An Independence, Missouri, police officer tasered and allegedly roughed up a 17-year-old on Sunday, leaving the young man in critical condition, local media reports.
A photo of Masters, whose father is a law enforcement officer with the Kansas City Police Department. (Photo: KCTV5)
Bryce Masters was heading over to a friends house Sunday afternoon when he was stopped by police who recognized that he had an outstanding traffic violation.
A police official for the department said that Masters was not following directives, refusing to roll down his vehicle’s window.
“I believe he did crack the window but did not roll it down any further,” said Sgt. Darrell Schmidli. “He was just being completely uncooperative with the officer.”
“The driver refused to exit the vehicle,” continued Schmidli. “A struggle ensued, a Taser was deployed by the officer. The driver was finally removed out of the car. A struggle ensued once he was moved out of the car.”
Witnesses said that during the struggle, Masters hit his head on the street and the officer failed to recognize that the teen was seriously injured.
“The cop was like, ‘you want to mess with me,’ and pulled out his Taser and tased him. I thought he shot him. Then he pulled him out of the car handcuffed him and drug him around the car,” witness Michelle Baker told KCTV.
“It looked like he hit his head on the concrete. You could see blood coming out of his mouth,” added Baker. “The cop put his foot on his back and moved it back and forth like he was putting a cigarette out and asked him, ‘are you ready to get up now?’ You could tell the kid was going into convulsions.”
Emergency medics arrived and treated Masters, who has since been put into a medically-induced coma because of the trauma to his brain. He is listed in critical condition.
This kid was following his rights, the cop decided that the kid was not following his commands and ignored the kids rights. Taze him, lucky the cop did not shoot him. When is america going to wake up and realize we are becoming a police state?
If the kid just rolled the window down, produced his license and or identification instead of being a non-compliant punk nothing would have happened. He was trying to hide his pot use I’m thinking. He probably got that attitude from his policeman father. Tasing him seems a bit extreme, but none of us were there. We’ll have to wait until the DashCam video becomes available. I do know one thing however, Had this kid been BLACK, we’d have another appearance by Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and the entire MSNBC crew …righting wrongs whenever and wherever they occur…as long as you’re the right color!
Nothing said about pot in the story-line, the cop tazed the kid and got abusive cause he is a cop…. standard behavior now for cops, you are giving the standard excuse all cops give, just roll down the window, give up all your rights, do what the cop wants, after all, he (makes) is the law.
This is what you get with government employees, they are union and fire proof, they know it, they do not perform when needed, then over react at other times. Cops all lie and cover up for each other right or wrong. I would not want to be a cop because if someone does wrong I say so! They would be out for me. I do not care how high up they are or think they are I am strictly facts.
Let’s see, the cop pulled the driver over for outstanding traffic tickets. Then the driver became “non-cooperative” and the cop tazed him. An injury occurred to the drivers head and he is now in a comma. Whoa, there’s a lot of issues here but one thing is immediately apparent. When a representative stops you in your daily travels, it’s a good idea to cooperate with him or her.
We wouldn’t be talking about this if the driver simply cooperated with the officer.
Now let’s say that the officer overstepped the bounds at the very start of the confrontation. The driver should have cooperated appropriately and waited until afterwards to file a complaint of official misconduct or police brutality.
Contrast that option to a young man fighting for his life and a police officer’s career in serious question.
I suggest that every citizen cooperate with law enforcement people as a general rule. You can always stand up for your rights in front of a judge later. Oh, and if you are unfortunate to be arrested, shut your mouth and wait to see a lawyer.
Joe: You assert that because the driver didn’t cooperate “appropriately,” the officer’s career is in “serious question.” After you beat your wife, do you tell her you’re sorry she made you do that?
Joe, you’re obviously a police officer. I heard this line of CRAP when I was in college working towards my degree in LE/CJ. After dealing with training officers that treated people under normal situations like human garbage, I decided that wasn’t the career track for me. Police need to realize they are not GODS because they have a bad attitude, a gun, a badge, and a fancy car. I’ve gotten belligerent with officers that from the go were ass hats. Others, had not a single problem with. That’s the great thing about freedom of speech.
This weekend I was pulled over for speeding. I informed the officer that I was legally carrying a concealed firearm. He could of freaked out, and in some cases I probably been shot just because. I asked to come around the front of the car so he could take possession, no problem. He safed the handgun and we went to the car and a good talk about preferred firearms while he wrote my ticket. Have a safe day officer. Treat people how you would want to be treated. If you can’t pick up on peoples body language, you really shouldn’t be in that job.
