OMG. Another in a long line of innocent citizens tased.
So, this guy’s house is burning. He chooses to put himself at risk, battling the fire himself. Cops decide that in order to prevent him from harming himself they will zap him with a stun gun and arrest him. Only no charges get filed.
:mad:
Did we read the same article? It SEEMS to be that a homeowner with a garden hose was getting in the way of the fire department, so they ask the cops to remove the homeowner from the scene.
And if he was killed or injured, the cops and the fire department would have been sued.
This seems to me to be a case in which it was warrented.
Yes: I’m usually very critical about over-use of tasers, but fires endanger not only the idiot trying to put it out with a garden hose, but also everyone around: the firefighters, and the neighbours who could lose their homes if the fire spreads.
Your definition of “innocent” includes “some dolt with a garden hose who is getting the way of professionals who are fighting a fire that has already spread across houses and who refuses to get out of the way”?
Regards,
Shodan
I concur. I hate the use of tasers as punishment devices or compliance devices (where there are no safety issues), but this case does not get my ire up. The question would have been “how can we get this twit out of the picture quickly, with minimal danger to himself, the police and firefighters”
NC law is that once a fire department is dispatched to a scene, the senior officer in charge owns the scene. Therefore, the chief has the absolute right to order a homeowner detained because they are interfering with operations. The cops did right this time.
(Shodan, I’m agreeing with you, BTW)
The article did not say he was interfering with the fire fighters. The home owner obviously thought he was helping them.
I do wonder why the cops just couldn’t have grabbed and removed him. Was tasering the first thing they tried? Need more details.
The article linked in the OP even includes this:
Its not like they tasered him for the fun of it, he refused a lawful order to leave the scene three times. Then they tasered his ass. I hope the five snakes that survived appreciate him.
He thought wrong.
The article linked by the OP is pretty short of details.
According to this story and this one, the police oficer’s attempt to remove Baker occurred before the arrival of the firefighters.
and
None of the articles i’ve found on this incident suggest that Baker was actually getting in the way of firefighters.
I’m not sure if that changes people’s opinions about the tasering, but i thought the information might be relevant.
It (possibly) changes mine. I don’t think he should have been stopped as long as he was not adding to the problem. Once the firefighters got there, then I want him out of the way.
If there’s one thing the Pit needed, it was definitely another taser thread. :rolleyes:
The article cited in the OP said:
Does that change your mind again?
Sigh.
Completely justified.
That is why I put in the (possibly) and explained my personal on the net criteria for jumping to a tasering conclusion!
If he is in the way of the firefighters and refuses to get out of the way - the use of force is legit in my eyes.
We have a couple of different articles with what appears to be contradictory bits of information regarding the homeowner.
Eh, its a Pittsburgh denizen. They should tase the whole city.
No, it really doesn’t. Even with one of those adjustable nozzles with a jet setting, you’re not going to get enough water pressure off a household garden hose to be able to stay a safe distance from a fire that big. You’re just not. So the question becomes this: are law enforcement officers justified in using minor force to prevent someone doing something that’s liable to get themselves killed? Well, yeah, I think they are. I mean, what kind of Pit thread would we be having if they’d just stood there and watched while this guy made himself a crispy critter?