14 YO girl shot in head with a taser!

So this little news story just hit

TUCUMCARI (AP) - Authorities say a teenage girl is recovering at an Albuquerque hospital after being shot in the head with a Taser dart by Tucumcari's police chief.
Stacy Akin says she and her 14-year-old daughter were arguing over a cell phone Thursday and she drove her daughter to the Tucumcari Police Department to seek help.

While in front of police headquarters, the girl ran off and was later found at a park by Chief Roger Hatcher.

Hatcher says he got out of his vehicle and called to her but she ran in front of his patrol car across a street without looking for traffic.

Hatcher says he tried to catch up to the girl by foot but couldn't and believes he had no other option than to fire a Taser dart to stop her.

Akin says the dart entered her daughter's skull and she remains in pediatric intensive care after undergoing surgery Friday morning at University of New Mexico hospital.

The girl's parents now are questioning whether excessive force was used by police and whether the department should review its policy on Tasers.

However, Hatcher says he plans to refer the case to the Juvenile Probation Office on Monday for possible charges.

Source

You all did catch that last part right? "he plans to refer the case to the Juvenile Probation Office on Monday for possible charges."
So what's the charge for being tasered in the head anyway?

Girls, let that be a lesion to you too... when we parents say get off the phone now!
we mean, Or else we'll get a Police chief to shoot you in the head with a taser, so get off the phone NOW!!!!!!

Over a dispute about a cell phone? Is this police "chief" stupid or what? Yeah, "chief" of stupidity.

Wait, she was a danger running around using her cell phone. Never mind. Shoot her again. (end sarcasm)

I hope the parents sue.

Harm None
Peace

[edit on 4-7-2009 by amazed]

Most likely evading arrest as she refused to stop when ordered to. The same thing that would happen if you drove away from a traffic stop.

reply to post by DaddyBare


Choice: Let the girl run.. or.. launch 50,000 volts into her head. Wow.. yeah the choice seems obvious to me, anyone else think the cop made the right call?

did you'all miss the part where she was running into oncoming traffic without looking? or did you conveniently overlok it so we could all police bash again?
Would he have been forgiven if he didn't taze her and the stupid chick got her butt ran the eff over while throwing her tantrum?

HE SAVED HER LIFE, give the officer the benefit of the doubt.
Oh and the part about shooting her in the head? you try to hit a running target while you dodge traffic and let me know how well you do.

Score another victory for pain compliance, aka torture. It’s the answer to everything, didn’t you know?

And nice job of parenting mom. Now you know without question that they are from the gov and they’re here to help you. A bit more attention to your child’s discipline needs, and a bit less of whatever it was you were doing, and you wouldn’t have put your child through this.

Originally posted by JulieMills
HE SAVED HER LIFE, give the officer the benefit of the doubt.
Oh and the part about shooting her in the head? you try to hit a running target while you dodge traffic and let me know how well you do.

Well lets say he aimed for her leg?
Did she duck or something to make him hit her in the head?

Also sounds like he did it after they crossed the street, but thats just what im seeing...

Hatcher says he got out of his vehicle and called to her but she ran in front of his patrol car across a street without looking for traffic.

Hatcher says he tried to catch up to the girl by foot but couldn't and believes he had no other option than to fire a Taser dart to stop her.

reply to post by JuliMills


Look I can tell by your post you've never been to Tucumcari so I'll make it real easy for you
Google Map of Dunn Park Feel free to zoom in real close, the park in question is on the south side of town. and take a good look around.. there is no traffic to speak of except when a winter storm closes the highway and they reroute the truckers in... even then they dont go towards the park..

[edit on 4-7-2009 by DaddyBare]

Originally posted by DaddyBare
reply to post by JuliMills

 

Look I can tell by your post you've never been to Tucumcari so I'll make it real easy for you
Google Map of Dunn Park Feel free to zoom in real close, the park in question is on the south side of town. and take a good look around.. there is no traffic to speak of except when a winter storm closes the highway and they reroute the truckers in... even then they dont go towards the park..

[edit on 4-7-2009 by DaddyBare]

Hatcher says he got out of his vehicle and called to her but she ran in front of his patrol car across a street without looking for traffic.

I'm confused!




[edit on 4-7-2009 by weedev]

I dont blame it on the cops, I blame it on the people who lack respect for authority and run from the cops. Her poor decisions and out of control behavior is the reason she got tased. Maybe if she lives, she will wake up with a bit more sense. Kids these days!

