What are the police supposed to do if you resist arrest and try to use a police TASER on the cops?

[A Hit With The Ladies]

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Video shot by a bystander captures Brooks struggling with two officers on the ground outside the Wendy’s before breaking free and running across the parking lot with what appears to be a police TASER in his hand.

A second videotape from the restaurant’s cameras shows Brooks turning as he runs and possibly aiming the TASER at the pursuing officers before one of them fires his gun and Brooks falls to the ground.

Brooks ran the length of about six cars when he turned back toward an officer and pointed what he had in his hand at the policeman, said Vic Reynolds, director of the GBI at a separate press conference.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-minneapolis-police-atlanta/protesters-burn-down-wendys-in-atlanta-where-black-man-was-slain-by-police-idUSKBN23K0RI

So is the cop supposed to sit around and get tazed? I thought it was common sense that if you're resisting arrest and trying to taze a cop, the cop is going to neutralize the threat and bring you down. I think using deadly force here was completely justified.

[toomuchbaloney]

1 hour ago, A Hit With The Ladies said:

The Taser can absolutely be lethal. Less lethal than a gun, sure, but it still has far greater lethality than a police baton.

The suspect got violent when he resisted arrest, tried to punch the officer, stole the Taser, and tried using the Taser against the officer. All violent acts.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled decades earlier that the police can shoot to kill if they "reasonably" fear for their lives. Pointing what seems to be a weapon at a cop is reasonable enough for them to use force to retaliate.

And again, let's not be disingenuous. Brooks did a lot more than simply try to run away. He engaged in multiple criminal offenses before and during the chase.

As practically every TV and movie featuring police since childhood has shown us, when a police officer points their gun at you, you put your hands up and follow the officer's commands. You don't panic, you don't run off, unless you want more trouble.

Trained police officers cannot "panic". They have "reasonable" legal standards for operating to preserve life and limb from external threats. Civilians are expected to follow officers' lawful orders.

Then don't resist arrest, get violent against a law enforcement officer, or try to evade arrest. Duh.

Baloney. All of it baloney.

All to defend the cowardly act of shooting a man in the back after the man took the weapon that was unholstered to be used upon him. Because he'd had too much to drink and fell asleep in his car in a parking lot. Why should anyone be arrested in the situation those police responded to?

[Tegridy]

6 hours ago, toomuchbaloney said:

Baloney. All of it baloney.

All to defend the cowardly act of shooting a man in the back after the man took the weapon that was unholstered to be used upon him. Because he'd had too much to drink and fell asleep in his car in a parking lot. Why should anyone be arrested in the situation those police responded to?

Driving drunk leads to an arrest no matter under current law. Mothers against drunk driving worked hard to make it that way. He should have complied with police, but he did not, and paid the price. End of story. Stop trying to make a criminal into a victim. If you want people to not get in trouble for drunk driving that is fine with me, Just make sure you advocate for that in your state and city and not mine. So we can both be happy, Thanks.

[Tegridy]

15 hours ago, toomuchbaloney said:

Hyperbole is a staple for defending maintaining the status quo...have you noticed? Social conservatives weren't upset about defunding head start or SNAP or housing assistance, etc.

https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-budget/trump-budget-deeply-cuts-health-housing-other-assistance-for-low-and

I'm not against defunding those or the police. I prefer to keep my tax dollars. Also, there are many on the far left to whom defunding police means to abolish, its actually pretty prevalent. the word defund means to remove funds, its not hyperbole. If the doctor tells you to stop fluids on a patient, you don't just slow them down them you stop them. stop= defund essentially. Got it? Defund= stop giving funds to.

I am all for it, cops waste a lot of money on supplies yeah, and I would rather have those bills in my pocket. Thanks.

The part I do not agree with is I would rather keep my tax dollars than give to the government to reinvest in the communities described. I have no interest in funding your communities, or any by that matter. Personally I prefer to keep my tax dollars as much as I can. Defund, Defund Defund!

