Posted on 10/30/2012 9:32:02 PM PDT by Altariel
SANTA FE, N.M. (CN) - A New Mexico policeman Tasered a 10-year-old child on a playground because the boy refused to clean his patrol car, the boy claims in court. Guardian ad litem Rachel Higgins sued the New Mexico Department of Public Safety and Motor Transportation Police Officer Chris Webb on behalf of the child, in Santa Fe County Court. Higgins claims Webb used his Taser on the boy, R.D., during a May 4 "career day" visit to Tularosa New Mexico Intermediate School. "Defendant Webb asked the boy, R.D., in a group of boys, who would like to clean his patrol unit," the complaint states. "A number of boys said that they would. R.D., joking, said that he did not want to clean the patrol unit. "Defendant Webb responded by pointing his Taser at R.D. and saying, 'Let me show you what happens to people who do not listen to the police.'" Webb then shot "two barbs into R.D.'s chest," the complaint states. "Both barbs penetrated the boy's shirt, causing the device to deliver 50,000 volts into the boy's body. "Defendant Webb pulled the barbs out [of] the boy's chest, causing scarring where the barbs had entered the boy's skin that look like cigarette burns on the boy's chest. "The boy, who weighed less than 100 lbs., blacked out. "Instead of calling emergency medical personnel, Officer Webb pulled out the barbs and took the boy to the school principal's office," the complaint states. Higgins says the Tasing gave the boy post-traumatic stress syndrome, and that "The boy, R.D., has woken up in the middle of the night holding his chest, afraid he is never going to wake up again." She adds: "No reasonable officer confronting a situation where the need for force is at its lowest, on a playground with elementary age children, would have deployed the Taser in so reckless a manner as to cause physical and psychological injury." She seeks punitive damages for the boy for battery, failure to render emergency medical care, excessive force, unreasonable seizure, and negligent hiring, training, supervision and retention. Higgins and R.D. are represented by the Kennedy Law Firm, of Albuquerque.
Money quote
I don't recall pulling the trigger on the taser, this was a accident. I have had a taser cartridge discharge in the trunk of the previous unit I was issued, while closing the trunk.
In this case its the STUPIDOS in NM who hired people like this. They can then vote out whomever did so on their behalf. What would you propose otherwise? A day of being “wireless” dart wired to a Tazer with the juice going ON randomly, might give the pig inspiration to think.
Obviously the cop couldn’t find a dog to shoot that day so he tased a kid instead.
Police in this country are out of control. Whatever happened “To protect and serve”? Now it’s “To demand respect and tase”.
The department will be sued, but when negligent most law enforcement pay for their own defense and settlements. That’s why a lot of law enforcement officers carry liability insurance.
I have an easy Fix for this...
Publish the Names Addresses and PH numbers for the entire Police Force ... now when little Johnny gets Tased or somebodies Dog gets shot, just mention the Cops name and then Dad and the entire Community knows where to find the PUNK
TT
goron- LOL
X- True, NM is one of the states where the public are begging for it
Unions.
Strong unions
Agree. How many people in the history of the world who are doing hard time for murder explain their actions with “the gun just went off”? Basically that they had pointed a gun at someone and that then the gun decided to spontaneously fire itself. No different here.
SANTA FE, N.M. (CN) - A New Mexico policeman Tasered a 10-year-old child on a playground because the boy refused to clean his patrol car, the boy claims in court.
Guardian ad litem Rachel Higgins sued the New Mexico Department of Public Safety and Motor Transportation Police Officer Chris Webb on behalf of the child, in Santa Fe County Court.
Higgins claims Webb used his Taser on the boy, R.D., during a May 4 “career day” visit to Tularosa New Mexico Intermediate School.
“Defendant Webb asked the boy, R.D., in a group of boys, who would like to clean his patrol unit,” the complaint states. “A number of boys said that they would. R.D., joking, said that he did not want to clean the patrol unit.
“Defendant Webb responded by pointing his Taser at R.D. and saying, ‘Let me show you what happens to people who do not listen to the police.’”
Webb then shot “two barbs into R.D.’s chest,” the complaint states.
“Both barbs penetrated the boy’s shirt, causing the device to deliver 50,000 volts into the boy’s body.
“Defendant Webb pulled the barbs out [of] the boy’s chest, causing scarring where the barbs had entered the boy’s skin that look like cigarette burns on the boy’s chest.
“The boy, who weighed less than 100 lbs., blacked out.
“Instead of calling emergency medical personnel, Officer Webb pulled out the barbs and took the boy to the school principal’s office,” the complaint states.
Higgins says the Tasing gave the boy post-traumatic stress syndrome, and that “The boy, R.D., has woken up in the middle of the night holding his chest, afraid he is never going to wake up again.”
She adds: “No reasonable officer confronting a situation where the need for force is at its lowest, on a playground with elementary age children, would have deployed the Taser in so reckless a manner as to cause physical and psychological injury.”
She seeks punitive damages for the boy for battery, failure to render emergency medical care, excessive force, unreasonable seizure, and negligent hiring, training, supervision and retention.
Higgins and R.D. are represented by the Kennedy Law Firm, of Albuquerque.
*****
Fixed. Apologies for the blog of text in the first post.
blog=blob
Kids lawyers are gonna make lunch meat out of Officer Numbnuts.
Ahhh, but you assumed the public was the group to be protected and served.
It is the State, Comrade! It is the State!
(Do I really need a sarc tag? )
bmfl
Ha! Of course there’s another side of the story BUT IMO all unintended discharges are negligent, outside of the extremely rare case of product defect). Don’t know if the stupid cop deserves to hang but should (and hopefully did) receive serious remedial training. Meanwhile, the victim should win his suit.
"It's not involuntary servitude," the DA explained, "because the officer was volunteering the services of the boy it was a voluntary action. The boy and his parents should be glad that the officer doesn't take them to small claims court for violation of their verbal contract."
The officer was volunteering the services of the boy
is this a NAMBLA meeting?
Heh - I should have included the sarcasm tag, just illustrating the government/police can do no wrong mentality and rationalization.
My guess is the officer was just trying to jokingly do the “respect my authoritie” bit and had an AD.
First rule of weapons “don’t point it at anything you are not about to kill.”
He failed badly.
He needs to lose his right to possess a weapon period.
There is no such thing as an “accidental discharge”. He may claim negligent discharge, but based on the details, he deliberately discharged his weapon.
He behaved foolishly, criminally and unprofessionally.
Were he not a government employee, he likely would have received his termination papers months ago.
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