Two men were arrested and one of them was tased by a Los Angeles Police Officer for being “uncooperative” during a gang stop in the Crenshaw district, according to a sergeant.
The incident took place in the 4000 block of Rodeo Lane, according to Los Angeles Police Department Sgt. Cornel Sandoz, watch commander at Southwest Division.
According to LAPD Sgt. Patrick Scannell who went to the scene, the incident began Thursday evening as part of a gang stop.
“One person was arrested after being tased for being uncooperative during the stop,” Scannell said. “A second person was also arrested for interfering with a police officer and obstruction.”
However a witness to the tasing, who also took cellphone video of the use of force by the officers, said it appeared to her that the officer used the Taser without real provocation.
“I know the guy who was tased but I don’t know his name,” Gabon Morris told City News Service.
“The officer walked up to the guy before he was tased and asked him if he was on probation or parole,” Morris said. “The guy said, ‘No’. And then the cop asked if he was in Blackstone, the gang in the area. And the guy said, ‘No,’ nobody here (in the group he was with) was in Blackstone.
“But the cop kept putting his hands on the guy,” Morris continued. “He grabbed his arm and the guy said, ‘Hey get off of me, what are you doing?’ And that’s when the cop used the Taser on him. And then someone else got involved and the other cops came then.”
Gabon said it didn’t appear to her that the man who was tased had done anything to warrant the use of force.
Neither Scannell or Sandoz would comment on the use of force by their officer.
“I can’t say anything about the details of the incident because the use of force is now under investigation,” Scannell said.
—City News Service