Man Bursts Into Flames After Being Shot By A Taser Gun

Daily Mail ^ | 20th June 2007 | Daily Mail

[Calvin Locke]

Now, now. Maybe the PD was forced to hire unqualified personnel, er, common sense challenged individuals by the DOJ and/or the ACLU?

[Eaker]

Only FReepers can make this thread funny!

[Dumpster Baby]

[MacDorcha]

OK, you owe my company a new monitor!

[lilylangtree]

Bet that hurt!

[MacDorcha]

Apparently, if your news subjects don’t have any clue about electricity + gas = boom, lapses in judgement are a hazard of the profession.

A little stupid probably rubbed off.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The name for that $2 tool is “a flint striker.”

Thanks!

[EveningStar]

TaЯd ping!

[catman67]

I smell a Darwin Award here!

[OESY]

I have a liberal friend who often bursts
into flames--without gasoline and a TASER.
I remind him that smoking indoors is prohibited.

.

[HEY4QDEMS]

>>>>I smell a Darwin Award here!<<<<

So that’s what a DA smells like.

[CholeraJoe]

You can't fool me. It was Spontaneous Human Combustion.

[Beckwith]

Cool!

[HamiltonJay]

"We don't know what ignited the fire," police said.

You're kidding right? Come on.... You taser a guy covered in gasoline, and you don't know what the ignition source was? Please.

[Terpin]

Hey Officer! I meant a Bud Light!

[Ajnin]

OC by itself has the ability to ignite when a taser is used.

[untrained skeptic]

Doubt it was the lighter found on the porch.

If a TASER is used in the normal method of shooting probes with the attached wires into the skin of the target, then it wouldn't produce a spark. The current would flow down one wire, through the target, and back up the other wire. It wouldn't arc, so there would be no spark.

However, if one of the probes did not penetrate the skin, and was instead stuck in clothing the current might arc between the end of the probe and the skin. This is intentionally part of the design, but since that isn't what normally happens, the officers might not expect it.

A TASER also has probes on the end and can be used like a normal contact stun gun as well. If used like that it would likely arc between the end of the gun and the target's skin causing a spark.

If both probes did strike the target and pierce the skin, then my guess is that the lighter on the porch is the ignition source. If the guy was holding it with his finger on the flint, he could have easily created the spark through involuntary muscle contraction due to being TASED.

In any case, I place full blame on the idiot who doused himself with gasoline and then resisted arrest. His actions were a threat of serious injury to everyone around him. His death is the result of his own actions, and officers should not be required to risk being set on fire in order to apprehend him.

Even if they fired bean bag rounds from a shotgun, they would have risked the burning powder expelled from the shotgun igniting the gasoline.

[TalonDJ]

In any case, I place full blame on the idiot who doused himself with gasoline and then resisted arrest. His actions were a threat of serious injury to everyone around him. His death is the result of his own actions, and officers should not be required to risk being set on fire in order to apprehend him.

Yeah, because that is what cops totally should do when they find a guy covered in gas. Next time they can save the cost of the tazer ammo by using a cheap match. Or they might try carrying a flame thrower in case they get any more calls about suicidal people. It would be very considerate of them to save the person the cost of a gallon of gas. Of course it would have been more considerate if they had just shot the guy in the head.

[secret garden]

Ack! I can’t believe I clicked on your link again!