MINNEAPOLIS, Kan. Newly-released body-camera video captures the scene from March in which a deputy with the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office tased a 91-year-old man with Alzheimer’s at a Minneapolis nursing home because the man wouldn’t get in a car to go to the doctor.
We first told you about the incident after it happened in March. The Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office has had it under investigation.
The original report from the incident is that the 91-year-old man was violent. But those who spoke with Eyewitness News Thursday after watching the video say they don’t see it that way.
The entire video lasts 28 minutes; from the time officers arrive until after the man is is tased and he’s taken out on a stretcher.
The video shows the man repeatedly refusing to leave for his doctor’s visit, batting officers’ hands away when they try to help him up, and in the end, making a run for it.
That’s when we see an undersheriff tase him.
The 91-year-old man’s family has asked us to protect his identity in the video. They say the handcuffs broke his wrist and they believe this incident weakened his heart and led to his death two months later.
The Ottawa County sheriff is out of the office this week and told us he was unavailable to speak on camera. He said he thinks the investigation is complete, but needs to check his reports.
Eyewitness News Personal Protection expert Joe Schillaci, a former law enforcement officer, officers his perspective on what happened. Schillaci used to be a supervisor with the Miami Police Department and has been through taser training.
“It’s easy for us as citizens to sit back and watch that and be taken aback by that. It’s difficult to watch,” he says of the video.
But Schillaci says using the taser to subdue the man likely caused less harm than if there was a more physical confrontation with officers.
He says a physical confrontation with officers could have caused more serious injury.
“…It most definitely with his age, would have caused some pretty good injury,” Schillaci says. “They deploy a taser and incapacitate him immediately.”
Schillaci points out the verbal warnings against the man and that fact that an officer guided the man to the ground after the taser was fired as a couple points to indicate the officers were doing what they could to limit injuries.
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ORIGINAL STORY FROM MARCH 30, 2016:
Minneapolis authorities investigating officer’s use of force at nursing home
The Minneapolis Police Department says it’s investigating an incident at a nursing home. The sheriff’s office says a patient was being combative and would not comply with officers, so they used a taser to get the man under control.
The sheriff says a man at the nursing home had assaulted another resident and was resisting officers and they needed help getting the man into a van. Authorities say that’s when there was a physical altercation and a deputy used the taser.
Police Chief Jon Strowig says they are still looking into what happened.
“There was forced used, and that’s currently under investigation.”
The man was then taken into mental protective custody to keep him from hurting himself or someone else and was taken to Salina Regional Health Center. Both the sheriff’s office and the police department say it’s still an ongoing investigation. The nursing home did not wish to comment. The sheriff says there is video of the incident, but will not be releasing it at this time.
http://www.kwch.com/content/news/Body-cam-video-shows–407962085.html
>>But Schillaci says using the taser to subdue the man likely caused less harm than if there was a more physical confrontation with officers.
He says a physical confrontation with officers could have caused more serious injury.
“…It most definitely with his age, would have caused some pretty good injury,” Schillaci says. “They deploy a taser and incapacitate him immediately.”>>
Yeah, because a psychopath using steroids would probably use full force and exercise zero restraint in subduing a 91 year old man.
The former pig made a telling choice of words by using “good” as a reference to the level of injury.
All that because he didn’t want to go to a quack. He had Alzheimer’s yet he still knew they’re a bunch of aholes you should avoid.
*** “It’s easy for us as citizens to sit back and watch that and be taken aback by that. It’s difficult to watch,” he says of the video. ***
Yes, it is easy for me. Wanna know why? Because I possess both basic human decency AND a brain in my head.
There is ZERO excuse for using any serious level of physical force on an unarmed 91-year-old.
*** But Schillaci says using the taser to subdue the man likely caused less harm than if there was a more physical confrontation with officers.
He says a physical confrontation with officers could have caused more serious injury. ***
Only if those “officers” are too f–king retarded to moderate their use of force. Or maybe their egos were bruised because an elderly Alzheimer’s patient wasn’t respecting their “authority.”
How difficult is it to have one guy grab one arm, another guy grab the other arm, ease the old man into a chair, and restrain him there until he calms down? Tie him to the chair with t-shirts if you have to. But Tasering him?!
Hopefully the family of the victim here seeks justice outside the courts. That’s the only way they’ll find it.
Sorry, I could not read the whole article.
I really do not care if the 91 year old man was violent. There is NO reason for a Taser to be used.
It is way past time for Abuse to stop!
When will people say enough and then do something to stop it???
THE MILITIA NEEDS TO DRAG HIS ASS INTO A COMMON LAW COURT FOR ASSAULT…AND ATTEMPTED MURDER
“I really do not care if the 91 year old man was violent.”
I hear ya, Ruth. At 91 years old, how violent could he possible be?
This sadistic pig couldn’t subdue him without the electro-shock torture? He needs a taste of his own medicine if you ask me.
I live in Kansas and saw a portion of this on the news last night. It made sick enough to cry. This old man was just trying to get away from people who were hurting him and harassing him. Why were pigs brought in to subdue a 91yr old man in a nursing home just because he didn’t want to go to the dr.? The news forgot to mention his wrist being broken by the handcuffs. My God even now you are not safe in an environment put there to protect when can’t care for yourself. And the sickest part of all this the staff was standing around doing nothing. I am 75 and will not go quietly to the slaughter house if I possibly help it.
PERSONAL DERRINGERS ARE HANDY WHEN YOU GET OLD……….
Help they are trying to kill me!!!!!!
Ninety-one years old and he still has to deal with PUNK pigs.
I hope we someday discover just how long a pig can be kept alive while connected to a car battery.
CAR BATTERY WONT HURT HIM. TRY… A DEFIBRILATOR…..
Don’t forget. Crank military field phones have more than one use.. 😉