[guest1147324]

Stop trying to make a criminal into a victim? He was not convicted - the cops decided to violate that part of the constitution and kill the guy. Oh, and the cops could have let him run - they had the car, witnesses, and probably cause to get an arrest warrant and pick him up later. The DA apparently doesn't think the cop had a "reasonable" belief given that he has been charged.

[A Hit With The Ladies, BSN, RN]

7 minutes ago, SweetElla said:

He was not convicted - the cops decided to violate that part of the constitution and kill the guy.

You can still be considered a criminal before a conviction. The video footage showed Brooks engaging in multiple criminal behaviors.

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Oh, and the cops could have let him run

Pretty sure you punch a cop and steal his TASER he's not going to watch you run off into the woods without engaging in pursuit.

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The DA apparently doesn't think the cop had a "reasonable" belief given that he has been charged.

The DA bowed to public pressure, but thankfully we have a legal system that doesn't operate under mob rule and will rightfully acquit this heroic officer quickly.

[guest1147324]

4 hours ago, A Hit With The Ladies said:

Pretty sure you punch a cop and steal his TASER he's not going to watch you run off into the woods without engaging in pursuit.

Pursuit would have been fine - it was the shoot to kill that crossed the line.

4 hours ago, A Hit With The Ladies said:

heroic officer

Hahahaha. Deplorable.

[beachynurse, ASN, BSN]

On 6/16/2020 at 8:35 AM, emtb2rn said:

So you consider a taser to be a lethal weapon that requires the user to be “neutralized”, nice euphemism for being shot & killed by the way. Anyway, what about a non-lethal weapon? Does that require the user to die? I’m talking about things like pepper spray, stun guns & tasers. Yes, tasers are considered a non-lethal weapon.

My source for tasers being non-lethal? A gun dealer - https://www.guntherguns.com/less-lethal-defense-s/1868.htm

According to Atlanta policy, a tazer is considered a lethal weapon.

[herring_RN, ASN, BSN]

1 hour ago, beachynurse said:

According to Atlanta policy, a tazer is considered a lethal weapon.

Quote

Atlanta sobriety test quickly turned deadly

https://www.miamiherald.com/latest-news/article243525737.html

Quote

'Lawful but awful':Atlanta police had better options than lethal force in Rayshard Brooks shooting, experts say

Newly revealed video evidence of Rolfe kicking a dying Brooks on the ground and Brosnan standing on his shoulder could make them look callous in the eyes of a jury. But Ture noted that Howard had undermined the prosecution's case with his own words in another unrelated case....

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/06/17/rayshard-brooks-atlanta-police-garrett-rolfe-felony-murder-what-now/3194657001/

https://bitcoinwarrior.net/2020/06/taser-a-deadly-weapon-not-the-legal-issue-in-atlanta-shooting/

[Newishnurse1995]

Why are we shooting to kill? Aren’t you able to apprehend someone without killing them? Shoot them in the foot! My goodness.
Do you guys remember when that police officer arrested that nurse a few years ago in the ER?

Do you remember that woman who called the police because she thought someone was breaking into her home and they ended up killing her instead?

Believe it or not there are police officers who abuse their power and need to be held accountable.

Would you be okay with working with a reckless nurses who put their patients in danger? Would you be okay if one of your coworkers killed a confused or intoxicated patient because they “feared for their life”? We are not allowed to strike a patient if they hit us. We are told to run away. If we can do it surely they can. If other countries can do it. Surely we can. Running away from a police officer does not warrant death. We are held to a certain standard everyday. Why aren’t police officers held to the same standard?

Obviously this forum is full of non-empathetic nurses. I’m not logging on anymore.

[Trampledunderfoot, LPN]

I, like every other person (I believe), like to keep my tax dollars in my pocket.

However, I believe that defunding the police, along with all the other crazy things I've heard, equals having police officers who do not feel confident, do not feel safe, do not feel that they have the means to effectively do their jobs, and are frankly scared. I know I would be.

If we then were to have police who are unable and unwilling to adequately protect me and my family, then the laws should also be changed to allow me to more adequately protect us myself.

Will I be able to kill or adequately maim the man who threatens to rape my daughter? No, I will still have to wait for him to do it, and then call the cops.

