[goseminoles]

Tasers are an intermediate weapon on the use of force continuum. You don’t discharge one unless immediate harm is plausible to the officer or someone else. This officer was in the wrong. Whether or not they planted a weapon, I’m not sure. That cop screwed up.

[goseminoles]

That said, the taser is a great weapon. But I hate the title of this article. Its slanted. Who’s “expanding” the use of tasers?

[driftdiver]

The cop went to his car and got a silver object. He crawled under the car where the dead kid was with the silver object. The kid was later found with an illegal silver object.

Anyone else would have been convicted with this video tape.

[The Antiyuppie]

Isn’t anyone in authority a little worried that if this continues, people will evade/flee/shoot first at police because they simply can’t be trusted?

What if that becomes a valid defense?

Interesting, that the gun was wiped clean. How did the kid put it in his pocket? Maybe he was a neatness freak?

[bitterohiogunclinger]

It appears that the cops acted stupidly. What we don't know is why the cop is chasing the kid for in the first place. From the video, the only one seen endangering the public is the police, who are driving on the wrong side of the road.
If the kid was fleeing after an armed robbery, use of force justified, but not the way this cop responded. He obviously wasn't paying attention to his driving or he would have stopped before running over both the kid and a curb.
He could have just as easily done that to someones grandma.
Second, I don't hear any siren during the pursuit. In many States it's illegal for police to exceed or ignore normal traffic laws unless both lights and sirens are used at the same time. While cops continually ignore that, in no case is a police officer exempt from liability for traffic accidents even if they are using lights and sirens.
Cops wrong. Cops covering up for other cops.