Posted on 07/24/2015 7:35:13 PM PDT by rey
A Santa Rosa teenager who was injured during a violent struggle with seven law enforcement officers near Elsie Allen High School in 2011 has settled his federal lawsuit against the city and Sonoma County for $350,000.
The agencies admitted no wrongdoing in the case, but faced risks in trying to convince a jury that the force they used to restrain 17-year-old Marlon Whitmore during a psychotic episode — including pepper spraying, Tasering, and striking him with batons — was justified.
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According to court documents filed by Whitmore’s legal team, the youth was ultimately Tasered 19 or 20 times, struck with a baton 22 times, struck with a flashlight 12 times, punched 20 times, kicked 5 times, put in a choke hold, sprayed with an entire can of pepper spray, and finally hogtied.
Officers’ accounts indicate that most of their efforts to subdue Whitmore – like the Taser and pepper spray — had no effect. It wasn’t until a deputy stunned the youth with a series of blows to his head with a flashlight that officers were able to gain control of him. cut
(His grandmother) feels that a calm, kind gesture to someone in crisis — she read about a nurse offering a bag of Doritos to a person defused a similar situation — could be a more effective approach.
“It wouldn’t kill them to have a few bags of potato chips in the trunks. They’d get a whole lot less hassle,” she said.
(Excerpt) Read more at pressdemocrat.com ...
Cops would have been better off backing off and shooting him.
With a potato gun?
I’ll actually read the story before I reply.
Perhaps the taxpeasants should fund astronaut pants for the entire department, for these embarrassing situations...
ROTFL! Whottabunchapuzzies!
Guess Confrontation Uber Alles didn't quite work, that time.
Can you hear my scream from the East Bay to up Santa Rosa?
Correct title:Tax payers to pay out settlement of $350,000.
Grandma wants potato chips in the trunk of police cars ,because that’s what it takes to calm the little beasts down.
Yeah,I’ve seen how this mindset works.
I didn’t mean to imply you hadn’t read it. I was being silly playing on grandma’s idea of handing out potato chips to psychotic individuals.
Yes, I think the officers were rather restrained. If seven guys are getting their butts kicked, this kid is crazy strong. We have had one or two questionable incidents up here but for the most part the city and county policing is good.
How does being psychotic stop a taser from working?
I’ve seen the biggest craziest guys fall like a tree after being tasered. All they could do is flop like a fish, and wet their pants.
I was beaten by two drunk Sonoma County police officers back in ‘96 for sitting in the wrong place.
Frankly I’m surprised he didn’t end up in a hospital.
I nearly was.
This LEO community has already killed/murdered a few folks over minor arrests.
I would guess you could appear psychotic while on psychotropic drugs.
Again, my friend was telling me of tasing a 300 pound zippo fat high on angel dust guy who just stood there and screamed and pulled the barbs out of his leg and went back at the officers.
By the way, these are the same LEO’s that helped a newly released prison con, push his stolen vehicle out of a ditch at three am, on a remote area road, while he was drinking a beer and never ran his numbers. His name is Richard Allen Davis. He had a little girl stashed in the bushes 75 feet, from that spot. He had already kidnapped her. He then, raped and killed her, within a half hour of those Sonoma County Deputies helping push that stolen car out of the ditch. Her name is Polly Klass. Her body was found two months later. Under a road sign off the side of US 101. This is a corrupt LEO community. Has been for the last 40 years. Why don’t you shoot your imagination towards your own life.
“tasing a 300 pound zippo fat high on angel dust guy who just stood there and screamed and pulled the barbs out of his leg and went back at the officers.”
That I’ve heard of.
The only reason I asked was the Grandmother said she told 911 that he had a history of mental illness. The cops don’t mention drugs being involved.
Just curious.
I guess if you were crazy enough, the brain could trigger the adrenal glands to kick in like you were doing PCP.
Regards,
Another way to “redistribute”. frivalous law suits by inmates are making them rich! In one state they are paying them, 25 dollars a week to keep thier cells clean
Greg Dion, chief deputy in the Sonoma County Counsel’s Office, said he agreed a jury’s potential sympathy for Whitmore, who is black and suffered injuries, and the cost of litigation and attorneys’ fees made the settlement appropriate.
Whitmore’s grandmother, Kathy Parkinson Jones, said she realized how close her grandson came to being killed and is grateful he has recovered from most of his injuries. She said she couldn’t talk about the settlement in detail, but wished the departments had agreed to additional mental health training as part of the settlement.
She feels that a calm, kind gesture to someone in crisis — she read about a nurse offering a bag of Doritos to a person defused a similar situation — could be a more effective approach.
“It wouldn’t kill them to have a few bags of potato chips in the trunks. They’d get a whole lot less hassle,” she said.
I was going to have a "first reaction" post, then thought better of it.
I was being silly playing on grandma’s idea of handing out potato chips to psychotic individuals.
LOL! Yeah, that was pretty good. I did laugh at your selection from the article. :)
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