Tasered Tarpon Springs Man Not Expected to Survive
A man who got into what was characterized as a “violent struggle” with deputies — and was Tasered several times to bring him under control — has been placed on a ventilator and is not expected to survive.
The incident occurred at Honeymoon Island State Park and was allegedly sparked by some bad news the man had received about the health of a loved one. According to Pinella County Sheriff’s, he then went into the water and became extremely agitated — pushing and cursing at his aunt who was with him at the time.
He continued to struggle even when several deputies were called to the scene and attempted to subdue him. According to reports, they did get the man cuffed, but in a “haphazard fashion” and he continued to try to head-butt and elbow the officers.
As he continued to struggle, one of the deputies fired a Taser at him. A sheriff’s spokesman stated that the deputy fired twice more into the man. The 37-year-old man finally stopped struggling — and stopped breathing.
Emergency crews were called to the beach and the man was taken to Bayfront Medical Center. A spokesman for the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said that the department has no specific policies when it comes to using Tasers on handcuffed suspects and the incident is still under investigation.
It is extremely difficult to pin down whether a stun device is responsible for a death. A wrongful death attorney in Pinellas County at Farah & Farah does think that it is the obligation of every police department to have clear-cut policies concerning Taser gun implementation, since they do have the potential to cause injury and even death. If you feel a stun device that has been improperly used has injured you, please give us a call at (800) 533-3555.
Source: http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/man-shocked-by-taser-at-honeymoon-island-after-getting-in-violent-struggle/1220696
