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Law professor and blogger Jonathan Turley gives excellent coverage of this story, including links to similar incidents. Very worth going to his post.
(excerpt from) the blog of Constitutional Law Professor Jonathan Turley
Can You Hear Me Now? Police Officer Tasers High School Student In Dispute Over Use of Cellphone
Published June 5, 2009
A police officer assigned to a Penn Hills, Pennsylvania high school tasered a student who allegeldy refused to end his conversation on a cell phone and then pushed away the officer’s arm…
Chief Howard Burton sees the use of a taser as perfectly appropriate in such a situation: “The kid refused to listen. The officer took him by the arm and said, ‘You have to go to the office.’ The student resisted, pushed the officer. The officer, defending himself, took out his stun gun and did a drive stun.” Burton’s reaction to the tasering reflects the increasingly reflective use of the weapon in a wide variety of circumstances where force might have been avoided. It seems to fall into the old military adage that, when you only have a hammer, every problem looks like a nail….
The student complained of dizziness following the tasering and was sent to a hospital.
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