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.

Taser Death: Yuceff Young II (Brooklyn, OH)

It happened again! This time a young 21-year old man, Yuceff Young II, died just minutes after police zapped his body with 50,000 volts of taser-generated electrocity.

An unidentified officer stopped Young, about 1:30 a.m. on September 19, because his car appeared to be unsafe, Linndale police. No warrants. No drugs. The police just found a handy excuse to pull the young man over.

"The front bumper was hanging off, there were dents on it, and the windshield was shattered and bowed out, as if someone's head went into it from the inside," said Sgt. Tim Franczak. "The officer couldn't believe that anyone would drive such a car with that kind of damage. We don't know how he was able to see through the windshield. The officer thought the driver had been involved in a hit-skip accident."

The unidentifed police officer assumed the worst about this young man because of the condition of his car ... and then takes that poor image into action by killing 21-year old Young. Young died after his car crashed into a utility pole after being shot with a stun gun by Linndale police just minutes before the crash.

Franczak said police smelled a strong odor of alcohol from Young and asked him to get out of the car. He refused.

"The window was open, but the door was locked," Franczak said. "Police know better than to reach into a car, so the officer tasered him. Just as he fired the Taser, the car took off at a high rate of speed."

Young drove erratically as he sped off, Franczak said. Before the Linndale officer had a chance to report the fleeing vehicle, Young's car was spotted by a Linndale police officer, who gave chase.

Young's car went a short distance and turned onto Tiedeman Road, where it crashed into a utility pole.

"It was horrific, it looked like a plane crash," Franczak said. "I wish it would have ended differently, but our officer did everything right."

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Villager's Voice: It appears to me that this situation never happens if the police didn't profile Yuceff Young II based on the condition of his car. What a waste of human life ... and all because the police decided to use a taser gun when it wasn't necessary. 42 people killed in the first 42 weeks of the year after police deployed a taser on them. Do you see a problem here?