Will I be able to waive a gun to scare off the 15 unruly teens making my back yard their playground and busting my garage windows? No, I will have to call the cops, hope they show up, and pay for new garage windows.

Would I be able even to throw rotten tomatoes at said kids to chase them instead of showing a gun? Probably not, because should one of those kids fall and hurt themselves while running away, I would be sued.

Will I be able to slit the tires of the guy who slit mine? No, I will have to buy new tires.

Don't think that this is another non-empathetic nurse. I care. This is about caring.

I am not racist.

But I think that #Blacklivesmatter would more accurately read #Onlyblacklivesmatter.

I believe in #Alllivesmatter. Black, white, and everything else above, beyond, and between.

[NurseBlaq]

25 minutes ago, Trampledunderfoot said:

I, like every other person (I believe), like to keep my tax dollars in my pocket.

However, I believe that defunding the police, along with all the other crazy things I've heard, equals having police officers who do not feel confident, do not feel safe, do not feel that they have the means to effectively do their jobs, and are frankly scared. I know I would be.

Police have been murdering Black people with impunity. How do you think we feel? There are infinite examples of this in very recent history and it's only being exposed due to camera phones and security cameras being everywhere. It's been going on, even worse when bigots try to weaponize the police against us. That's been going on too and there are SEVERAL examples online of this happening in recent history.

If we then were to have police who are unable and unwilling to adequately protect me and my family, then the laws should also be changed to allow me to more adequately protect us myself.

They're unwilling to protect me and my family period. I'm leery about having to call the police for anything because I may be the culprit when they show up despite me calling them. There is also video of this in the recent present. During the riots, there were Black storeowners who called the police and were arrested despite all the witnesses telling them otherwise. They literally watched the criminals walk away. So were the store owners handcuffed, searched, and harassed for being victims? Yup!

Will I be able to kill or adequately maim the man who threatens to rape my daughter? No, I will still have to wait for him to do it, and then call the cops.

The law says no but it's been happening to Black people and the bigots go free.

Will I be able to waive a gun to scare off the 15 unruly teens making my back yard their playground and busting my garage windows? No, I will have to call the cops, hope they show up, and pay for new garage windows.

The law says no but you guessed it, it's been happening to Black people.

Would I be able even to throw rotten tomatoes at said kids to chase them instead of showing a gun? Probably not, because should one of those kids fall and hurt themselves while running away, I would be sued.

That's what should happen but if they're Black, nope.

Will I be able to slit the tires of the guy who slit mine? No, I will have to buy new tires.

Not if he's Black. He'll be labeled a thug and you'd be the perfect victim with infinite TV interviews as if he slit your throat. I'm not being facetious, that's how it's been playing out.

Don't think that this is another non-empathetic nurse. I care. This is about caring.

No disrespect, but it's not caring, it's privilege. You think you're caring, yet dismissed a whole thread of Black people telling you our experience as if you know better than we do.

I am not racist.

Who said you were? The fact you felt the need to say this......

But I think that #Blacklivesmatter would more accurately read #Onlyblacklivesmatter.

Why? Who said that? Answer: No one ever. That's how you interpret it and it's dismissive.

I believe in #Alllivesmatter. Black, white, and everything else above, beyond, and between.

All lives can't matter if Black lives don't.

Think about it.

4 hours ago, beachynurse said:

According to Atlanta policy, a tazer is considered a lethal weapon.

Well, it's not applicable to this case because the taser was inactive and the police knew it. What's the next excuse?

[A Hit With The Ladies, BSN, RN]

12 hours ago, SweetElla said:

Pursuit would have been fine - it was the shoot to kill that crossed the line.

You can shoot to kill after someone tries shooting you with a TASER. Target neutralized.

6 hours ago, Newishnurse1995 said:

Why are we shooting to kill? Aren’t you able to apprehend someone without killing them? Shoot them in the foot!

Was Brooks aiming for the officer's foot? No. And besides, the officer legally had every reason at that point to use his gun to bring down an active threat to the officer's life. He did the right thing. Nobody (including me) wants to be shot by some crazed suspect aiming tasers at people and firing.