UCLA Student Repeatedly Tased By Campus Cops

[NATO AIR]

Again w/ the excessive force in the wrong situations. I have no qualms with a child rapist or murderer getting an ass whipping, but a student who didn't have his ID should have been given another option, smart ass mouth or not, with cops who act like this, can you blame him?

Cops are becoming too much like the military. They don't have the training, let alone the legal backup, to go down such a route. And innocent people suffer for it all the time.

The video of this shot by another student is outright disturbing, screams of agony from the tased student as he is hit repeatedly, as well as an unbelievable scene where a girl asks for the cop's badge number and is threatened by the cop with the taser.

http://dailybruin.com/news/articles.asp?id=38960

Community responds to Taser use in Powell

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Sara Taylor
DAILY BRUIN SENIOR STAFF
[email protected]

RAW FOOTAGE
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Click here to see footage
of the taser incident.An incident late Tuesday night in which a UCLA student was stunned at least four times with a Taser has left the UCLA community questioning whether the university police officers' use of force was an appropriate response to the situation.

Mostafa Tabatabainejad, a UCLA student, was repeatedly stunned with a Taser and then taken into custody when he did not exit the CLICC Lab in Powell Library in a timely manner. Community Service Officers had asked Tabatabainejad to leave after he failed to produce his BruinCard during a random check at around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday.

UCPD Assistant Chief of Police Jeff Young said the checks are a standard procedure in the library after 11 p.m.

"Because of the safety of the students we limit the use after 11 to just students, staff and faculty," Young said.

Young said the CSOs on duty in the library at the time went to get UCPD officers when Tabatabainejad did not immediately leave, and UCPD officers resorted to use of the Taser when Tabatabainejad did not do as he was told.

A six-minute video showed Tabatabainejad audibly screaming in pain as he was stunned several times with a Taser, each time for three to five seconds. He was told repeatedly to stand up and stop fighting, and was told that if he did not do so he would "get Tased again."

Click the Play button to begin playing the clip.
This video requires the free QuickTime plug-in.

Download this video directly to your computer.
Tabatabainejad was also stunned with the Taser when he was already handcuffed, said Carlos Zaragoza, a third-year English and history student who witnessed the incident.

"(He was) no possible danger to any of the police," Zaragoza said. "(He was) getting shocked and Tasered as he was handcuffed."

But Young said at the time the police likely had no way of knowing whether the individual was armed or that he was a student.

As Tabatabainejad was being dragged through the room by two officers, he repeated in a strained scream, "I'm not fighting you" and "I said I would leave."

The officers used the "drive stun" setting in the Taser, which delivers a shock to a specific part of the body with the front of the Taser, Young said.

A Taser delivers volts of low-amperage energy to the body, causing a disruption of the body's electrical energy pulses and locking the muscles, according to a report by the American Civil Liberties Union.

"It's an electrical shock. ... It causes pain," Young said, adding that the drive stun would not likely demobilize a person or cause residual pain after the shock was administered. Young also said a Taser is less forceful than a baton, for example.

But according to a study published in the Lancet Medical Journal in 2001, a charge of three to five seconds can result in immobilization for five to 15 minutes, which would mean that Tabatabainejad could have been physically unable to stand when the officers demanded that he do so.

"It is a real mistake to treat a Taser as some benign thing that painlessly brings people under control," said Peter Eliasberg, managing attorney at the ACLU of Southern California.

"The Taser can be incredibly violent and result in death," Eliasberg said.

According to an ACLU report, 148 people in the United States and Canada have died as a result of the use of Tasers since 1999.

During the altercation between Tabatabainejad and the officers, bystanders can be heard in the video repeatedly asking the officers to stop and requesting their names and identification numbers. The video showed one officer responding to a student by threatening that the student would "get Tased too." At this point, the officer was still holding a Taser.

Such a threat of the use of force by a law enforcement officer in response to a request for a badge number is an "illegal assault," Eliasberg said.

"It is absolutely illegal to threaten anyone who asks for a badge â€" that's assault," he said.

Tabatabainejad was released from custody after being given a citation for obstruction/delay of a peace officer in the performance of duty.

Neither Tabatabainejad nor his family were giving interviews Wednesday.

Police officers said they determined the use of Tasers was necessary when Tabatabainejad did not do as they asked.

According to a UCPD press release, Tabatabainejad went limp and refused to exit as the officers attempted to escort him out. The release also stated Tabatabainejad "encouraged library patrons to join his resistance." At this point, the officers "deemed it necessary to use the Taser in a "drive stun' capacity."

"He wasn't cooperative; he wouldn't identify himself. He resisted the officers," Young said.

Neither the video footage nor eyewitness accounts of the events confirmed that Tabatabainejad encouraged resistance, and he repeatedly told the officers he was not fighting and would leave.

Tabatabainejad was walking with his backpack toward the door when he was approached by two UCPD officers, one of whom grabbed the student's arm. In response, Tabatabainejad yelled at the officers to "get off me." Following this demand, Tabatabainejad was stunned with a Taser.

