Guy at UCLA computer lab gets tasered (now with youtube video!!)

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HeroOfPellinor

HeroOfPellinor

Lifer
Dec 27, 2001
11,272
1
0
Originally posted by: Gartseff
Kind should've shown his library card, but the removal of a student from a library doesn't warrant the use of a taser.
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It has nothing to do with where or when this took place..........what determines if a tazering is needed depends solely on the suspect.

Also, the way those students were reacting.....shouting, getting in the officers faces, rushing towards them, flailing their arms......the guy was inciting to riot and the cops were outnumber 20 - 1.

Still, I second that the most noteworthy thing about this story is the quality of that guy's camera phone. Nice clean video, audio, and with enough memory to hold a lot of footage. :thumbsup:
 
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Cattlegod

Diamond Member
May 22, 2001
8,687
1
0
This is garbage. I hope each one of those police officers lose their jobs and can never work again. Hell, I'd like to see them locked up.

Also, It would have been nice to see the student body come together and kick the crap out of those cops.
 
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miniMUNCH

Diamond Member
Nov 16, 2000
4,159
0
0
The guy deserved to get tazed...end of story.

He'll probably sue and win...and everyone's UC tuition will go up. All because the guy is a douche.
 
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Dessert Tears

Golden Member
Feb 27, 2005
1,100
0
76
Flatscan's Transcript of 6:53 YouTube video (same video as in OP) , through 2:33.

Mostafa Tabatabainejad: ... touch me! DON'T TOUCH ME! Don't touch me! Don't touch me.
Officer: Get up! Get up!
[Unintelligible, MT and/or other male student?]
O: Don't get involved in this.
MT: Let go of me, Let go of me. Let go of me.
O: Stand up. Stand up!
MT: [screams] (0:30)
MT: [continues screaming] / O: Stand up! (repeated) (through 0:35)
[Unintelligible, male and female voices] (camera and other students begin walking toward situation)
Male Student: Hey!
MT: [why are] you doing this to me?
O: Get up or [?]
MT: I HAVE A MEDICAL CONDITION! (0:41)
O: Get up!
O: Stand up!
O: Get up!
O: Stand up! Stand UP.
Female Student: [God!]
MT: [coughing] Here's your Patriot Act! [hoarse] Here's your f***ing abuse of power!
O: Stand up - stop fighting us!
MT: I'm not fighting you!
O: Comply with the order!
MT: I SAID I WOULD LEAVE!
O: Comply with the order!
MT: I SAID I WOULD LEAVE! (1:05)
O: Take a step back - if you have complaints, you can bring them up later. (1 officer visible here)
MS: I want your badge numbers.
MS: Yeah! Can we get your badge number?
MS: I'd like your badge numbers.
MT: I got Tased for no reason, I was leaving this godforsaken place, you stopped me, you're abusing your power, here's your justice at work, university students.
O: Stand up.
O: Stand up.
O: Stand up. (rapidly and increasing in intensity; 3 officers visible here)
MT: F*** off. (1:29)
FS: You just shot him, how can you tell him to stand up?
O: Stand up.
O: Stand up.
O: Stand up, or you'll get Tased again.
MT: I have a medical condition.
O: Stand up.
O: Get up. Get up or you'll get Tased.
O: Stand up.
FS: Don't do that!
O: Stand UP!
O: Get up or you'll get Tased again.
FS: DON'T do that!
O: GET UP!
FS: It's all wrong!
O: GET UP!
O: UP!
O: Stand up!
MS: [? quietly near camera, possibly intelligible, maybe "chill the f*** out"]
MT: passive -
O: Start complying -
MT: [screams]
O: - if you don't, you'll be tased again!
MT: [sobbing] You motherf***er (MT jerks around, Taser crackles audibly)
O: Stand up!
O: I told you to stand up! Are you going to stand?
MS: That is an abuse of your power!
MT: [hoarse] I'LL LEAVE. I'LL LEAVE.
O: Stand up!
MT: I SAID I WOULD LEAVE. (1:59)
O: Stand up!
O: Stand up!
O: Stand up!
O: Stand up, you're going to get Tased again.
O: Stop dragging us down.
[male voice, unintelligible "I won't go" ?]
O: Stand up.
O: Stand up.
MS: Officers, we want your information. (2 officers visible, bent over MT)
O: Then stand up! (MT speaking inaudibly?)
MS: No - [unintelligible]
O: Stand up.
O: Stand up.
MS: This is about ABUSE of your authority.
O: Stand up.
MT: Please don't use the Taser.
O: Get up, get up.
O: Well, stand up.
MT: I've said please don't [use the Taser.]
O: Stand up!
O: Get up!
MT: If you [?]
O: Stand up!
O: Stand up!
O: Stand up!
MS: [in foreground] I don't know - he won't - he doesn't want to leave.
MS: [in foreground] Why are they [cuffing] him?
Click to expand...
I stopped around 2:33 - it took a while to get there, and it gets very muddled shortly thereafter.
 
