Taser Lawsuit: Yuceff Young II (Brooklyn, OH)

Perhaps it is time to admit that the taser guns are simply not as safe as advertised by Taser International. The police have gotten much to comfortable relying on this weapon ... to the point that it is used to subdue minor suspects such as Yuseff Young II.

The police killed Young by using their taser guns. Young was a danger to no one. His actions did not warrant such force.

As such, this blog is glad to see that Young's family has filed a lawsuit against Linndale and Brooklyn police. They are seeking an unspecified amount of damages maintaining that Young would not have died if he had not been Tasered by a Linndale police officer and chased by police from Linndale and Brooklyn. [SOURCE]

Police stopped the car of the 21-year-old man because his car appeared to be unsafe, Linndale police said at the time. Police said Young's front bumper was hanging off and the windshield was shattered.

The police officer smelled alcohol and ordered Young to get out of the car. He did not. That is when the police officer decided to draw his taser gun and pump 50,000 volts of electricity into a young unarmed man who was sitting behind the wheel of his car. Young began to flee the scene once he was shot on by the police officer.

Young's car went a short distance and crashed into a utility pole.

"We believe the actions of the police were reckless," said Terry Gilbert, attorney for the family. "He was a good kid, a college student, and he was drunk. We don't know why, or if, his car was banged up. But we know he was not giving the officer a hard time. But he was Tasered while sitting behind the wheel, which is very dangerous."

Personally, I think that a suspect's flight should not be the sole justification for using a Taser. Perhaps this lawsuit will help get that point across to local law enforcement agencies around the nation so that they can modify their policies. At the rate of a taser-death every week, perhaps we can all agree that the Taser may not be as safe as originally billed.