Originally posted by weedev

Originally posted by DaddyBare
reply to post by JuliMills

 

Look I can tell by your post you've never been to Tucumcari so I'll make it real easy for you
Google Map of Dunn Park Feel free to zoom in real close, the park in question is on the south side of town. and take a good look around.. there is no traffic to speak of except when a winter storm closes the highway and they reroute the truckers in... even then they dont go towards the park..

[edit on 4-7-2009 by DaddyBare]

Hatcher says he got out of his vehicle and called to her but she ran in front of his patrol car across a street without looking for traffic.

I'm confused!
[edit on 4-7-2009 by weedev]

Don't be. The whole 'not looking for traffic' thing is an excuse for why the cop tasered her. It was for her own good don't you know. Better tased in the head than run over by imaginary traffic.

edit schmedit

[edit on 4-7-2009 by resistor]

you know i have the greatest respect for most police officers in general but i am sorry but *he tasered her in the damn head* there is no reasonable excuse for that if it was the leg or arm then ye sure you could say he used reasonable force but the head? and dont forget this girl has just had to have surgery etc because of this, in the head is not what i would describe as reasonable force, its over-kill, comeon not as if this 16yr old was a crook or dangerous it was over a mobile phone for goodness sakes not exactly the crime of the century here is it

reply to post by ronishia


a lot of people are making a big deal out of him tasering her head. isnt it kind of a big assumption he was trying to hit her in the head with it?

What I think is that the Police Chief needs to hit the gym more often and get up out of his office.

A tazer only has an effective range of what, 50 feet max? Anyway what law was she breaking?

There are a bunch of problems with this story, first the fact the mother couldn't control her child and got the police involved. The second is that unless it becomes illegal to talk on a cell phone the 14 year old girl wasn't doing anything illegal, until she ran across the street, which is J walking.

Either way J walking doesn't deserve a tazer to the head. Then even after all that if a grown man who is in a car and has access to a radio can't catch a 14 year old girl then there is a problem.

Last time a checked if a cop wants to stop and talk to you just because, and you haven't done anything illegal you don't have to comply.

reply to post by ELECTRICkoolaidZOMBIEtest


yea point taken assumptions are never good

but the point i was trying to make is that was it really necessary? police officers are trained for the use of these weapons as well as were is safe to taser and were is not so i guess when it goes wrong a lot of people will jump on them for it.

to me it seems that it was an unjust use for a taser dart, she wasnt a criminal fleeing crime etc it was all over a dispute about a mobile phone between a mother and daughter, the mother seeking a little help from police about it to settle whatever the disagreement was.

just seems like an over reaction of the situation to me

reply to post by JulieMills


So we have to believe that 14 year olds don't know how to cross a street to believe your fictional story. Did it say there was traffic, let alone, on-coming?.....
Sounds like a deserted street to me. I love how they put "ran in front of his patrol car", as if he can get out of the car and call to her while it's still moving.
soooo, justification?????

anyone?

This is Tucumcari. Where the hell was she going to go. She'd run around to different friends till one of their parents called and she would have been home. The Chief could have easily told the parent that when she decides to come home, call me so I can talk to her! No chasing around and scaring the girl more. No need to use the tazer on a child! Both the mother and the Chief acted foolishly in this case. The kid? No more cell phone and 6 weeks in 'home stir' (her room) might have been a better idea than to drive her to the police and expect them to be the parent!

Zindo



[edit on 7/4/2009 by ZindoDoone]

let taser this guy in the frickin head!!! omg how in your right mind (obviously this guy wasnt) taser a lil girl??? how does that happen??? i mean i just got a 100,000v the other day....tasered myself for just a second and it really hurt~! and then he has the audasity to even think about charging this girl??? some people are just a waste of air......

Some further info on this incident.

Hatcher said he was at another incident when he received a call that a young girl had run off.

Hatcher said he returned to department headquarters and talked to Aikin, who had a bloodied lip and scratches from a fight.

Source.

Quite a fight they had over the cellphone.

i think this is likely a case of 'fat cop who can't run'.

sorry to be rude but PLEASE when did shooting a kid with 50,000 volts over a minor dispute with mum become OK with the people of this country?


the cop should loose his job, no questions asked. he assulted a CHILD.

as a new mexican you can bet i will be making calls of protest against this 'officer' O(aka looser).