Merced police used Taser on unarmed, legless man in a wheelchair

[Franzia]

Source: Merced Sun-Star

The man who was Tasered, 40-year-old Gregory Williams, a double-leg amputee, spent six days in jail on suspicion of domestic violence and resisting arrest, although the Merced County District Attorney's Office hasn't filed charges in the case.

Williams, who was released from jail Friday, said he was violently manhandled and Tasered by police, even though he claims he was never physically aggressive toward the officers or resisted arrest.

Even worse for him, Williams says he was publicly humiliated after his pants fell down during the incident. The officers allegedly left him outdoors in broad daylight, handcuffed on the pavement, nude below the waist. Williams said the arrest also left him with an injured shoulder, limiting his mobility in his wheelchair.

And although the two lead arresting officers are white, and Williams is black, it remains unknown whether race was a factor in the incident. Those two officers remain on duty.

Read more: http://www.mercedsunstar.com/167/story/1068479.html

[imdjh]

1. It's unknown if the police officers are Russian spies or the arrestee a former member of Tavares.

Trashy reporting.

[noiretextatique]

2. "And although the two lead arresting officers are white, and Williams is black, it remains unknown

whether race was a factor in the incident" DUH :eyes: it's always "unknown" even when it's blatantly obvious.

[Hepburn]

3. Unknown if race is a factor?

:eyes:

Yeah, and I gotta bridge...

[FarCenter]

4. 2-year old daughter?

"A Merced police report obtained by the Sun-Star tells a somewhat different story from that of Williams. The report, written by the responding officers, suggests that police had tried to reason with Williams before the arrest, to no avail. The officers wrote in the report that Williams was uncooperative and refused to turn over his 2-year-old daughter to Merced County Child Protective Services, among other allegations."

[auntsue]

5. When people have weapons

they reach for them instead of dealing with the trouble intelligently first. As a teacher/social worker I haver had to deal with many situations where my safety ot that of others was in jeopardy. Even if a weapon were handy I would have had no authority to use it. I've smoothly talked my way out of many incidents, bluffed my way out of others. When working with special needs kids 12-21 years old we were trained in "assault resistance" giving us techniques to escape and/or overpower an out of control student. The criteria is to not harm the student, leave no mark, even if you yourself get injured.

I realize cops have an almost impossible job, dealing with the worst of society and victims all in the same incident. It's their duty to be able to treat both as human. Feeling angry is inevitable, understandable. (I was really pissed at the kid who spit in my face.) Letting anger rule you, definitely unacceptable.

In the incident described: the man was an amputee, in a chair, and allegedly "belligerent and uncooperative" - but was he a threat? I don't think so. A 7 year old waved a ruler at me menacingly, I reached out and took it from him,I didn't really consider him a threat. When a 14 year old my same height and weight did the same - other staff assisted in a restraint that produced the same result.
Perhaps it I'd had a taser on my hip I'd have wanted to use it - since I didn't have a weapon I had to think.