.
The Daily Bruin reported that Tabatabainejad complained when an officer was escorting him from the lab and put his hand on one of Tabatabainejad's arms. He allegedly yelled, "Get off of me," according to the paper. He was then shot with the Taser, reported the paper.
The Daily Bruin reported that after he was hit, Tabatabainejad yelled, "Here's your Patriot Act, here's your f---ing abuse of power."
Police said they thought Tabatabainejad was not harmed in the incident.
"If he was able to walk out of here, I think he was OK," the sergeant said.
Actually, while we are on the subject of Tasers, here are some more instances of their (mis)use by Peace officers.
Must have been a really nasty 9 year old. But its ok, because as most people know, Tasers are non-lethal (unless you happen to have a heart problem or defect, or any sort of alcohol or narcotic in you)Officer's Taser is used on girl, 9
Arizona Daily Star | May 25, 2004
A veteran South Tucson police sergeant is under investigation for firing his stun gun to subdue a handcuffed 9-year-old girl.
At the request of Chief Sixto Molina, the Pima County Sheriff's Department is trying to determine if the sergeant committed a crime when he sent a jolt through the child's body.
The police officer used a Taser on the girl at about 5:30 p.m. May 8, Molina said. The nonlethal weapon uses a pulsating electrical charge to immobilize a person for several seconds.
"I'll be the first to admit, you've got a veteran sergeant Tasing a 9-year-old girl, it doesn't look good," said Molina.
The sergeant was one of at least two officers who responded to a call from the Arizona Children's Home, a school for special needs children, on South Eighth Avenue, he said.
"It had to do with a runaway from the institution," the chief said. He declined to provide further details.
The school could not be reached for comment late Monday. But Molina said that the facility is the source of frequent calls to his 25-person department.
Molina said one officer initially responded to the call from the school. That officer requested assistance from another officer and specifically asked that the second officer bring a Taser.
He said the girl was handcuffed at the time the weapon was used.
The sergeant who used the hand-held Taser remains on duty. His name is not being released while the investigation is under way.
"It didn't involve an integrity issue," Molina said. "The officer made a decision to do what he thought he needed to do."
Deputy Dawn Barkman, a spokeswoman with the Sheriff's Department, confirmed a review of the incident is under way but said she had no further details.
The results of the probe will be forwarded to the Pima County Attorney's Office.
"They'll have to present it to us to see if any criminal charges are warranted," said County Attorney's Office spokesman Dan Benavides.
Sgt. Dan Snyder, a South Tucson police spokesman, said the investigation could be complete by the end of the week.
Teen dies after being shot by stun gun
Wednesday Nov 1 14:57 AEDT
AP - A teenager carrying a Bible and shouting "I want Jesus" was shot twice with a police stun gun and later died at a St. Louis hospital, authorities said.
The growing use of stun guns by US law enforcement agencies has raised concerns among human rights groups. In a report released in March, the international group Amnesty International said it had logged at least 156 deaths across the US in the previous five years related to police stun guns.
In a statement obtained, police in Jerseyville, about 65 kilometres north of St. Louis, said 17-year-old Roger Holyfield would not acknowledge officers who approached him and he continued yelling, "I want Jesus."
Police tried to calm the teen, but Holyfield became combative, according to the statement. Officers fired the stun gun at him after he ignored their warnings, then fired again when he continued struggling, police said.
Holyfield was flown to St. Louis' Cardinal Glennon Hospital after the confrontation on Saturday; he died there Sunday, police said.
An autopsy was planned for on Tuesday.
The statement expressed sympathy to Holyfield's family but said city and police officials would not discuss the matter further.
Calls Tuesday to Jerseyville Police Chief Brad Blackorby were not immediately returned. The department has been using stun guns for about five months, according to the statement.
The rise in stun gun-related deaths accompanies a marked increase in the number of U.S. law enforcement agencies employing devices made by Taser International Inc. of Scottsdale, Arizona. About 1,000 of the nation's 18,000 police agencies used Tasers in 2001; more than 7,000 departments had them last year, according to a government study.
Police had used Tasers more than 70,000 times as of last year, Congress' Government Accountability Office said.
Amnesty International has urged police departments to suspend the use of Tasers pending more study. Taser International said the group's count was flawed and falsely linked deaths to Taser use when there has been no such official conclusion.
I'll be the first to admit that the idea of Police being able to use less-than-lethal weaponry to subdue dangerous criminals is a pretty good one. But some of these abuses are disgusting.
It seems to me that US Police are becoming more and more militarised. Rather than it being their job to protect the public, they seem to be starting to view the public as some sort of enemy.
I realise thats a sweeping generalisation, because obviously the majority of Police (I would assume :hmmm: ) are not sadists who enjoy dispensing violence, but if the bad apples are allowed to promote that style of policing then these sort of incidents will only increase. Luckily, the police in the UK don't use Tasers as of yet, though I'm sure it will only be a matter of time.
Also, another problem is that people who suffer from cardiac problems are very likely to die or at the very least suffer serious problems if they are hit by a Taser. The problem is that there is no way to know if the person being tased has heart problems or not (or is on drugs, for that matter) and it is basically akin to playing russian roulette with people's lives.
At least the consequences of being shot are known and predictable.
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Originally Posted by Last Roman
), etc. Another note: You probably shouldnt tell the cops to "**** off" after you have been tased once and they tell you to stand up another 30 times. 
