Michigan 15-year-old dies after police Taser him

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Posted: 3/22/2009 8:37:49 PM EDT

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090322/ap_on_re_us/teen_taser_death

BAY CITY, Mich. – Police in Michigan say a 15-year-old boy has died after being Tasered by officers who were trying to break up a fight.

Police didn't release his name and say state police are investigating.

A Bay City police news release says officers answered a report of an early morning fight on Sunday. The statement says two males were arguing in an apartment, and one of them "attempted to fight the officers."

Police say officers Tasered him, and his reaction led them to immediately call for emergency medical help. He was pronounced dead at Bay Regional Medical Center.

Deputy Chief Thomas Pletzke tells WNEM-TV police placed one officer on administrative leave.

Posted: 3/22/2009 8:39:37 PM EDT

[#1]

This cant be. The boy must have someone killed himself, we all know that teasers cant kill people.

But on another note, I hope the kids parents bankrupt Taser.

Posted: 3/22/2009 8:39:41 PM EDT

[#2]

It happens, but it is a hell of a lot less lethal than bullets holes.

Posted: 3/22/2009 8:40:03 PM EDT

[#3]

Dollars to Donuts the kid was High on something. Oh well........

........... you can fix stupid.

Posted: 3/22/2009 8:40:19 PM EDT

[#4]

play stupid games......

Posted: 3/22/2009 8:41:59 PM EDT

[#5]

Quoted:
play stupid games......

get executed by the state without trial.

Posted: 3/22/2009 8:42:05 PM EDT

[#6]

Quoted:
It happens, but it is a hell of a lot less lethal than bullets holes.

Or an ASP or PR-24 for that matter.

Something tells me that the toxicology results from the autopsy might be "interesting".

Posted: 3/22/2009 8:42:14 PM EDT

[#7]

Quoted:
play stupid games......

Absolutely. 15 year old kids shouldn't be fighting with each other

Posted: 3/22/2009 8:42:30 PM EDT

[#8]

In before Det0nate and his Big Brown Line _______ Oh wait.....

Posted: 3/22/2009 8:43:17 PM EDT

[#9]

Quoted:
play stupid games......

+1

Hard to make an assessment based upon the details given.

However, people shouldn't expect that a taser is 100% safe. Neither is recieving a straight right to the jaw or a nightstick to the skull. Tasers are a good way to incapacitate an aggressor while REDUCING the chance of permanent injury to the aggressor a great deal in contrast to other methods of neutralization.

The real question is whether or not the officer was legally justified in tasing the kid. IMO, if you are legally justified in striking someone with your fist, then you are legally justified in tasing them. And guess what? Being punched can kill a person too. It happens.

Posted: 3/22/2009 8:48:10 PM EDT

[#10]

LEOs today rely way to much on technology.

Posted: 3/22/2009 8:50:12 PM EDT

[#11]

Quoted:
And guess what? Being punched can kill a person too. It happens.

Not to get off topic, but you're definitely right about that. Last summer two guys in their mid-20s were at work in an office building. Well, they just decided that they had to "take it outside". One fella punched the other guy once (confirmed by witnesses) on the head. The guy who got hit was DRT. Yep, it happens.

Posted: 3/22/2009 8:51:01 PM EDT

[#12]

I remember sitting in one of my criminal justice classes about 5 years ago. We had a LT from the Miami PD in speaking to us about among other things the new Taser and how every cop would have one by the end of the following year. I specifically asked if he thought the Taser would become something other than a last line of defense before deadly force, and he assured me that no, the Taser would be treated just as seriously as deadly force since it still had the ability to kill, though less so than a conventional gun.

Fast forward 5 years and we see inept police officers across the country using a taser to bully people around. Some punk kid giving you lip? Tase 'em! Some old lady took a a bag of chips from the store? TASE 'ER! The taser has become nothing but a crutch for inept police officers too lazy or poorly trained to effectively handle a situation without resorting to force.

IMO the taser should be withdrawn from police service and they should go back to having to either A) resolve the situation like trained professionals or B) use deadly force and the keep in mind associated gravitas of that.

Posted: 3/22/2009 8:51:13 PM EDT

[#13]

Quoted:
LEOs today rely way to much on technology.

Yeah, they shoulda just beat his ass down until he quit fighting. Cuz nobody ever dies from that.

