Cops Saves Girl, Shoots Her in Head With Taser

[Space05us]

TUCUMCARI, N.M. (AP) - Authorities say a teenage girl is recovering at an Albuquerque hospital after being shot in the head with an electronic stun gun by Tucumcari's police chief.

Stacy Akin says she and her 14-year-old daughter were arguing over a cell phone Thursday and she drove her daughter to the Tucumcari Police Department to seek help.

While in front of police headquarters, the girl ran off and was later found at a park by Chief Roger Hatcher.

Hatcher says he got out of his vehicle and called to her but she ran in front of his patrol car across a street without looking for traffic.

Hatcher says he tried to catch up to the girl by foot but couldn't and believes he had no other option than to fire a Taser dart to stop her.

Akin says the dart entered her daughter's skull and she remains in pediatric intensive care after undergoing surgery Friday morning at University of New Mexico hospital.

The girl's parents now are questioning whether excessive force was used by police and whether the department should review its policy on electronic stun guns.

However, Hatcher says he plans to refer the case to the Juvenile Probation Office on Monday for possible charges.

http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/crime/crime_ap_southeast_teen_recovering_from_stun_gun_injury_200907041329

I have a feeling the article isn't telling the whole story.

[SlowwHand]

He should have tased her again. The brat.

[OzzyKP]

Yea, everyone should be sent to the hospital for arguing about a cell phone.

[SlowwHand]

Absolutely. I'll go as far as to say that parents should be issued tasers at the hospital following the birth.

[DinoDoc]

Yea, everyone should be sent to the hospital for arguing about a cell phone.

To be fair, I would have let her play in traffic like she wanted.

[a.kitman]

dd wants to kill innocent drivers to save the enviroment. damn green nut.

[DinoDoc]

dd wants to kill innocent drivers to save the enviroment. damn green nut.

Unless she's a serious lard ass, hitting her in a car wouldn't kill anyone.

[a.kitman]

i have a feeling most people would instictivly try to avoid a human beeing on the road and thus creating a mess. i never been in the us tho, maybe its diffrent over there.

[SlowwHand]

Pedestrians are on their own.

[duke o' york]

Forget Rodney King: the police should be beating the **** out of white teenagers instead.

[Felch]

However, Hatcher says he plans to refer the case to the Juvenile Probation Office on Monday for possible charges.

[Dis]

another one of those articles lacking details. yay. What kind of an argument over a cell phone would lead the mother to drive her daughter to a police station? That seems a bit extreme, but then again, I've never had kids. Maybe that's a good thing to do, better than hitting her kid I suppose... Although smacking her daughter upside the head would have done less damage and wouldn't have put her in the hospital. oh the irony.

[Solomwi]

QFT. Exactly what are they going to charge her with: not looking both ways, failure to properly respect the chief's authoritie? Either there's more to the story or somebody's making a bad call.

[Lefty Scaevola]

QFT. Exactly what are they going to charge her with: not looking both ways, failure to properly respect the chief's authoritie?

Flight from police is criminal just about everywhere in the USA. It creates hazards for the police, the pursued, and for bystanders.

[Donegeal]

Reckless Endangerment

Although, in practice, you try to avoid the head. Most of the time.