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.
"following his departmental procedure TO THE LETTER. "
There's the letter of the law and there's a spirit to the law also.
Then there's rational thinking and common sense too. It can always be applied to most situations.
How about just unlock the door and open it? Can you explain how a taser shot's going to do that?
We don't know that she wasn't.
There seems to be something going on with modern diabetes mangement.
There are several isulin using diabetics in my family and I don't remember this frequency of low blood sugar episodes in the past.
The currenrule is to test before getting into the car, get some carbs is the sugar is as low s normal...IOW drive on a slightly high sugar level.
... before they kill someone. That's what you mean, right?
Unbelievable. Did I log onto DU by mistake? Lessee ... no ... it says freerepublic.com all right.
If she is diabetic, and especially if she is driving on a road where I am, or members of my family are, driving, she better damn well be taking her medication. Or she can stay off the roads.
I do not accept your excusing this woman because "her blood sugar just up and decided to drop ... precipitously".
Yeah, the bastards always "smell alcohol" or say "they were acting suspicious". I used to admire the police when I was in my teen years, similar to how I admire the millitary now. As I got older and started driving they harassed me on a daily basis for no legal reason.
There was one stretch where I was pulled over 13 times in 15 days, and I never violated the law. living in a small town with bad police sux. I hear of these type things everywhere though. I've just come to realize that 99.9% of them are pathetic, small minded losers who couldn't quite make it at anything else in life so they have settled for making everyone else's life miserable.
Don't give me the argument of "who will I call when I need help". When a perp invades your home, it's your job to take care of it. The only thing the police are good for in such a situation is showing up after the fact to clean up the mess and take pictures. They also may charge you with a crime for defended yourself and your family if you don't have lots of money, or if they just don't like you for whatever reason.
It seems to do that these day. Dunno why.
Did you ever know anyone who's diabetic? These things aren't an exact science - one might be taking their medication yet still occasionally develop problems based upon diet, exercise, etc.
Yeah, they should.
Having said that, I don't see any justification for tasering her. We pretty much have to suspect a weapon and/or be getting a lot of belligerent behavior before our SOP calls for a taser.
Yeah, and I get written up if I use the wrong color of ink on a report. Even when you do everything right, you can still get sued.
I'm not ready to say this cop did something wrong until I see and read what happened, not what some lawyer, looking for his next meal, says happened.
I once was wrongly accused of assaulting some guy and breaking his elbow. I never touched the guy. Come to find out some cop was sleeping with his wife, years before I was ever on the department, and he thought it was me. This came out in the hearings.
They still gave the guy $3,000.00.
If he hurt her getting out of the car, I do not see a law suit because he was trying to help he receive treatment. It would be like a good Samaritan.
When he electrocutes her, because she challenged his ego, by her being in a distressed state of mind, we have a problem. The way I see it, he treats the public as a flock to fleece, and in his mind he was acting no different than a rancher with his cattle. If this cop was as quick to write a ticket to a fellow officer for the same things he tickets the sheep for, I will stand corrected, otherwise his actions speak louder. After all if the law was meant for everyone why wouldn't a cop write a ticket to a fellow officer for not using a turn signal?
As opposed to what, shooting them with a gun? Yes.
Sounds like the OPTION to do so was police policy. I've watched people on COPS who were "dazed, catatonic and nonresponsive" fly into a rage when confronted.
You're a great Monday morning quarterback. How was the cop supposed to know she wasn't drunk, on drugs, suicidal, or just plain whack-o?
She's fortunate to not have her dog in the car if she has one, I'm sure it would be dead. The police are totally
out of control. Why do they even have tasers as they
are definitely cruel and unusual punishment. The police
can shoot anyone that is really endangering them but
not treat citizens like cattle. Disgraceful. Our
Constitution has been totally trashed.
What about applying to HIM the same medicine? (In addition to the generous compensation to the victiom)
Mine too.
I was at the scene of an accident also where a guy hit a telephone pole. He was definitely drunk, or so it appeared. Funny though, there was no smell of alcohol either. As it turned out he, too, had had a diabetic attack. I would have bet anything the guy was drunk.
The nice response: Then shouldn't we reconsider giving driver's licenses to people with diabetes?
The nasty response: I'm sure the person whose child is killed by some diabetic person having a hypoglycaemic crisis will be comforted by being told that it isn't an exact science.
I wonder if this shouldn't be considered. I don't know, I'm just wondering.
So can people with vertigo.
Yeah. The only ootions were shooting her or tasering her. Sheesh.
Sounds like the OPTION to do so was police policy.
It does? According to the article, the department did not return calls inquiring about the incident. If you have some other information, feel free to share it. Until you do, I'll assume you made that up.
I've watched people on COPS who were "dazed, catatonic and nonresponsive" fly into a rage when confronted. You're a great Monday morning quarterback.
You get all your information from TV shows? Well, I've watched Law & Order, and this seems inappropriate to me.
How was the cop supposed to know she wasn't drunk, on drugs, suicidal, or just plain whack-o?
And even if she were those things, would it be appropriate to taser a virtually unconscious person? That's the question to be answered here.
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