Taser through scull of epileptic girl

[kingkilburn]

Click here for picture (http://static.crooksandliars.com/files/uploads/2009/07/14yroldtasered2jpg_05697.jpg)
A 14-year-old Tucumcari girl is recovering at an Albuquerque hospital after being shot in the head with a Taser dart by Tucucmari Police Chief Roger Hatcher.

Now, her parents say they want the police department to review its policies for using the Taser.

Her mother, Stacy Akin, said her daughter underwent surgery Friday morning at University of New Mexico hospital in Albuquerque. “One of the darts entered her skull,” said Akin, interviewed by telephone.

After a CAT scan, a hospital resident told her the dart was “in her brain a little bit, but not much,” Akin said.

Hatcher is on administrative leave at the moment, but claims he had no choice because she was running away from him toward traffic. I wholeheartedly disagree with anyone who says that they HAD to use a taser on a 14 year old girl who posed absolutely no threat to them. Of course, Hatcher had no way of knowing that the girl had any kind of medical condition, but that once again proves the inherent dangers of using tasers.

Akin also said her daughter has epilepsy. The girl’s father, Donny Martinez of Amarillo, said his daughter takes medication for the condition.

The girl was hit in the head Thursday by one of two darts fired simultaneously as she was fleeing, Hatcher said.

The other dart lodged in her hip.

Hatcher said be believed he had no other option.

“There’s a lot of issues,” Hatcher said. “She committed a delinquent act. She was running from police across traffic without looking.”

Hatcher said he chased her, ordered her to stop and “then did what I had to do.”

Her mother, Stacy Akin, said her daughter underwent surgery Friday morning at University of New Mexico hospital in Albuquerque.

“One of the darts entered her skull,” said Akin, interviewed by telephone.

After a CAT scan, a hospital resident told her the dart was “in her brain a little bit, but not much,” Akin said.

She was in pediatric intensive care following the surgery, Akin said. “She seems OK, but she she’s in a lot of pain. Her head is hurting her real bad.”

Police were trying help Akin because she and her daughter had been fighting, Akin said.

Akin said while she could understand the use of a Taser on an adult, it shouldn’t be used on a child.

“She’s only 14, why?” Aikin asked.

Akin also said her daughter has epilepsy.

The girl’s father, Donny Martinez of Amarillo, said his daughter takes medication for the condition.

“I’d like to find out what happened,” Martinez said, adding, “Someone, independently should look at it” to see if excessive force was used.

Akin said she and her daughter were arguing over a cell phone.

Akin said she drove her daughter to the Tucumcari Police Department to seek help.

While in front of police headquarters, her daughter walked away, Akin said.

Hatcher said he was at another incident when he received a call that a young girl had run off.

Hatcher said he returned to department headquarters and talked to Aikin, who had a bloodied lip and scratches from a fight.

Hatcher said he found the girl at George Molinas Park.

Hatcher said he got out of his vehicle, called to her and she ran in front of his patrol car across Monroe Street without looking for traffic.

Both were in a dead run when the Taser was fired, Hatcher said.

Hatcher said if he’d been able to grab her and put her on the ground, he would have done it instead of firing the Taser.

“There was a lawful reason to do that,” said Hatcher. “I didn’t have another choice and had to get her stopped.”

Akin and her daughter were new in town, Hatcher said, and he did not know where she would go.

Hatcher said if he had not stopped her the consequences might have been worse.

Taser stun guns deliver a 50,000-volt electrical current that incapacitates a person, Hatcher said.

By the time, the darts reach a person that current has greatly decreased, he said.

Hatcher said he plans to refer the case to the Juvenile Probation Office Monday for possible charges.


What do you think?

[theronin]

shocking... totally blows my mind.

[Shaminii]

shocking... totally blows my mind.

LOL. Her mind is blown.

[coww-cho!!!!!]

^^^
LOL but ya the story is messed up poor gal

[240sxaddict]

He played "just the tip" with a tazer... and her brain...

[palmdale_mob]

Damn you should of gave a warning Im eating right now :barf:

[SochBAT]

Why the fuck is the story repeated?

The entire time, I was thinking "Why is the fucking story repeating?"

When I read the first half, I thought it was fucked up.

Then I finished re-reading the first part and thought Police should be suspended indefinitely without pay.

[Ragnarok043]

i think its completely wrong, such force should only be used if she posed a threat to herself or any persons. she was just running away, just because the officer couldnt catch up to her on foot doesnt justify using a taser. its my understanding that the purpose of a taser is that its suppose to a less than lethal alternative to the gun. so IMO the use of a taser should be used as the same discretion as a gun.

