The Daytona Beach Police Department say that a woman was tasered last Monday inside of a Best Buy store after attempting to use someone else’s credit card to make a purchase.
There isn’t a lot of information about the incident, but police say that they were called when the woman “got excited” after being questioned about the card. Police don’t know whether or not the card was stolen, said spokesman Jimmie Flynt.
Yikes!
Shopper stunned with Taser inside Best Buy [News-Journal]
(Photo:tengaport)
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If at the “Don’t Tase Me Bro” event, if the guy had just relaxed, it would never have gone as far as it did. They warned him, but he didn’t comply.
@GitEmSteveDave: Really bad example considering the security people shouldn’t have dragged him out in the first place.
@trollkiller: *facepalm*
If he was pointing at his ears, couldn’t they see his hands?
@forgottenpassword: Why people don’t like and/or fear cops.
It didn’t seem like there was that much information given, but it’s cool to think that Jimmy Flynt is helping his brother run HUSTLER Magazine and moonlight as a police spokesperson.
I’ll reserve my opinion for now since there’s no information.
However, I would like to point out that Tasers are considered LESS-LETHAL weapons than guns, NOT Non-Lethal Weapons. Contrary to what law enforcement and the pro-taser camp would like us all to believe, tasers and other “less-lethal” weapons can still seriously injure and kill people.
Police should only be allowed to use a taser in situations where they could normally use a firearm.
@Rectilinear Propagation:
That really doesnt even matter (him pointing to his ears , where they can see his hands). Just by not complying with police orders can get you tased this day & age.
And yeah, who here thinks of cops as easily approachable or as the friendly “officer friendly” anymore? Not many. Things have definately changed.
@Rectilinear Propagation: The guy was refusing to let other people ask questions, and got in the face of the security people when they asked him the FIRST time to give up the mic. In the end, they had to cut the mic. The security officer then tries to lead him away gently by the arm, where upon he really starts to freak out and screaming, causing a bigger disturbance. He then moves TOWARDS the stage where Mr. Kerry is speaking, which causes the security officers to escalate the matter to ensure something bad doesn’t happen. When they finally get him to the back of the seating area, he makes a break for it, then comes back at the cops. THEN, even with 4+ officers on him, he is still struggling, and refusing to relax. PLUS, they warned him. Repeatedly.
@ancientsociety: A firearm is only used when DEADLY force is deemed necessary. You do not “shoot to wound”. You shoot to kill/neutralize. I am the son of a police officer. One day, my Dad ran into the house of a guy who lit it on fire. While trying to drag him out, he pulled a hammer, and got my Dad in the leg, seriously hurting him. In that situation/close quarters, a firearm would not be used, whereas, a tazer would be appropriate. I think if they could have dropped the guy, they would have been able to get him out w/o anyone else being hurt.
@forgottenpassword: I think in a normal situation, I.E. walking up to a cop walking a beat, or somewhere else, they are approachable. Unfortunatly, most times we deal with Police, it is on the other side of a situation where they could be hurt and or killed. Even a simple traffic stop is a dangerous situation, as showcased in many incidents where people shoot cops right in the face. I just got pulled over Saturday night, and the cop wasn’t “friendly” at first, he was following procedures i.e. checking the car, asking me standard questions, sizing up the situation. I think a majority of times people have bad experiences, it’s when they do something that makes the cop nervous, and he goes from friendly to “business”. I pulled over, placed my hands on the wheel, waited until he asked me anything before I responded, announced all of my motions (Reaching for my wallet, opening my glovebox), and let him see my glovebox open and my pocket before reaching in. It turns out I was swerving to avoid the manhole covers on the backroad to my house, and on a Saturday night at around 10pm, he just wanted to make sure I wasn’t a drunk. After he checked me out, he was very friendly, and wished me a good night etc…
I always look at a cops actions with the idea in my head of “He wants to go home safe to his family, and make sure they are safe” and “He has a family at home that wants him to come home ALIVE”. My mother always tells me how she worried each night my Dad went to work in Newark, NJ, especially during the riots, and I can tell you I always had a worry in the back of my head, even as a kid.
