An investigation is underway in California over allegations that Merced police officers used a Taser to apprehend a man with no legs who is confined in a wheelchair. Gregory Williams, a 40-year-old double amputee, spent six days in jail on suspicion of resisting arrest and committing domestic violence. Criminal charges have yet to be filed against him.
Williams says that police Tasered him and violently manhandled him even though he was never physically aggressive toward them. He is also accusing the cops of handcuffing him to the pavement and when his pants fell off, allowing him to remain naked below the waist.
The alleged California police brutality incident reportedly took place on September 11 and Williams says that during the arrest his shoulder was injured. This has affected his ability to get around in his wheelchair. A number of residents at the apartment complex where Williams lives say they saw the incident and support his California police brutality claims. One neighbor even shot footage of Williams on the ground, handcuffed, and with his pants down.
Police dispute Williams' claim. Their report claims that he refused to allow Merced County Child Protective Services to take his 2-year-old daughter.
Police Brutality
There are specific protocols that police officers must follow when apprehending anyone. Excessive or unjustified use of force at any time is not allowed. Was it absolutely necessary to Taser a double amputee in a wheelchair? Could he have been apprehended in other, less painful and humiliating ways? An internal probe will hopefully shed light on what happened.
Taser use on any suspect has both its critics and its supporters. While there are those who believe that using Tasers allows police to apprehend someone without having to use a gun, physical force, or a baton, the stun guns send out about 50,000 volts of electricity into its target. This is not exactly painless. More than 150 people have died from being Tasered and questions have been raised as to whether Taser use during certain arrests were justified.
Did California police use a Taser on an unarmed, legless man in a wheelchair?, McClatchy DC, September 21, 2009
Merced police used Taser on unarmed, legless man in a wheelchair, Merced Sun-Star, September 20, 2009
Related Web Resources:
Un Tasers are a form of Torture, CBS, November 25, 2007
Police brutality cases on the rise since 9/11, USA Today, December 18, 2007
Regardless of the outcome of the police's investigation a California police brutality victim can still speak with an Orange County, California police brutality lawyer to determine whether there is grounds for filing a personal injury lawsuit.