Posted: 3/22/2009 8:52:10 PM EDT

[#14]

Quoted:

LEOs today rely way to much on technology.

Used to be we used a sleeper hold ............... but some of the druggies died after that too, so no more sleeper hold.

I say fuck em, let them fight to the death and arrest the winner.

Posted: 3/22/2009 8:53:58 PM EDT

[#15]

Quoted:
This cant be. The boy must have someone killed himself, we all know that teasers cant kill people.

But on another note, I hope the kids parents bankrupt Taser.

Why would taser be bankrupted? They didn't kill the kid, the PD did.

That's like the liberals who want gun manufacturers sued out of business cause some jackass kills someone with their product.

Posted: 3/22/2009 8:55:27 PM EDT

[#16]

Quoted:

Quoted:
It happens, but it is a hell of a lot less lethal than bullets holes.

Or an ASP or PR-24 for that matter.

Something tells me that the toxicology results from the autopsy might be "interesting".

Yeah, because no one has preexisting heart conditions.

Posted: 3/22/2009 8:55:46 PM EDT

[#17]

Quoted:
I say fuck em, let them fight to the death and arrest the winner.

lol... there is wisdom in that statement.

Posted: 3/22/2009 8:55:51 PM EDT

[#18]

Back when I was a kid, a long time ago, COPS just beat the fuck out of you send you to hospital and charge you for resisting arrest. I miss those days.

Tasers my be humane to PC crowd but never heard of anyone dying from a controlled beat down.

Posted: 3/22/2009 8:56:57 PM EDT

[#19]

Quoted:

Quoted:
It happens, but it is a hell of a lot less lethal than bullets holes.

Or an ASP or PR-24 for that matter.

Something tells me that the toxicology results from the autopsy might be "interesting".

Yeah, because no one has preexisting heart conditions.

Then maybe he should've thought of that before fighting. Duh. You raise your fist to somebody, you take your chances.

Posted: 3/22/2009 8:57:25 PM EDT

[#20]

Quoted:

Quoted:

This cant be. The boy must have someone killed himself, we all know that teasers cant kill people.

But on another note, I hope the kids parents bankrupt Taser.

Why would taser be bankrupted? They didn't kill the kid, the PD did.

That's like the liberals who want gun manufacturers sued out of business cause some jackass kills someone with their product.

The PD didn't kill the kid.. the kids actions led to his death.

Sometimes you guys spurting your anti LEO shit is pathetic. Just like the guys that get hooked.. Never take responsibility for their actions. It's always somebody elses fault.

Posted: 3/22/2009 8:58:39 PM EDT

[#21]

I'm gonna wait till we hear about the tox screen and the rest of what happened

Posted: 3/22/2009 8:59:40 PM EDT

[#22]

Hormones... blame it on the hormones of a teenage boy.

Posted: 3/22/2009 9:00:34 PM EDT

[#23]

Quoted:

Quoted:
LEOs today rely way to much on technology.

Used to be we used a sleeper hold ............... but some of the druggies died after that too, so no more sleeper hold.

I say fuck em, let them fight to the death and arrest the winner.

LVNR

Posted: 3/22/2009 9:01:02 PM EDT

[#24]

Quoted:
Sometimes you guys spurting your anti LEO shit is pathetic. Just like the guys that get hooked.. Never take responsibility for their actions. It's always somebody elses fault.

Indeed. I think more than a few arfcommers would be perfectly happy in a Big Brother nanny state.

Posted: 3/22/2009 9:01:17 PM EDT

[#25]

Is it just me or am I the only one who believes that the officers in question should easily be able to subdue a 15 year old without the use of a taser? Unless the kid had a weapon of course.

Posted: 3/22/2009 9:02:01 PM EDT

[#26]

Quoted:

Quoted:
This cant be. The boy must have someone killed himself, we all know that teasers cant kill people.

But on another note, I hope the kids parents bankrupt Taser.

Why would taser be bankrupted? They didn't kill the kid, the PD did.

That's like the liberals who want gun manufacturers sued out of business cause some jackass kills someone with their product.

The PD didn't kill the kid.. the kids actions led to his death.

Sometimes you guys spurting your anti LEO shit is pathetic. Just like the guys that get hooked.. Never take responsibility for their actions. It's always somebody elses fault.

