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Redmond Police Department Faces $1 Million Suit [woman in hypoglycemic crisis tasered by police]
KOMO 4 News ^ | 4/7/06 | KOMO Staff

Posted on 05/07/2006 12:43:59 PM PDT by seowulf

REDMOND - The Redmond Police Department is facing a $1 million lawsuit after a woman says an officer used his Taser on her during a medical emergency.

Video from the police car camera shows that something was wrong with Leila Fuchs last July when police pulled her out of her car. For nearly 10 minutes when officers first pulled up, they say she remained unresponsive.

"She's just gotten into this collision at Redmond Way and 145th -- small accident," said defense attorney James Egan.

But he says it's the decisions an officer made when Fuchs wouldn't unlock her door that has them suing the department.

Egan says his client was suffering from a diabetic episode when medics tried to get her attention.

"So the medic brings a window hammer here," Egan says, pointing to the video.

Then, Egan says an officer took matters into his own hands.

"He bashed in the passenger side window, opened the door, and immediately ordered her to open her driver side door," Egan said. "Even according to (the officer), she was dazed, catatonic, and non-responsive. At that point, he pulls his Taser out, and says if she doesn't open it, he will shoot her."

Egan says the officer used his gun and hit Fuchs with 50,000 volts of electricity.

"He didn't shoot her for one second," Egan said. "He shot her for the full five seconds… and caused her to stiffen and scream, according to his police report as this happened, and here she was suffering a medical emergency."

Police reports claim officers could initially smell the odor of alcohol in the car, but after they got Fuchs out and did a breath test, they determined there was no trace of alcohol found.

"He jumped the gun... literally," Egan said. "And that's when he tried to electrocute someone he apparently thought was intoxicated."

Calls to the Redmond Police about the video and the lawsuit were not immediately returned Saturday evening. Police records, though, back up the fact that the Taser was used and that Fuchs did not have any traces of alcohol in her system.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; US: Washington
KEYWORDS: badcopnodonut; biteback; diabetes; donutwatch; govwatch; jackbootedthugs; jbt; libertarians; police; redmond; taser; washington
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To: seowulf
Has anybody ever noticed how the police always smell alcohol after an accident?

You are right. They must teach that at the Academy.
21 posted on 05/07/2006 1:06:07 PM PDT by microgood
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To: seowulf

I would check to see what the department use of force policy is. This officer may have very well been following his departmental procedure TO THE LETTER.

And still get sued.

Because, some police departments do not want their officers putting their hands on people. They want them tazered after verbal commands do not work.

The way things are going, police officers will not be able to use any force at all, of any kind, for fear of lawsuits.

Even in this case, if the woman is having a medical emergency, she was in the car, refusing to open the door. The window was broken and she had to be taken out of the car forcefully.

Regardless if it was a tazer or an arm bar or tickling her tootsies with a feather, she had to be taken out, either for arrest or for medical treatment.

In my opinion, this is a lawyer looking for money on something which at first glance looks heinous.

But it wasn't.


22 posted on 05/07/2006 1:08:16 PM PDT by Cap'n Crunch
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To: steveo
Stupid cop.

Naw this cop ain't stupid. He just has shows his contempt for the public more openly. The Public will end up getting screwed, and if this cop gets any time off his union brothers will make sure he gets back pay. The cop ain't stupid, the people paying for him are.

23 posted on 05/07/2006 1:11:10 PM PDT by Mark was here (How can they be called "Homeless" if their home is a field?.)
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To: seowulf

Jackbooted thugs are becoming more and more evident in Police work.
Having worked with city and county police departments for almost 30 years, I have seen what snotty nosed police kids have become...Obnoxious fools that felt insecure and had to become cops.

We are loosing the old policemen that use to serve and protect.


24 posted on 05/07/2006 1:11:51 PM PDT by AlexW (Reporting from Bratislava, Slovakia)
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To: seowulf

The Mayor of Redmond is this anti Police Queen named Rosemary Ives,she treats the PD as a nuisance. I know a LT there, Patrol Officers Flee in droves when the opportunity arrives.


25 posted on 05/07/2006 1:12:30 PM PDT by cmsgop ( Please ! For The Love of God Verizon !!! NO MORE MICHAEL McDONALD !!!)
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To: Cap'n Crunch
Oh, and if they are having problems with their blood sugar, they will be argumentive and even combative. It is difficult to tell. Cops are generally not taught about this, at least I never was, I had to learn it through experience.

I'm a nobody and I've known about the effects of blood sugar on a persons actions for at least the last 15 years. There is no excuse for any professional person to not know about Diabetic reactions.

26 posted on 05/07/2006 1:12:44 PM PDT by SouthernFreebird
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To: downtownconservative

The jerk who tased this poor lady probably wouldn't make much of a dog catcher either.


27 posted on 05/07/2006 1:15:58 PM PDT by Supernatural (I used to care but things have changed.)
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To: Cap'n Crunch
This officer may have very well been following his departmental procedure TO THE LETTER.