[FaLKoN240]

Why the fuck is the story repeated?

The entire time, I was thinking "Why is the fucking story repeating?"

When I read the first half, I thought it was fucked up.

Then I finished re-reading the first part and thought Police should be suspended indefinitely without pay.

Yeah the article is really repetitive...

I don't know if he needed to taze her, but it sounds like he was doing it out of her own safety.

What if she died and got hit by traffic?

[Fries]

Or if she ran off and something worse happened to her in the town while she was missing.

Sucks yes. Totally blows that she took a taser to the head, but I bet she'll know better than to run from the cops now.

[Future240]

shocking... totally blows my mind.

LOL. Her mind is blown.

I see Zilvia has its usual insensitivity.


I third that on the story being redundant for no reason. I thought I was it wrong.

Its so sad for her. Hopefully there isnt any permanent damage.

[OptionZero]

i think its completely wrong, such force should only be used if she posed a threat to herself or any persons. she was just running away toward traffic, just because the officer couldnt catch up to her on foot doesnt justify using a taser. its my understanding that the purpose of a taser is that its suppose to a less than lethal alternative to the gun. so IMO the use of a taser should be used as the same discretion as a gun.

what part of running into traffic do you not understand?

I'd rather my daughter get tasered than hit by a car (or two).

Of course, I'd wish my daughter wasn't epileptic and brain damaged either.

I can predict the upcoming 2-3 pages of this thread:
75% people will comment about how cops are stupid and evil and this guy is an idiot/murder/scum of the earth
15% of people will make a joke
10% of people will acknowledge it as a tragedy, wish it didn't happen, but realize it was an accident

i don't know if the cop is a scumbag or not, but on the face of the facts, the guy sees a girl arguing with her mom, girl runs away, girls too far to catch but about to hit the intersection without looking. Cars oncoming, boom, taser. After the fact, we learn that the girl was epileptic.

maybe the mom should keep better track of her epileptic daughter

[ixfxi]

fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucking shite


can you guys at least not auto-load this fucking photo of hellraiser? i was eatin n shit. jesus christ.



anyway, she got tased.. shit happens. she should be happy she isnt a ucla student or something... "dont taze me..... brrrrrro"

[BustedS13]

shocking... totally blows my mind.


:bowrofl::bowrofl::bowrofl::bowrofl:


but yeah, cops should have clubs, guns, and a stern voice. this isn't star trek :s101:

[Mi Beardo es Loco]

what part of running into traffic do you not understand?

I'd rather my daughter get tasered than hit by a car (or two).

Of course, I'd wish my daughter wasn't epileptic and brain damaged either.

I can predict the upcoming 2-3 pages of this thread:
75% people will comment about how cops are stupid and evil and this guy is an idiot/murder/scum of the earth
15% of people will make a joke
10% of people will acknowledge it as a tragedy, wish it didn't happen, but realize it was an accident

i don't know if the cop is a scumbag or not, but on the face of the facts, the guy sees a girl arguing with her mom, girl runs away, girls too far to catch but about to hit the intersection without looking. Cars oncoming, boom, taser. After the fact, we learn that the girl was epileptic.

maybe the mom should keep better track of her epileptic daughter
but a taser is only to be used for protection from a threat, not to chase someone down or to capture a fleeding suspect. The "running towards traffic" excuse is to cover his ass. She's epileptic, not retarded.
Really though. Not all cops are bad. Sometimes good cops do bad things and sometimes bad people become cops, it's just like every profession. And this was the POLICE CHIEF! He should have known better than to shoot a taser at a fleeing minor that posed no threat to him, herself, or others. The "toward traffic" excuse is widely overused. How close was she? who's to say she wasn't looking. Sometimes cops just need to call off the chase if it means they could save someone injury and possibly save lives. They'll just catch them later.

[JVD]

Big deal?

The fucking idiot tried to evade police. At 14 I knew not to run from cops. I also knew not to run directly into traffic.

The cop could have saved her life for all we know.

Parents need to punish their kids more often. This never would have happened.

Once she got out of surgery I'd tell her she's grounded.

[mrflip69]

:bowrofl::bowrofl::bowrofl::bowrofl:


but yeah, cops should have clubs, guns, and a stern voice. this isn't star trek :s101:

**Set the phasers to stun**

(Gets shot)

**HE SAID STUN!!!!**

Oh, and LOL @ the edit. The pic isn't even that bad--maybe I've just been on the internet too long :(

[kingkilburn]

Ya I didn't think it was that bad either.

[meteorite_flo]

That's what she gets for running from the police. I don't feel sorry for her one bit, let that be a lesson for her ass.