Personally, I’d rather see a criminal tazed than a police officer injured. While tazing people for fun is not cool, I think avoiding being tazed is a simple three step process:
1. Don’t cause trouble.
2. Shut up.
3. Do as you are told.
I’ve followed those three steps all my life and have never been tazed.
Until we get police officers who are prescient, they have no idea what’s going on in someone’s head or know what drugs they are on or what weapons they have on them or what the suspect is going to do next.
In a situation where you don’t want to spray the area with chemicals and don’t want bullets flying everywhere, a tazer is a viable alternative to resorting to hand-in-hand combat. Even if the suspect doesn’t have a gun or concealed knife, the suspect can grab the officer’s gun while they grapple.
As for using someone else’s CC with their permission, if you are denied, remember the three steps above. The solution is to get another CC with your name on it and use that. The other person can always reimburse you.
If someone stole my identity or stole my CC and tried to use it fraudulently, I would *hope* that they would be tazed, just to teach them a lesson.
This adds new meaning to the term “charge it.”
I’d rather see a criminal tazed than a police officer injured.
@S-the-K: That is a false dilemma. Not using a taser on everyone who raises their voice does not result in injury to the police officer.
If someone stole my identity or stole my CC and tried to use it fraudulently, I would *hope* that they would be tazed, just to teach them a lesson.
That’s not what a taser is for. The police are supposed to protect and serve, not “teach lessons” to people they think are guilty of something.
@GitEmSteveDave: “You shoot to kill/neutralize”
I agree, tasers should be no different. Again, tasers are LESS-lethal weapons, not non-lethal. They should only be used A) once the officer has used all other means to subdue the offender and/or B) if the offender poses an immediate danger to bystanders or the officer.
@S-the-K:
“1. Don’t cause trouble.
2. Shut up.
3. Do as you are told.”
That’s all well and good. But you have the right to know why you are being detained/arrested, what the evidence is against you, and your rights.
Far too many cops believe that asking those questions violates the above rules or feel as though they do not have to answer those questions.
Respect and following the law is a two-way street – both the cop and the offender need to practice it.
WOW! That sucks! I give my credit cards to my little sisters to go shopping sometimes!!!! I’d be piiisssed if they got tasered for using my card!
@GitEmSteveDave: “….get home safely at night”
Ah yes the cop’s tried & true catchall excuse to justify alienating & generally treating the public like cr@p.
I have had cops:
1. laugh in my face for not lying to them in a traffic ticket situation (8 miles over),
2. was chastized for moving my side mirror so that the spotlight beam was not in my eyes (guess I should just let it hit me in the eyes) during a traffic stop
3. and one cop got in my face & yelled at me because I didnt unlock the gate for them to drive in when a silent alarm (false alarm I did not trip) went off in a secure area at work (I didnt have access to) & they had to walk down the long driveway one winter night. The alarm company doesnt call me…. they call my boss who is at home. Boss didnt call me. Tried to explain, but was told to shut up. And I had to stand there & take the abuse from a pissed off cop that had to walk in snow & below freezing temps. Joy! JOY! … well…as long he goes home safely that night… I guess I somehow deserved it!
Dont get me wrong… I have respect for cops (my father was a KCMO cop for 25 years) who do their job well, but having grown up in a small town with a bunch of bored redneck cops… you tend to get more bad apples than good.
yeah, i did kind of know that, but what bothers me is how on god’s green earth i convince the moron at burgermaster to stop harrassing me for ID and just take my card. it’s not really for my protection, it’s because someone told them it’s procedure. i also have an awful-to-spell-for-most-people, long, and seemingly ethnically incongruous name, which makes it especially fun. i’ve taken to just pitching my driver’s license from my home country (which has no English on it) at them and smiling. that’s actually worked but i need to remember to carry it.
it’s kind of annoying, and generally they pitch a bloody fit, and seattle is small enough of a town that people remember you, so half the time i just give up and comply like the dumb cow i am.
i hate it.
