Man in diabetic coma tased for being “unresponsive”

No one has ever questioned that police have an extremely difficult job. There’s a reason why the badges they give out in boxes of cereal don’t actually give you police jurisdiction, no matter how loudly you yell and gesture wildly in public places declaring yourself Sheriff of Cookie Crisp. But even cops sometimes make teensy errors, like tasering a guy paralyzed by his diabetes. Eleven times.

A suburban Chicago police officer Tasered a man 11 times while he was having a diabetic seizure, and the 56 seconds of needlessly inflicted electric shock, “inflicted … while he was lying unresponsive on the floor of his bedroom, permanently scarred [him] and caused him neurological damage that has not abated,” the man claims in Chicago Federal Court.

Prospero Lassi says he suffered a diabetes-induced seizure at home on April 9. His roommate called 911, and police from LaGrange Park and Brookfield responded, with EMTs from LaGrange Park.

Lassi says his roommate explained to police that he was having a diabetic seizure. Lassi “was not alert and could not move his body.”

“At no time did Mr. Lassi do anything to warrant the use of force against him. Mr. Lassi was never cited, arrested, or charged with any crime,” according to the complaint.

Well, that seems like a pretty easy mistake to make. Sure you might think that if you were the police officer in question, you might just tase a suspect once or twice and that might make your point. But how do you know that your unmoving, completely lifeless suspect isn’t actually a grizzly bear wearing human skin? The simple answer: You just. don’t. know. So you have to tase them that extra 11th time just as a precaution. Safety first.

If you think it was callous for the cop to tase a man in the midst of a diabetic seizure so many times, then you should take heart in the fact that it could have been worse. At least he didn’t tase him with a Snickers bar.

[Courthouse News]

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