You're assuming that Taser (the company) would never scapegoat some innocent cop and ruin his life and career to protect their business interests.

Posted: 3/22/2009 9:02:28 PM EDT

[#27]

Quoted:

Quoted:
This cant be. The boy must have someone killed himself, we all know that teasers cant kill people.

But on another note, I hope the kids parents bankrupt Taser.

Why would taser be bankrupted? They didn't kill the kid, the PD did.

That's like the liberals who want gun manufacturers sued out of business cause some jackass kills someone with their product.

The PD didn't kill the kid.. the kids actions led to his death.

Sometimes you guys spurting your anti LEO shit is pathetic. Just like the guys that get hooked.. Never take responsibility for their actions. It's always somebody elses fault.

somewhat agreed. whole purpos of a taser is NOT to kill someone. just kinda sucks that what was somekinda fight between two kids turned out wrong.

Posted: 3/22/2009 9:02:36 PM EDT

[#28]

Quoted:
In before Det0nate and his Big Brown Line _______ Oh wait.....

Another youngster appears to be trying to take his place. Although a few others are making tepid attempts.

Posted: 3/22/2009 9:04:46 PM EDT

[#29]

Quoted:

Quoted:
This cant be. The boy must have someone killed himself, we all know that teasers cant kill people.

But on another note, I hope the kids parents bankrupt Taser.

Why would taser be bankrupted? They didn't kill the kid, the PD did.

That's like the liberals who want gun manufacturers sued out of business cause some jackass kills someone with their product.

The PD didn't kill the kid.. the kids actions led to his death.

Sometimes you guys spurting your anti LEO shit is pathetic. Just like the guys that get hooked.. Never take responsibility for their actions. It's always somebody elses fault.

+1

Posted: 3/22/2009 9:04:53 PM EDT

[#30]

Quoted:

Hormones... blame it on the hormones of a teenage boy.

Testosterone toxicity?

Posted: 3/22/2009 9:06:30 PM EDT

[#31]

Quoted:

Is it just me or am I the only one who believes that the officers in question should easily be able to subdue a 15 year old without the use of a taser? Unless the kid had a weapon of course.

Have you seen the size of some 15yo's now-a-days? My fiancee works at a high school and I offered to chaperon with her one evening. Good god, what are they feeding these kids? I swear one of them was 20yo until she told me that was her student and he was 14.

Now I'm 5'11", 210lbs. This kid was 6'2", 250lbs. He was a lot bigger than me. Did his parents feed him a bowl of wheaties every day?

Posted: 3/22/2009 9:07:05 PM EDT

[#32]

Quoted:

Quoted:

LEOs today rely way to much on technology.

Used to be we used a sleeper hold ............... but some of the druggies died after that too, so no more sleeper hold.

I say fuck em, let them fight to the death and arrest the winner.

LVNR

............ If I'd have said that you'd be the only one who knew what it was.

Posted: 3/22/2009 9:07:18 PM EDT

[#33]

Quoted:
Is it just me or am I the only one who believes that the officers in question should easily be able to subdue a 15 year old without the use of a taser? Unless the kid had a weapon of course.

Unlikely.

i've seen a 105lb woman whoop the shit of of a much larger police officer because he thought he could easily subdue her..

ETA: I still haven't heard of a Tsser related death that did not involve drugs or a pre-existining heart condition.

The same conditions that cause death from a knock down drag out fight between a subject and officers.

Posted: 3/22/2009 9:08:26 PM EDT

[#34]

Quoted:
Is it just me or am I the only one who believes that the officers in question should easily be able to subdue a 15 year old without the use of a taser? Unless the kid had a weapon of course.

I've seen a 15 YO take on a few at a time. Not all are equal.

Posted: 3/22/2009 9:11:54 PM EDT

[#35]

Quoted:
Is it just me or am I the only one who believes that the officers in question should easily be able to subdue a 15 year old without the use of a taser? Unless the kid had a weapon of course.

I would tend to agree, but it's difficult to make blanket statements. Not all "15 year old boys" are "15 year old boys". I used to deal with an alcoholic boy who at the age of 15 was 6-01 and 300 lbs. He was (is) a big boy and if he wanted to fight, it was going to be a fight to take him into custody. A swing from a 15 yo that big hits just as hard as one from a 25 yo that big.

Posted: 3/22/2009 9:16:02 PM EDT

[#36]

He won't be playing Electric Simon Says anymore.

