Before the eighth inning of the MLB game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the St. Louis Cardinals, a 17-year-old Phillies fan got more than he bargained for after he tried to score a little attention by jumping on the field and engaging security in a game of cat and mouse. Security, however, didn’t feel they were having fun and promptly pulled out a Taser gun, bringing the young man down.
Wearing a red Phillies shirt and Khaki shorts, the teen hopped a fence, then sprinted around the outfield, dodging security at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, only to collapse after being jolted by an officer’s Taser gun. The crowd booed as the teen lay motionless on the ground and was apprehended by security. Boos turned to cheers as he was hoisted up and taken off the field. A spectator caught video footage of the incident.
“I think the police officer had to do what they think is in the moment, they’re chasing this guy he won’t stop,” Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams said on Fox’s Good Day program. “They didn’t use deadly force, he didn’t pull out his weapon and shoot him and he used the Tasers.”
Police spokesman Lt. Frank Vanore told The Philadelphia Inquirer that internal affairs will open an investigation to determine if the firing “was proper use of the equipment.”
After a series of deaths involving the use of Tasers, there has been much controversy on when they should be used. Although tests on police and military volunteers have shown Tasers to function appropriately on a healthy individual in a controlled environment, a real-life target of a Taser most likely doesn’t have these factors. Police don’t know whether a suspect being Tasered has health conditions and unlike police testing, suspects are under a state of high stress rather than a controlled environment.
In 2005, Michael Todd, then Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, England, to prove the safety of Tasers, allowed himself be shot in the back. Wearing just a T-shirt when he was Tasered, the incident was captured on video and released to the BBC.
Todd said after the incident, “I couldn’t move, it hurt like hell. I wouldn’t want to do that again.”
Was the Tasering of a 17-year-old Phillies fan the right reaction? Or excessive force in front a large crowd that included young children? Because he is a minor, the name of the Phillies fan has not been released. Want to get your heart rate going? For the best in MLB betting, visit Sports Interaction’s online sportsbook today,
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
He should be tazered for just being a Phillies fan.
Disrupting a game and wasting thousands of people’s time is plenty reason for a Tazer….
Rick
Consalvi deserved what he got. He was trespassing.
http://sportschump.net is having a little fun at Consalvi’s expense.
Come join in the fun.