By: Las Vegas Now Staff
Man driving aggressively on I-15 wound up being shot with a Taser by a highway patrol trooper, and it was all caught on tape. Eyewitnesses say the man was swerving in and out of traffic on the freeway and hit another vehicle.
The man finally got out of his car at the Charleston/I-15 off-ramp. Eyewitnesses say he was screaming at people around him and even physically attacked one of them. Things escalated when the highway patrol showed up.
People who work nearby and watched it all happen said it looked like an episode of “Cops.” An NHP trooper was trying to stop a man they say was acting wild and screaming. The entire incident was caught on tape by Channel 8.
The man was pacing back and forth yelling at the trooper who kept telling him to stop. Finally, the man appears to taunt the trooper and takes off his hat and shirt.
At that point the trooper, who still had no backup, shot the man with a Taser, causing him to fall face first in to the street. Eyewitnesses say they thought the man was over agitated and seemed to be intoxicated.
“Drugs. That’s what it looks like because the guy — he never stopped screaming after he came too. He never stopped screaming,” said one witness.Â
After the man was hit by the Taser, the trooper was able to put him into handcuffs. Eyewitnesses say once the shock wore off, the man continued screaming. Nevada Highway Patrol said there is no indication in the man’s vehicle that he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, but they will be looking into that possibility.
Nevada highway patrol says that the trooper acted accordingly and they are happy to see that non-lethal force was able to bring this situation to end — and that it did not escalate to the point where someone’s life was put in danger.
Email your comments to Reporter Amanda Hernandez.
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ya gotta do what ya gotta do
Comment by Anna — February 16, 2008 @ 7:58 am
Man, they didn’t have to taze him in the chest. They could have aimed for his little finger or asked him to lay down and pretend like he was being tazed. Starbucks was right around the corner, don’t you think a nice grande white chocolate mocha and a low fat cinnamon swirl coffee cake could have been used to bring him to submission? This man and his children will be scarred for life now and my 2 year old daughter will have to pay extra taxes for his kids seeking government assistance to help them deal with their pain and suffering. Shame on NHP, remember, Starbucks, before tazer blast. Use the Democratic Liberal Approach, huh Hilary…
Comment by Loren — February 17, 2008 @ 6:37 am
I watched this on the news while in Vegas this past Friday night, and the video is way too funny.
Someone needs to post it to YouTube..
Comment by Smalldog — February 17, 2008 @ 7:34 pm
Have you ever put your life on the line everyday for the citizens of Nevada?? Unless you have, then zip it! This Trooper as well as many other officers put thier lives on the line for idiots that have no idea what it is like not to know if the next call is their last. Good use of force.
Comment by Mike — February 18, 2008 @ 9:13 am
Good for the officer! If ALL citizens did a police ride-a-long for just ONE shift of an officer, they would walk away at the end of the night saying,”I can’t believe the police dont taser and shoot more people!”. The public who saw this and were able to see the event from the START to the END (not just the “ending” the tased person runs to the media with)-got a good glimpse in just one of several times during each shift of every single officer on duty-endures-and very rarely tases. The police take a massive amount of abuse-yes, as long as police depts have to hire from the human race, there’s going to be an idiot or two that slips through-but all in all the police do a GREAT job in this town-and for it they get torn up in the media and never given credit for all the good things they do that never gets any press over.
Comment by cynthia williams — February 18, 2008 @ 11:30 pm
You rock NHP! Better he get tazzed and arrested than some poor person get attacked who is walking by or some motorist runs over the man who could have gone running out into traffic.
Comment by Ronald Greer — February 20, 2008 @ 6:19 am
Maybe #2 Loren in these comments needs to come out of their “Pristeen perfect dream world” a go see what ridiculous bs law enforcement here in town have to deal with on a daily basis,…That is,unless one wants to see the liberal agenda take a majority hold here like it has in California,..I`ll move when that happens,been here for 23 years,…makes me shutter to think about it.
Comment by Dave — February 20, 2008 @ 7:05 am
One example of bs for Law Enforcement, to Loren, comment #2, Suicide by cop? hahahahaha, what deepseated neorological problems would prompt suicide by cop? maybe the cops should “wing them” to partially accomidate their wishes,.yell at them a little and then take them to the Lyed Animal Shelter instead of the CCDC to hold down on the overcrowding in lockup,..A humanitarian cause on several levels, wouldnt you say?
Comment by Dave — February 20, 2008 @ 7:23 am
I thought this video was so funny. Got what he deserved. Go NHP!!!
Comment by Julie — February 21, 2008 @ 8:11 am
police is getting out of control. someone needs to put a stop to the *** ****.they use their power tooooo much. they need to be retrained.
Comment by kisha — February 21, 2008 @ 6:19 pm
Are you serious people. Put yourself in the shoes of the officer, he did what he was trained to do, the people who make smart*** comments about the police are probably the ones who break the law! Job well done in my book. If this guy hit your car or made a threat to you, you would be begging for the police to show up! Grow up people! I agree, take a ride along and see what these men and women deal with every day, that is if you are not a criminal, no reason to bring trash to the dump.
Comment by Scott — February 24, 2008 @ 7:59 pm
Should have shot him instead
Comment by McD — February 25, 2008 @ 9:52 am
He should of shot him in the chest with his .45!
Comment by Dennis — February 26, 2008 @ 10:51 am
You people are sick that man died dont believe what the press says watch the video and to top things off that man was a doctor who would you rather be alive if you had the choice a doctor or a cop
Comment by Rachel — March 20, 2008 @ 1:36 am
First- #10 if you did not live your life on the wrong side of the law then you would understand reality. Police live a hard life, even when their off duty they have to watch their backs because of the DUI’s , Drug dealers or other criminals they put in jail. next- #14 the doc that died was not even this case, duh, it was proven that the doc died at the hospital and not because of the tazer but the perscription DRUGS he was on
Comment by Anthony — May 17, 2008 @ 10:47 pm