[Ragnarok043]

what part of running into traffic do you not understand?

I'd rather my daughter get tasered than hit by a car (or two).

Of course, I'd wish my daughter wasn't epileptic and brain damaged either.

I can predict the upcoming 2-3 pages of this thread:
75% people will comment about how cops are stupid and evil and this guy is an idiot/murder/scum of the earth
15% of people will make a joke
10% of people will acknowledge it as a tragedy, wish it didn't happen, but realize it was an accident

i don't know if the cop is a scumbag or not, but on the face of the facts, the guy sees a girl arguing with her mom, girl runs away, girls too far to catch but about to hit the intersection without looking. Cars oncoming, boom, taser. After the fact, we learn that the girl was epileptic.

maybe the mom should keep better track of her epileptic daughter

running towards traffic can mean anything, cops chase dangerous suspects into traffic all the time and they never seem to need to tase the suspects for their own good. i still stand by my opinion, such force should only be use for immediate threats, not probable threats. now if the officer had said that he saw a semi barreling straight for her it would be a different story. but running towards traffic is vague and doesnt hold any water.

[HyperTek]

at least the cop this time pulled a taser and not mistakenly pull a gun..

geez a taser shot straight into the brain.. fuck that must be some crazy shit.. oh and yeah i originally clicked this thread when i was at work and saw the pic i had to close it real quick lol

[airforceone451]

girl: why does my head hurt?

father: shhh just watch this video:

YouTube - Mr Roboto - Strobe Light Video from "My Name Is Earl" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9rWRMfpAdI)

WARNING: don't watch if you're epileptic

[Matej]

http://www.ohtheirony.biz/blog/2009/07/littlegirltase.jpg

[TravisSW]

"a taser is only to be used for protection from a threat, not to chase someone down or to capture a fleeding suspec"

Actually, you can use a taser to stop a criminal or suspect, pretty much, anybody running away from police.


As for the girl. Sucks that it happens, but it didn't seem like the cop did it to toy with her. His thought process was more in the thoughts of making sure she didn't get ran over, that was his fear. Doesn't seem like it, but I'm sure he wanted her to be safe. It was a FLUKE that one nailed her in the head.

[Dirty Habit]

He shoulda turned on the strobes on the front of his car.



:hyper:

[kingkilburn]

A lot of people seem to miss a big part of this.

The dart went THROUGH her skull.

At this point I think tasers should be considered lethal force. A lot of people have died over the years from tasers, even when they are tasered in a situation that really calls for it.

If you are going to pull it out you have to know that you may kill that person. Is it really the best course of action?

[r6_240sx]

It's funny how the mother and daughter hated each other one second, but when she gets tased, mommy is all, "She is only 14, why?" After she got her lip busted up by her daughter.

I mean come on, who the fuck is going to drive their daughter to the police station over a cell phone argument. What was the mom expecting to happen, cop slapping daughters wrist and now everything is ok? Please.

One thing that is messed up though, is the cop is still going to press charges. Dude must be pissed he had to be involved in some stupid drama.

[TravisSW]

He shoulda turned on the strobes on the front of his car.

:hyper:

ROFL, omg. So mean, burning in hell.

A lot of people seem to miss a big part of this.

The dart went THROUGH her skull.

At this point I think tasers should be considered lethal force. A lot of people have died over the years from tasers, even when they are tasered in a situation that really calls for it.

If you are going to pull it out you have to know that you may kill that person. Is it really the best course of action?


I didn't read any where on the distance of the cop and the girl.

Remember, 99.999999999999% of people don't know what kind of fucking condition you have, if any.

Just happened to be bad luck.



It's funny how the mother and daughter hated each other one second, but when she gets tased, mommy is all, "She is only 14, why?" After she got her lip busted up by her daughter.

I mean come on, who the fuck is going to drive their daughter to the police station over a cell phone argument. What was the mom expecting to happen, cop slapping daughters wrist and now everything is ok? Please.

One thing that is messed up though, is the cop is still going to press charges. Dude must be pissed he had to be involved in some stupid drama.

Sucks to get in the middle of drama no matter what it be. :blah::bash:

Ps: Why don't I see you at meets any more? I don't care if you live in Riverside (right?) lol. Even remember me Brian? :P

[kingkilburn]

Her epilepsy had nothing to do with the density or thickness of her skull.

[TravisSW]

Or does it?

But nah, it doesn't.

I know those things had power to pierce skin, but not bone.