I dont see any rioting why not ,oh he was white
Where is the ACLU?
Someone light that cop up with a taser, and see if that looser doesn’t have a reaction! Every time you you hear the same old song and dance that the cop was always right! Bull $hit!!, They are like pack animals, some good, but most are crap. They have a argument with their wife/husband, before they come to work and you don’t think it shows when their dealing with the public!! They care less about anyone! To protect and serve? you’re crazy… Don’t you dare question one of those a$$holes, or they will beat you into a coma or kill you! They are not your friend! remember that, they despise us. they can beat the snot out of you, but Lord help you if you so much as touch, bump, question one of those holly-er than though.. Nobody twisted their arm to become a LEO, Now they want to get even with every one, they’re trying to make up for having their a$$es beat when they were in school!!! the bunch of sissy’s, If they can’t take it then find another job, good rid-dins, they’re nothing without someone to back them up! There are some fine decent officers, this does not apply to them, just all of the sissy Jack Booted Thugs!!! of which there are many. They’ve lost the respect of the people they have sworn to protect. Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely! Support the good ones, and pi$$ on the $hity ones! And I like the Po-Po!!! think of what I’d say if I hated them??
Last I knew all you had to do was provide correct identification when asked by an officer and that you had the right to remain silent. If the kid offered to slide his licence, etc., to the cop and the cop insisted he get out and then beat and tazed him over a frigging traffic violation then we seem to have a problem back down in America Houston. The cops in some regions apparently are increasingly thinking that they run the show versus being the peace and security providers that we the people have a right NOT to be afraid of!!! While I don’t subscribe to the “We pay your salary.” thought mill, I DO believe that we reasonable grounds to expect being treated like humans over minor issues and that the court, not a beating into the hospital, should determine the outcome – period!! Was the kid culpable?? …probably OK. Did this infraction warrant the critical list is the REAL question here!!
The way Guns America perpetuates and encourages this citizens vs cops hatred is disgusting.
That cop does not know why the person in the car refuses to get out…maybe he just commited armed robbery…you cant be nice and friendly to everyone or you risk getting killed in this society where kids can easily get guns…when will the ignorant sheeple on this forum blog learn.
Ja Tu, I would suggest you educate yourself before you attempt to comment on subjects you apparently know nothing about.
Obviously, you would feel comfortable in a totalitarian police state, but that is not what is envisioned in our constitution.
The way Guns America perpetuates and encourages this citizens vs cops hatred is disgusting.
That cop does not know why the person in the car refuses to get out…maybe he just commited armed robbery…you cant be nice and friendly to everyone or you risk getting killed in this society where kids can easily get guns…when will the ignorant sheeple on this forum blog learn.
The way Guns America perpetuates and encourages this citizens vs cops hatred is disgusting.
That cop does not know why the person in the car refuses to get out…maybe he just commited armed robbery…you cant be nice and friendly to everyone or you risk getting killed in this society where kids can easily get guns…when will the ignorant sheeple on this forum blog learn.
Ja Tu: The cop didn’t have to be nice and friendly, but he has to not use excessive force–that’s just as illegal for the cop as it is for the kid. What do you mean, “the kid may have just committed armed robbery”? WTF does that have to do with anything? Cops aren’t trained to treat traffic stops according to some imaginary crime the driver might have committed earlier in the day. Yet another city is about to pay out millions of taxpayers’ dollars for a uniformed bully’s ego trip.
Cuthbert: The cops I’ve known weren’t sissies in school, they were nobodys. Not exceptional in any way, either for good or bad.
The boy is a cops kid, the car had a heave pot smell in the car, the kid knows better!
So lesson is; Don’t smoke pot or I’ll be tased, pulled from car, beaten and brain dead. Bravo Independence P.D, Bravo. I’ll sleep a bit safer knowing this menace isn’t prowling the streets any longer.
Independence PD has car cams on a large part of there cars, will see what happens!
The bad part of the taser system, is that when you get tased you have no control of your body,
so, when you falling down, and or flopping around during the shocking, the party has a high risk,
of getting injured
The taser is better than the 357 sigs they carry.
Tasers should be outlawed. The abuses connected with this device make it unsuitable for law enforcement use. I’d sooner be roughed up with blackjack than have the officers proclaim plausible deniability inherent with this device. It’s ironic how the abuse of this weapon has trickled down to the families of law enforcement officers themselves. Maybe now they’ll awaken to the fact that what comes around goes around – to your own family when they’re unlucky. I’m won’t hold my breath waiting for this to change.