@ALGORMORTIS It’s simple you tell them no you do not have permission to view my license, it is against the merchant terms for you to request so. Then request for the manager if they make any argument. If the manager refuses to comply. Get the address and phone number of the store from the manager, pull out your cell phone and call Visa or w/e # on the back your card and report it right infront of them. Then leave and tell them not only will they have to face repercussions from Visa or ___ they will also never see you again for business.
@RAREBREED: Well it’s not like they’re going to just go randomly tasering children, though I have no way of inferring from your post whether your little sisters are actually children or whether by ‘little’ you mean that you’re actually 60 and they’re in their 40s.
@darkened: Actually stores are not allowed to ask you for ID for credit card purchases, its specifically in the merchant agreement. The only time they may ask you for ID is if you attempt to use an unsigned card.
Is this true for store credit cards? We asked all the time because at a store I used to work at, we had to ask if we suspected the person handing over the card was a minor. Minors weren’t allowed to apply for the cards, so we knew generally that if the person with the card was a minor, we were told we had to ask them where they got it, and generally we couldn’t make the charge.
For the people that thought it might be amusing to have a gawker t-shirt or similar in a parody of the Best-Buy Logo / Don’t Taser Me Bro tag, then look here for an image you can use for your own cafe press etc.
[i257.photobucket.com]
@salnajjar: nice graphic, thank you
We’re gay, we have joint checking but only one debit card. It has his name on it. I use it all the time at the store, even when it says check ID, people do I show my ID and they don’t do anything.
Most recently we went to the movies and I paid with his card, signed his name and the woman asked for ID and I said, “Show it to her.” He did and she said, “I guess I’ll just ignore that like it didn’t happen.” I said, “Actually you can outline why you have a problem with it and I’ll be happy to chat with you about it. I handed you the credit card, signed and he showed you his ID. Simple.”
She was a total idiot. I ask you, who at 45 works for an indi film cinema? The socially retarded.
My dad tried to use an unsigned credit card once, years ago. The clerk pointed out that it was unsigned and asked him to sign it, which he did in front of her. She then ran the credit card through, had him sign the slip, and then — you guessed it — asked for ID so she could check the signature.
Actually, I just remembered it was even worse than that…she checked the signature against the card!
@sibertater: If he was standing right there why did you need to forge his name? Oh I know it was to show you were a couple… how cute. Gay people at an Indi film, how novel.
@trollkiller: Maybe the card was in his wallet
@edwardso: That would not explain why he forged the other guy’s signature and then got pissy when the clerk reacted to an unusal situation.
If it would have been me as the clerk I would have killed the transaction. I would be thinking this is an attempt at fraud. The card holder could easily say “that is not my signature” and have the charges reversed.
Actually it was her own credit card she was using, police have confirmed this, so I guess it was just one stupid cop using excessive force.
Consumerist needs to do better research
[www.wesh.com]
@Avinash_Tyagi: Please note the date of your comment as well as the date of the article you linked to: 21 Dec 2007. Now please note the date of this post: 3 Dec 2007.
Duly noted, we’ll do more research in the future—by which I mean we’ll travel into the future in our magical Consmerist Time Machine and report on as-yet-unwritten news stories. Luckily, the time machine is fueled by sarcasm.
*sigh*
Yup, headline needs to be changed to “Trigger-Happy Police Officer Tasers Innocent Woman In Best Buy. Reportedly Not as Painful as Regularly Shopping at Best Buy.”
The lady was completely innocent, store video is released and it shows crazed cop on the attack:
+ Watch video
Updated thread: [consumerist.com]
What the fuck is wrong with Florida? That cop is straight out of central casting for “Deliverance 2.”
I meant the Police Chief was right out of central casting…
Can you say “serious denial”? Hope she sues the hell out of that department and “Best” Buy for hosting the taser party.