[kandyflip445]

Ok, so the mom was taking the daughter to the police over an arguement over a cell phone. The daughter ran away and was evading an officer, then almost runs into traffic. The officer decides to immobilize her before she gets hit by traffic, with a taser.

So the mom already can't handle the girl. Then makes a sob story about how she's "only 14."

I'd rather have my daughter tased than see her get hit by a car. And I would certainly not think that the cops should have to help me with an issue over a damn cell phone.

She's epileptic, that sucks. But I don't really think that should weigh in on anything.

[r6_240sx]

http://www.ohtheirony.biz/blog/2009/07/littlegirltase.jpg I like what you said before you edited your post, haha.Sucks to get in the middle of drama no matter what it be. :blah::bash:

Ps: Why don't I see you at meets any more? I don't care if you live in Riverside (right?) lol. Even remember me Brian? :PI can't ever forget the person that hooked me up whenever I went to DnB!

I'll be back in the game soon...

[TravisSW]

Doesn't epilepsy only kick in on flashing lights, not being electrocuted? lol

[jamg]

did not read.

it's spelled skull

[kingkilburn]

Sorry about that. I've got learning disabilities that pop up in odd ways(to me).


Epileptic seizures can be triggered by many things, flashing lights are just one of the more common ways. The seizure itself is literally a short circuit in the brain so imagine how a shock in the wrong place can effect it.

[RiversideS13]

hmm, i think the girl earned by her self by

arguing with the mom + don't give a shit about cop and running toward traffic = POWNED

the article was really hard to read because repetitive

[Matej]

I like what you said before you edited your post, haha.
If I recall correctly, I said that the officer should have planted a knife on the girl?
Thought that some might find it insensitive, haha.


However, I would like to see a picture of the officer. I wonder if he is a fat guy, since he could not catch a 14-year old girl.

[TravisSW]

However, I would like to see a picture of the officer. I wonder if he is a fat guy, since he could not catch a 14-year old girl.


14-year old girl that has a lot of energy, maybe skinny, wearing street clothes.


vs

Officer, probably I'm going to say this guy is in his 30's and oh yeah, has a shit load of gear on him.

Would prove to be a bit of a challenge you think? ;)

[handinpants]

Do it like we do in los angeles..... File a civil lawsuit against the city for damages.

[Matej]

14-year old girl that has a lot of energy, maybe skinny, wearing street clothes.


vs

Officer, probably I'm going to say this guy is in his 30's and oh yeah, has a shit load of gear on him.

Would prove to be a bit of a challenge you think? ;)
How are police officers supposed to catch anyone at all, when the person is out of a taser's reach? What did they do before they had tasers?
In this specific scenario, perhaps the officer had no time to catch up, but we do not know that. What we know is that he tased a kid for making a childish decision, which does seem a little messed up. I also know that by the age of 14 I was able to cross a road properly, and I was also able to differentiate between the consequences of being apprehended by a police officer or getting killed by car. Although, I admit there is the possibility that the girl might have panicked and run into traffic under such pressure. And of course, the officer had no way of knowing the girl is an epileptic, if she really is, but that is a whole another story.

I always thought they had to go through a rigorous athletic training, and were also required to pass an annual physical exam.

Lately I have been seeing a lot of overweight officers though, so I guess that is not true.

[Matej]

Nevermind, just read the entire article. What kind of a daughter fights her own mother, and what kind of a mother takes her own daughter to the police station? No sympathy for anyone involved.

[r6_240sx]

That's why I liked your first statement better, haha.

[Quail]

I wonder how bad the "traffic" was. She could of been running towards a small road which she could of easily crossed, or a highway. We just don't know.

The police officer could be using the "traffic" excuse to cover his back, or he could be genuine. No-one can really comment either way without seeing the events/evidence.

[ONYX S-13]

I always thought they had to go through a rigorous athletic training, and were also required to pass an annual physical exam.



Maybe they lowered the standard/requirements since a lot were failing?

[Future240]

I wonder how bad the "traffic" was. She could of been running towards a small road which she could of easily crossed, or a highway. We just don't know.

The police officer could be using the "traffic" excuse to cover his back, or he could be genuine. No-one can really comment either way without seeing the events/evidence.

That's actually a pretty good point.

[98s14inaz]

What do you think?

You asked. IMHO Delinquent teens who cannot follow instructions deserve to be tazed. You don't run from the cops. /thread. Anyone who has any common sense would not "intentionally" taze someone if they "knew" the person was an epileptic. It's not like she was wearing a t-shirt that said, "I'm an epileptic". Hey parents, your kids are fucking criminals in training. Take some responsibility and raise your fucking kids so they don't get tazed for stupid shit.

+1 for the cop.