“You’re Going To Get Tasered”
by digby
I don’t know the whole story here, but the fact that the victim was acquitted in a jury trial has to mean something:
A Hawthorn Woods man filed a lawsuit in federal courtvictim was acquitted in a jury trial Tuesday claiming Mundelein police used “excessive and unjustifiable violence” when they pulled him from a vehicle early New Year’s Day and shocked him multiple times with a Taser.
Steven Kotlinski was riding in the passenger seat when his wife, Jean, the designated driver for the night, was pulled over at approximately 2:30 a.m., according to the lawsuit.
During the traffic stop, which was recorded on the squad car’s video camera, Steven Kotlinski got out of the vehicle to check on his wife as police were performing sobriety tests on her, according to the lawsuit.
As one of the officers rushed toward the man while threatening to Taser him, Steven Kotlinski told the officer he had a heart condition and got back into his car, according to the lawsuit.
Jean Kotlinski told the officers “he’ll have a heart attack,” while her husband was already back in his vehicle. The officer’s response was “he’s gonna get Tasered,” according to the lawsuit.
The officer then approached the vehicle, unsuccessfully tried to pull Steven Kotlinski out of the vehicle, took a step back and fired the Taser into Kotlinski, according to the lawsuit. While on the ground both police officers continued to shock Kotlinski, the lawsuit said.
Steven Kotlinski was then arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated battery; he was later found not guilty during a jury trial.
Mundelein Police Deputy Chief Eric Guenther on Tuesday told NBC 5 Chicago he could not comment on the lawsuit because the department had not yet been formally served with the papers. He also would not confirm the employment status of officer Turek and Raciak.
Jean Kotlinski was handcuffed in the back of a squad car during the traffic stop, but tests showed her blood alcohol level was 0.00, according to the lawsuit.
This is just one of many, many similar incidents all around the country. We have somehow allowed police to believe that they are allowed to inflict this torture device on citizens for any reason they choose. And while I assume that most cops are more circumspect, there seem to be quite a few using them for coercive or punitive reasons. And people are dying all over the place. This guy was lucky.
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