D

Dessert Tears

Golden Member
Feb 27, 2005
1,100
0
76
I've fixed these links so that they work regardless of your posts per page setting.
My first post (sort of long), in which I distinguish between normal and "drive stun" Taser modes.
My second post, which responds to some points from two replies and corrects my mistake where I missed the student yelling, "I have a medical condition" (0:41, thanks Ricemarine).
My transcription of the YouTube video, through 2:33.

"Drive Stun" Mode:

All sources agree that the Taser was deployed in "drive stun" mode. My first post linked above has more information.
From a follow-up DailyBruin Article, link originally posted by Tong
According to a report prepared by the Stanford Criminal Justice Center, the drive stun setting of a Taser is intended for "pain compliance" in close range.

The drive stun setting, in which police touch the device to a person's body, has less serious medical consequences than a regular Taser stun, in which a person is shot with two metal probes that pump electrical currents through the body.

But the report found that there can be "permanent ... dermatological impairments associated with the use of a Taser in (drive) stun mode." The report also emphasized that drive stun shocks are not fatal and the long-term physical implications are not serious.
Click to expand...

Questions:
  • Is there an overall timeline available anywhere?
  • Was MT in the process of leaving? The articles claim one side, the police report claims the other. The video starts after the initial confrontation.
  • Were any "stuns" applied before the start of the video?
  • How many UCPD officers responded? I saw 3 in the video through 2:33.
  • Does MT have a legitimate medical condition?

Originally posted by: glutenberg
From the story, it seems that first the kid was first approached by CSO officers (which are just students at UCLA working to help pay for tuition) regarding his ID. So, being that UCLA is considered a liberal college are we to assume that these student officers were out to get someone? Were they profiling this kid and student knowing full well that they are students themselves? It was then the student who refused to leave and decided to make a raucous (most likely feeling safe that he would be supported by students due to the liberal nature of the college). The article states that UCPD (which uses officers from the LAPD) took a few minutes to arrive. The exit for Powell Library does not take a few minutes to get to. It's doubtful that the CSO was going to call the UCPD if he was just putting his belongings away and heading out peacefully.
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Thanks for your insights as a UCLA alumnus. Do you remember the library well enough to guess how long MT should have taken to exit the library, considering the landmarks that are visible in the video?
Originally posted by: pg22
10-20 seconds. But that's assuming he had all his stuff ready to go and packed.
Click to expand...

Edited to add: response from pg22 (thanks).
 
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pg22

Platinum Member
Feb 9, 2000
2,644
0
76
Thanks for your insights as a UCLA alumnus. Do you remember the library well enough to guess how long MT should have taken to exit the library, considering the landmarks that are visible in the video?
Click to expand...

10-20 seconds. But that's assuming he had all his stuff ready to go and packed.
 
