Police use Taser on suspect for 42 seconds; internal investigation launched

By John Henrehan, FOX 5 Reporter
My Fox DC
Nov. 14, 2013

REDERICKSBURG, Va. - On Saturday night, a police officer in Fredericksburg, Va., used a Taser for 42 seconds to subdue a man. The incident was caught on a cell phone camera by a bystander. The victim says too much force was used to subdue him.

Around 7:20 p.m. on Saturday, a car came down the slight hill on the 200 block of Hanover Street and smashed into five parked vehicles. Witnesses told police the driver got out and fled. The passenger in the car got out, and witnesses said he threatened them if they called 911. Several people called anyway.

The first responding officer ordered the suspect to the ground, but he was not fully compliant. The video shows the man springing up and attempting to run away.

The officer fires a Taser and applies the high voltage charge for 42 seconds. The man on the ground screams, and cries out, “Stop it. Stop.”

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