UCPD and the UCLA administration would not comment on the specifics of the incident as it is still under investigation.

In a statement released Wednesday, Interim Chancellor Norman Abrams said investigators were reviewing the situation and the officers' actions.

"I can assure you that these reviews will be thorough, vigorous and fair," Abrams said.

The incident, which Zaragoza described as an example of "police brutality," left many students disturbed.

"I realize when looking at these kind of arrest tapes that they don't always show the full picture. ... But that six minutes that we can watch just seems like it's a ridiculous amount of force for someone being escorted because they forgot their BruinCard," said Ali Ghandour, a fourth-year anthropology student.

"It certainly makes you wonder if something as small as forgetting your BruinCard can eventually lead to getting Tased several times in front of the library," he added.

Edouard Tchertchian, a third-year mathematics student, said he was concerned that the student was not offered any other means of showing that he was a UCLA student.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With reports from Jennifer Mishory, Julia Erlandson and Lisa Connolly, Bruin senior staff.

 

[Kagom]

I'm not sure what to think on this. I'm hearing that he was intentionally giving grief and I've heard he wasn't.

 

[Hobbit]

Mostafa Tabatabainejad, a UCLA student, was repeatedly stunned with a Taser and then taken into custody when he did not exit the CLICC Lab in Powell Library in a timely manner. Community Service Officers had asked Tabatabainejad to leave after he failed to produce his BruinCard during a random check at around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday.

I think I've found the problem. Don't get me wrong, what they did is still inexcusable, but I'd put money down to say that it had something to do with the severity of the force.

 

[rtwngAvngr]

The kid was refusing to show id because of his belief that he was being "targeted". They are trying to force a precedent to be set that people can refuse to show id if they feel targetted. This was planned.

 

[NATO AIR]

The kid was refusing to show id because of his belief that he was being "targeted". They are trying to force a precedent to be set that people can refuse to show id if they feel targetted. This was planned.

Agreed that he could have staged it.

He certainly did not stage the overreaction of the campus police.

Their actions will end up costing the university tens of millions of dollars in a law suit the kid will rightfully win.

The most disturbing thing for me is the fact the cops threatened other students with the taser. If I was a parent of a UCLA student, I would be calling for heads to roll. No one should threaten my child for asking for a badge number or questioning improper judgement on the part of a campus rent a cop.

Like I said, these guys lack neither the training (and most of them, the intelligence and common sense) nor the legal right to take such actions. They can't even handle nightsticks, let alone tasers. This is what's happening across the board with security companies and the military as well, you lower standards and let in damn near anybody because the demand is so high.

 

[rtwngAvngr]

Agreed that he could have staged it.

He certainly did not stage the overreaction of the campus police.

Their actions will end up costing the university tens of millions of dollars in a law suit the kid will rightfully win.

The most disturbing thing for me is the fact the cops threatened other students with the taser. If I was a parent of a UCLA student, I would be calling for heads to roll. No one should threaten my child for asking for a badge number or questioning improper judgement on the part of a campus rent a cop.

Like I said, these guys lack neither the training (and most of them, the intelligence and common sense) nor the legal right to take such actions. They can't even handle nightsticks, let alone tasers. This is what's happening across the board with security companies and the military as well, you lower standards and let in damn near anybody because the demand is so high.

IT was disgusting on a certain level. I must admit.

 

[NATO AIR]

IT was disgusting on a certain level. I must admit.

Its disgusting too that the education of students will suffer because the universisty will have to pay out 10-30 million dollars for this stupidity.

How many scholarships is that? Research grants? Lab costs?

 

[rtwngAvngr]

Its disgusting too that the education of students will suffer because the universisty will have to pay out 10-30 million dollars for this stupidity.

How many scholarships is that? Research grants? Lab costs?

Do you think they would have been right to remove him without the excessive force of multi-tasering?

 

[Gunny]

Agreed that he could have staged it.

He certainly did not stage the overreaction of the campus police.

Their actions will end up costing the university tens of millions of dollars in a law suit the kid will rightfully win.

The most disturbing thing for me is the fact the cops threatened other students with the taser. If I was a parent of a UCLA student, I would be calling for heads to roll. No one should threaten my child for asking for a badge number or questioning improper judgement on the part of a campus rent a cop.

Like I said, these guys lack neither the training (and most of them, the intelligence and common sense) nor the legal right to take such actions. They can't even handle nightsticks, let alone tasers. This is what's happening across the board with security companies and the military as well, you lower standards and let in damn near anybody because the demand is so high.

Excessive use of force or not, all the moron had to do was obey the rules. He placed himself above the law, and he created a situation that would not have happened without his initiation. I'm sure all of that will be forgotten in the fallout.

 

[NATO AIR]

Do you think they would have been right to remove him without the excessive force of multi-tasering?

Yes, but my understanding of the facts is he was going out the door anyway.