Posted: 3/22/2009 9:21:23 PM EDT

[#37]

Quoted:

Quoted:
This cant be. The boy must have someone killed himself, we all know that teasers cant kill people.

But on another note, I hope the kids parents bankrupt Taser.

Why would taser be bankrupted? They didn't kill the kid, the PD did.

That's like the liberals who want gun manufacturers sued out of business cause some jackass kills someone with their product.

The PD didn't kill the kid.. the kids actions led to his death.

Sometimes you guys spurting your anti LEO shit is pathetic. Just like the guys that get hooked.. Never take responsibility for their actions. It's always somebody elses fault.

Oh come off it. I have nothing against police and my comment was not meant to be anti-LEO. Stop reading into things that isn't there. Yes the kid was being stupid , but someone pulled the trigger and it wasn't the Easter bunny. I'm not saying it's the cops FAULT, because it's not, it is the kid's if anyone's, however the cop did pull the trigger.

Posted: 3/22/2009 9:25:11 PM EDT

[#38]

$10 on Ecstasy.

Posted: 3/22/2009 9:31:05 PM EDT

[#39]

Tasers are dumb...

I liked it better when cops beat the shit out of stupid kids with an old piece of Hickory.

Posted: 3/22/2009 9:32:07 PM EDT

[#40]

Quoted:
Is it just me or am I the only one who believes that the officers in question should easily be able to subdue a 15 year old without the use of a taser? Unless the kid had a weapon of course.

sure they could have. However that involves grappling or impact tools, which are more likely to cause permanent injury or death than the taser.

A hint. The stuff that caused the kid to go nutz and need to be tasered, is probably what killed him.

Posted: 3/22/2009 9:34:29 PM EDT

[#41]

Don't try to attack cops and you won't get tased.

Posted: 3/22/2009 9:41:12 PM EDT

[#42]

man, I grew up in Bay City. They have been making the news alot this year. Bay City also was the town that had the WW2 vet freeze to death because the city turn off his electricity

Pretty F'd up town, but my parents still live there

Posted: 3/22/2009 9:44:23 PM EDT

[#43]

http://www.connectmidmichigan.com/news/video.aspx?id=276821
http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/story?section=news/local&id=6723040
The other news channel had a better story on it but cant find a clip it had pics of him and his family talking and they didn't look like the sharpest knives in the drawer. But Since I live in Bay City I can tell you that these younger kids are all a bunch of wanna be thugs and I have no doubt that he tried to assault the police officers

Posted: 3/22/2009 9:44:47 PM EDT

[#44]

Quoted:

Quoted:
play stupid games......

get executed by the state without trial.

Oh for fucks sake... He tried to fight a cop.

Posted: 3/22/2009 9:46:15 PM EDT

[#45]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Is it just me or am I the only one who believes that the officers in question should easily be able to subdue a 15 year old without the use of a taser? Unless the kid had a weapon of course.

sure they could have. However that involves grappling or impact tools, which are more likely to cause permanent injury or death than the taser.

A hint. The stuff that caused the kid to go nutz and need to be tasered, is probably what killed him.

Are you sure they could have? I see way too many 5'5" 115lb cops these days, and a lot of 15 year old boys who are 6'3" 225 and solid. The days when you had to be 6 foot 200lbs with some scar tissue on your knucles to even apply at a department are over. If the departments are going to put smaller people out on the street, then they can't allow them to physicaly take suspects down as a first line in the protocols without an expectation that a lot of those officers are going to end up injured or worse.

Posted: 3/22/2009 9:47:06 PM EDT

[#46]

Quoted:

Quoted:
play stupid games......

get executed by the state without trial.

Oh for fucks sake... He tried to fight a cop.

Yeah and the one guy on the news said he had a drinking problem at 15 i bet it was more than that kids around here do the hard stuff

Posted: 3/22/2009 9:49:27 PM EDT

[#47]

Well, dont break the law?

Posted: 3/22/2009 9:53:01 PM EDT

[#48]

I can tell you, I thank god every day that I move away from that shit hole.

Last time I went home to visit, my friends from High School were still working part time jobs and things were looking bad. I have not been back since the election, but would like to know how things have changed. I have a brother-in-law that works in the auto industry, and I believe that it will not be long before he will be moving south to find a job.