Thursday, July 09, 2009

Tasing A 14-Year-Old Girl In The Head

From NM (and of course some police fanboys come to this cop's defense in the comments):

A 14-year-old Tucumcari girl is recovering at an Albuquerque hospital after being shot in the head with a Taser dart by Tucucmari Police Chief Roger Hatcher.

Now, her parents say they want the police department to review its policies for using the Taser.

The girl was hit in the head Thursday by one of two darts fired simultaneously as she was fleeing, Hatcher said.

The other dart lodged in her hip.

Hatcher said be believed he had no other option.

“There’s a lot of issues,” Hatcher said. “She committed a delinquent act. She was running from police across traffic without looking.”

Hatcher said he chased her, ordered her to stop and “then did what I had to do.”

Her mother, Stacy Akin, said her daughter underwent surgery Friday morning at University of New Mexico hospital in Albuquerque.

Did you catch that? The girl was tased for running and crossing the street without looking! The girl was also injured from a post-tasing fall:
The Taser hit the girl in the head and back. She fell and a stick got lodged in her face. She had to have surgery and now has staples in her head where the Taser hit her.
Seriously, I sleep better at night knowing such big strong brave men are protecting me. And mind you, this wasn't some rookie, this was the chief of police!
(h/t Examiner Tuccille)