Attitude and tone matter more than anything in these situations. From their behavior, the campus rent a cops were certainly out of their depth and control from the beginning.

If he claimed he was a student but did not have his ID, they could have given him a ride in the back of a police vehicle to his residence/dorm and have him show them his ID or another form of student identification.

 

[manu1959]

excessive force my ass......there is no such thing....moth off to the cops take and as beatin.....keep your mouth shut

 

[insein]

excessive force my ass......there is no such thing....moth off to the cops take and as beatin.....keep your mouth shut

Thats the problem right there. Cops should know better. They are the ones with the power. Cops should have the patience and knowledge to know that people that dont pose a threat to them physically dont deserve a beating. Detain them or arrest them if you feel they are out of line and have broken a law but beating or tasing someone that simply "mouth's off" is beyond ridiculous. I'd like to beat everyone that mouth's off to me but i can't. I get in trouble but when you mouth off to a cop your entitled to a beating or a tasing? Forgive me for forgetting where in the constitution it says that.

 

[manu1959]

guess you are right then....when a muslim shows up (anywhere) and refuses to show ID...i will refer them to you.

 

[NATO AIR]

guess you are right then....when a muslim shows up (anywhere) and refuses to show ID...i will refer them to you.

Again, how did they know he was a Muslim?

This is always an amusing game to play.

Sikhs look like Bin Laden but are not Muslim.

1/3 of Lebanese (Arabs) people are Christians, and 60-70% of Americans of Lebanese descent are Christians.

15-20% of American Muslims are not of Arab descent, but are black, white, Asian, etc.

Chechen, Uzbek and Bosnian Muslims who live in America look European (white) to a fault.

By the actions of the rent a cops, they were not smart enough to know what a Muslim is and/or what suspicious behavior is. The more one looks at this case, the more one suspects some cops who went over the line because a kid got a good crack at them.

 

[manu1959]

Again, how did they know he was a Muslim?

This is always an amusing game to play.

Sikhs look like Bin Laden but are not Muslim.

1/3 of Lebanese (Arabs) people are Christians, and 60-70% of Americans of Lebanese descent are Christians.

15-20% of American Muslims are not of Arab descent, but are black, white, Asian, etc.

Chechen, Uzbek and Bosnian Muslims who live in America look European (white) to a fault.

By the actions of the rent a cops, they were not smart enough to know what a Muslim is and/or what suspicious behavior is. The more one looks at this case, the more one suspects some cops who went over the line because a kid got a good crack at them.

if he had showed his ID we would not be talking.....muslim wise ass got busted..

 

[NATO AIR]

if he had showed his ID we would not be talking.....muslim wise ass got busted..

What if he didn't have his ID? What if he forgot it?

Again, the rent a cops had no legal justification nor professional judgement to commit such acts against the student.

 

[no1tovote4]

What if he didn't have his ID? What if he forgot it?

Again, the rent a cops had no legal justification nor professional judgement to commit such acts against the student.

Acting respectful and talking to the cops would have then done the trick. If you don't have an ID it isn't necessary to talk crap and refuse to do anything at all...

I'm not saying that what they did was right, but this guy had had a track record with them and he certainly didn't handle it in a way that might have helped himself.

 

[Gunny]

What if he didn't have his ID? What if he forgot it?

Again, the rent a cops had no legal justification nor professional judgement to commit such acts against the student.

No ID, no entry. A rule that should not be subject for debate between the person who has no ID and the ones instructed to enforce the rule.

Since you're "what if-ing," what if they let him pass and he turned out to be a terrorist with a bomb or other weapon? Then the accusations would be the inept cops didn't do their job and it cost "x" number of lives.

 

[manu1959]

What if he didn't have his ID? What if he forgot it?

Again, the rent a cops had no legal justification nor professional judgement to commit such acts against the student.

then he should have gone home and gotten it

you make it sound as if the student was picking flowers and they shot him

 

[NATO AIR]

then he should have gone home and gotten it

you make it sound as if the student was picking flowers and they shot him

The student was already in the library, no ID required until after 2300 for nighttime security purposes. You're misunderstanding the security parameters the rent a cops operate under. Its not like they required an ID at the door for entry, only after a certain time so there's no bum or sicko trying to rape or rob someone in the late evening/early morning.

Ever been tased before? It hurts like hell, especially when set to the full capacity the rent a cops were using it on. Between the pepper spray, bean bags in the chest and the taser that I had to endure for force protection watch stander training, I'd gladly take multiple hits from the first two then get hit once with the taser.

The student was being a wise ass, being cocky as college students tend to be, with a campus rent a cop presence apparently known to be unprofessional and quite rude and disrespectful with students who didn't do exactly as they demand.

Even worse, the bastards had the nerve to threaten other students who demanded to get their badge numbers. Anybody who is a cop of any sort knows that is an absolute no-no, something most cops or rent a cops get fired for if its reported and substantiated.