# Baseball fan tasered for running onto the field **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 4, 2010, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-fan-tasered-for-running-onto-the-field/538299 "2010-05-04T17:11:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2010, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-fan-tasered-for-running-onto-the-field/538299/101 "2010-05-06T14:17:12Z")
> [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](#): > > The use of the taser was completely disproportionate to the offence. The idea that a streaker or pitch invader should _ipso facto_ be considered a threat to players on the pitch is absurd. Virtually every other nation on Earth manages to handle pitch invaders by tackling them to the ground and escorting them away, yet the American response is to presume he’s a mortal threat and electrocute the guy. Well yeah, but then look how protected they need to be to play a simple game of football, and how many players exactly are there per team for all of what 7 minutes of actual play per game? Are you really surprised? BTW - you a happy hooker or a prop? ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2010, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-fan-tasered-for-running-onto-the-field/538299/102 "2010-05-06T15:57:28Z")
Loosehead prop now. Played hooker for a few games at start of the season but my legs are too long and can’t throw straight to save my life. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2010, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-fan-tasered-for-running-onto-the-field/538299/103 "2010-05-06T18:33:41Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > I’m in favor of it. Otherwise shit like this can happen: [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/news/2002/09/19/royals\_whitesox\_ap/](http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/news/2002/09/19/royals_whitesox_ap/) How would a taser would have stopped that? ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2010, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-fan-tasered-for-running-onto-the-field/538299/104 "2010-05-06T18:47:11Z")
> [@Joe Frickin Friday](#): > > [Wikipedia:](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taser) > > “Tasers were introduced as less-lethal weapons to be used by police to subdue fleeing, belligerent, or potentially dangerous subjects, often when what they consider to be a more lethal weapon would have otherwise been used.” > > The Chicago PD, for example (and plenty of others from what I’ve seen), [abides by that as their rule of engagement for taser use:](http://chicagocriminalattorneysblog.com/2010/03/chicago-cops-a-taser-in-every-squad-car.html) > > “According to the rules of engagement for Tasers, police may use the weapon if they are under attack or if a suspect is fleeing or otherwise resisting arrest.” > > The bozo on the field was fleeing and/or resisting arrest. If the other option is hand-to-hand combat that puts the arresting officer at risk of injury/death, I’ll give him plenty of latitude when it comes to using a standoff weapon like the taser. Yeah, and he was on a playing field with walls and a very limited number of field-level exits. He was going to have trouble fleeing in a meaningful sense, and if by ‘resisting arrest’ you mean ‘running away from the cops within the confines of the playing field,’ you’re talking about tasering someone simply because they’re a nuisance and an aggravation. I think you need better reasons than that to zap 50,000 volts through people. While as **Marley23** pointed out, most people killed by tasering were apparently on drugs at the time, the fact is it can still kill people. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2010, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-fan-tasered-for-running-onto-the-field/538299/105 "2010-05-06T18:48:45Z")
The kid is lucky he was only Tased and not tackled and sporting some broken ribs. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2010, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-fan-tasered-for-running-onto-the-field/538299/106 "2010-05-06T18:52:52Z")
[The cops are lucky they wasn’t in this stadium.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYmy0zr3WL8&feature=related) ---
**Author:** ![what\_do\_I\_type\_here](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a5b964/32.png) [@what\_do\_I\_type\_here](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/what_do_I_type_here)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2010, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-fan-tasered-for-running-onto-the-field/538299/107 "2010-05-06T20:28:42Z")
You guys can argue all day about morals and cite supreme court decisions but the simple fact of the matter is, it’s _awesome_ when drunk jackasses get hurt by the police. I’m totally glad this happened and I hope it happens again. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2010, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-fan-tasered-for-running-onto-the-field/538299/108 "2010-05-06T20:37:55Z")
> [@what\_do\_I\_type\_here](#): > > You guys can argue all day about morals and cite supreme court decisions but the simple fact of the matter is, it’s _awesome_ when drunk jackasses get hurt by the police. I’m totally glad this happened and I hope it happens again. Would it change your opinion any to know that this kid hadn’t been drinking? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2010, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-fan-tasered-for-running-onto-the-field/538299/109 "2010-05-06T20:42:45Z")
Then he’s just stupid, which carries its own penalty. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-fan-tasered-for-running-onto-the-field/538299/110 "2010-05-07T04:05:32Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Then he’s just stupid, which carries its own penalty. As they say, it’s too bad stupid isn’t painful. Sometimes it is. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-fan-tasered-for-running-onto-the-field/538299/111 "2010-05-07T04:12:08Z")
So, some of the pro-taser people are arguing that getting zapped is _not as bad_ as getting tackled, and the rest are reveling in _how bad it is_. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-fan-tasered-for-running-onto-the-field/538299/112 "2010-05-07T06:13:12Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > How would a taser would have stopped that? Point at subject, pull trigger? ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-fan-tasered-for-running-onto-the-field/538299/113 "2010-05-07T15:38:34Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Point at subject, pull trigger? If the cop’s close enough and his reactions are that good, he could probably just tackle one of the two of them. Which is the number he’d be able to taser, too. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-fan-tasered-for-running-onto-the-field/538299/114 "2010-05-07T15:58:15Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > So, some of the pro-taser people are arguing that getting zapped is _not as bad_ as getting tackled, and the rest are reveling in _how bad it is_. :rolleyes: I don’t know about _reveling_ in it, but the fact is that people do die in the immediate aftermath of taser shocks - [over 300 in the U.S. in the past decade](http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/report/tasers-potentially-lethal-and-easy-abuse-20081216). I doubt that anywhere near that number have died after being tackled by the cops. If the taser \*doesn’t \*fatally mess up the electrical currents that control your heartbeat, then as far as I can tell, it’s unlikely to do you any permanent harm. But given the numbers, that’s a pretty big ‘if.’ It certainly shouldn’t be used in any situation where a cop isn’t concerned that anybody’s in danger. The cops certainly shouldn’t be allowed to use the taser just to control someone who’s making their life difficult, but no worse than that. ---
**Author:** ![Translucent\_Daydream](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/translucent_daydream/32/16170_2.png) [@Translucent\_Daydream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Translucent_Daydream)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-fan-tasered-for-running-onto-the-field/538299/115 "2010-05-07T16:09:31Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > The point of tasering people is to avoid having to shoot them instead. It’s not something that was intended for subduing people who didn’t represent a meaningful risk to life and limb. > > So if there’s no reason to shoot someone if you don’t have a taser in hand, there’s no reason to tase them either. So yeah, this is excessive. I came in here to say the same thing. When the Taser started being used by law enforcement, it was supposed to be a direct replacement for the service pistol. I don’t think they would have shot the dude in the same situation unless he was running with a knife. The line that you cross to shoot someone the juice is getting pushed closer and closer and closer, to the point where an argument with a police officer can get you Tazed. I don’t think you would get shot for arguing with a cop. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-fan-tasered-for-running-onto-the-field/538299/116 "2010-05-07T20:19:08Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Yes, I think a 17 year old is quite capable of hurting someone. You obviously never played roshambo as a kid. 😕 Is _South Park_ corrupting your childhood memories? In real life, “Reaux! Sham! Beaux!” is another name for “Rock, Paper, Scissors,” and injuries sustained during this form of competition are exceedingly rare, even amongst juvenile males. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-fan-tasered-for-running-onto-the-field/538299.md?page=5)