If it is the department's procedure, then the policy should change and the city is the proper target for the lawsuit. Unfortunately, in a case like this a civil suit is the only way to get government to acknowledge an improper use of force (even if it is sanctioned). Medics were on site, and presumably, they are trained to recognize exactly this kind of medical problem.
28 posted on 05/07/2006 1:18:29 PM PDT by seowulf
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To: seowulf
Perhaps he was quick on the trigger or with too much zap

The issue of concern to me is that this will be used as a means to ban tasers.

What is left? Saying pretty please with honey on it?

29 posted on 05/07/2006 1:18:55 PM PDT by llevrok (sui generis)
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To: SouthernFreebird

Well, I was never told about diabetic reactions.

And, people with low blood sugar will smell like alcohol, they will (sometimes) be argumentive and combative.

I've experienced that.

I have also arrested countless drunks who act the same way.

My point still stands.

This officer may very well have been following his departments Use of force policy and procedure.

And, the woman had to be taken out of the car, either for arrest or medical treatment.

There is no way to know until tests are given. For a cop, 999 time out of 1,000, it's a drunk.

This cop is going to get burned, most likely, because this time the 1 was having a problem with low blood sugar.


30 posted on 05/07/2006 1:19:02 PM PDT by Cap'n Crunch
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To: steveo
"While she should have been sure her blood sugar was o.k. to drive"

Well yeah, there's that. Let's all focus on the cop rather than the fact that she shouldn't have been driving to begin with.

Wanna bet the accident was her fault also? She's lucky she didn't kill anyone.

Don't put me on that jury.

31 posted on 05/07/2006 1:20:30 PM PDT by robertpaulsen
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To: seowulf

A person with low blood sugar can show signs that someone under the influence can.


32 posted on 05/07/2006 1:21:29 PM PDT by CindyDawg
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To: CGTRWK

Who' the governor out there in Washington state? When someone who is a federal officer does something wrong, it is blamed on Bush. In this instance we must blame the governor, who controls the state of Washington. Given that we are talking about police misbehavior, I assume the governor is Republican (/sarcasm). Let the chips fall where they may.


33 posted on 05/07/2006 1:23:12 PM PDT by NCLaw441
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To: seowulf

hahahaha...

I'm sorry, I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing at departmental policy.

When I got on, the use of black jacks was commonplace. If someone resisted, you pulled out a jack and gave them stitches.

If you sent them to the hospital with 1 to 3 stitches, your co-workers thought you effeminate.

4 to 7 stitches was acceptable, 8 to 10 and you knew how to use a jack.

Then black jacks were considered inhumane and were put to pasture. That gave way to "pepper spray" which soon was a killer of minorities, along with the evil "choke hold."

We did have a brief appearance of the 'Stun Gun', which was anemic and was the predecessor of the taser.

Now, I predict, the taser will soon be gone from the police duty belt.

I carry one but I have never used it.

I am a firm believer in judo. It has never failed me and I have never harmed one person using it, including the 'choke.'

All cops should be trained in judo. No fuss, no muss.


34 posted on 05/07/2006 1:26:47 PM PDT by Cap'n Crunch
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To: Cap'n Crunch
This cop is going to get burned, most likely, because this time the 1 was having a problem with low blood sugar.

I'm not going argue that it is a difficult thing to distinguish between drunk and diabetic. It is very easy to judge in hindsight.

However, I would expect that someone would only be tasered if they actually WERE combative or argumentative. From the reports I've seen, this woman was in a catatonic state until she was hit with 50k volts for five seconds.

It seems to me no reasonable person would shock or club someone who is passed out cold.
35 posted on 05/07/2006 1:30:14 PM PDT by seowulf
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To: robertpaulsen
Well yeah, there's that. Let's all focus on the cop rather than the fact that she shouldn't have been driving to begin with.

Fine, lets just ban every diabetic from driving. Problem solved. Even if the woman was wrong to drive, it does not make the un-named cop innocent of electrocuting a defenseless woman. I know she challenged his super-cop ego, and she had to be taught a lesson, but he shouldn't leave the taxpayers on the hook.

36 posted on 05/07/2006 1:34:11 PM PDT by Mark was here (How can they be called "Homeless" if their home is a field?.)
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To: seowulf

Well, I figure she had to be doing something, either verbal or physical to get tasered. If the cop tasered her and she was just sitting there, unresponsive, then shame on him.

But, like I say, some departments want their officers to use the taser if people are uncooperative with verbal commands.

Our use of taser is a little further down the use of force line. Verbal commands, soft empty hand, then depending on circumstances, stick, spray, hard empty hand or taser.


37 posted on 05/07/2006 1:34:41 PM PDT by Cap'n Crunch
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To: CindyDawg
Also someone who has missed their dialysis can appear drunk, confused, angry even.
38 posted on 05/07/2006 1:35:02 PM PDT by A knight without armor
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To: Cap'n Crunch

I sat on a jury once for an assault on a corrections officer. The accused threw a cup of milk on the officer and called him some bad names.

The prosecuter decided to go for it and brought assault charges.

In a more common sense era, this would have never made it out of the jailhouse. A little tough love would have corrected the milk tosser and made the guard feel better. It also would have save thousands in court costs.


39 posted on 05/07/2006 1:36:50 PM PDT by seowulf
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Comment #40 Removed by Moderator


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