A 20-year old woman who was being chased by a Florida police officer is brain-dead after the cop shot his Taser gun at her at point-blank range. Doctors do not believe she will ever recover.
Via The Telegraph UK:
Danielle Maudsley was flung to the ground in September last year after Trooper Daniel Cole fired his stun gun at her as she attempting to flee arrest. She was still wearing handcuffs as she made the escape bid.
Footage of the incident, which happened outside a Florida Highway Patrol Station, show Trooper Cole firing the weapon despite only being an arms distance away. The video was recorded by a camera in nearby police car.
As the electric prongs struck the young woman, her body tensed, spun around and smacked the ground, her head hitting the asphalt hard.
Moments later she held her hands to her bleeding head and was heard crying before police instructed her to “lie downâ€. After the footage ended she is said to have blacked out and remained unconscious ever since.
Trooper Cole claimed he had reached for his taser as he was worried Miss Maudsley would be hit by a passing car. As to why he hadn’t tried to restrain her physically, he said he had been concerned they both would be injured if he tried to tackle her to the ground.
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The police officer was cleared of any wrongdoing by the US Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
The Tampa Bay Times adds:
Cole had arrested Danielle Maudsley after she was suspected of leaving the scene of two traffic crashes. She had a suspended license and blood tests later showed she had cocaine and oxycodone in her system, the report states.
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Cole, who at 267 pounds weighs about three times as much as Maudsley, was concerned that one or both of them would be injured if he tackled her. So he went for his Taser.
He could not warn Maudsley because of the immediacy of the situation, the report said. After Maudsley fell, Cole saw blood on the ground and summoned emergency personnel.
Asked if he would have done anything differently, Cole said, “No, I would not have.”
The report ruled that Cole’s actions were justified.
FHP policy says troopers can use Tasers on escaping suspects. It also says they should avoid using them on people who are handcuffed — though it allows exceptions to that provision.
Cheryl Maudsley said her daughter lives in an intensive care facility and is fed with a tube. “My daughter is dead because of this. She won’t come back.”