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DayLaPaul

Platinum Member
Apr 6, 2001
2,072
0
76
You would think after the first few tazes that he'd be subdued enough to handcuff him, thus ending the confrontation.
 
Number1

Number1

Diamond Member
Feb 24, 2006
7,881
549
126
Originally posted by: Cattlegod
This is garbage. I hope each one of those police officers lose their jobs and can never work again. Hell, I'd like to see them locked up.

Also, It would have been nice to see the student body come together and kick the crap out of those cops.
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a: The cops will be vindicated. The guy will get a big fine when he goes to court for resisting and obstructing a police officer. He will also lose his lawsuit. You can quote me when the court proceedings are over.

b: The students are not that stupid to assault police officers. Somebody might get shot for real then because the police would just be defending themselves. Remember, they are a little "trigger happy"
 
AAjax

AAjax

Diamond Member
Feb 17, 2001
3,798
0
0
Originally posted by: Flatscan
MT's Facebook page (since removed):
Screencap 1 Screencap 2 (from this digg)

digg: First hand account on the UCLA Taser use, directs to thread at Tucker Max Message Board. I haven't read through the thread to know if the witness has been authenticated in any way.

UCLA orders outside probe of Taser arrest, LA Times
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quote from his page, first two sentances

"I refuse to get a job"

"I like to take simple problems and find the most difficult way to do them"

Pretty much sums it up for this guy.
 
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Slammy1

Platinum Member
Apr 8, 2003
2,112
0
76
I could buy the argument that the kid was deserving of some form of submission (5x taserings seem kinda excessive), but threatening the guy who was asking for his badge was def OTT. I have a lot of respect for some officers, but let's face it, there is a certain type that goes into law enforcement that was probably beat up a lot in school and harbor a certain hubris. Makes the profession look bad.

Come on Dim, he's had enough.
 
J

jcmuse

Senior member
Sep 21, 2005
330
0
76
either these cops are some dumb mother ******, or they were looking for confrontation. this could have been avoided had the cops had an ounce of intelligence. Oh well, it was entertaining at least.
 
Ricemarine

Ricemarine

Lifer
Sep 10, 2004
10,507
0
0
Actually, as I watched the video again, around the 4:30 scene, the cops threaten to taze him again, and he replies he cannot, so they taze him again...

That was excessive right there.
 
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Dessert Tears

Golden Member
Feb 27, 2005
1,100
0
76
Originally posted by: Flatscan
digg: First hand account on the UCLA Taser use, directs to thread at Tucker Max Message Board. I haven't read through the thread to know if the witness has been authenticated in any way.
Click to expand...
I read through the entire thread at TMMB. The users Doormat and TMMBSavior both claim to have been present at the incident, and I didn't read any credible information to the contrary. (Edit: the moderators seem to be active, so it's possible that it was censored out.)

Links from that thread, roughly in the order that they were posted there:
MetaFilter: Muslim UCLA student tasered for not having ID
FARK.com: UCLA police officer shocks student with stun gun at a campus library after student refuses to show ID. The fact that his name was Mostafa Tabatabainejad and not Bob Smith probably had something to do with it
BBC News, World Have Your Say: Friday live: Tasers and Burkhas (go to Listen again: Friday on right sidebar; TMMBSavior participates)
Daily Bruin, Viewpoint: Beware of easy knee-jerk reactions
AMERICAblog: Would UCLA have tasered Rosa Parks?

BREAK.com: Hot Girls Tazered (NSFW, the title action is a couple minutes in)
 
L

Looney

Lifer
Jun 13, 2000
21,938
5
0
Originally posted by: Bumrush99
BREAKING NEWS
BREAKING NEWS
BREAKING NEWS

Even if you are right about something and the police are wrong, LISTEN TO THEM WHEN THEY TELL YOU TO LEAVE. Don't start crying like a little bitch about the Patriot Act, get the hell up and LEAVE AND LISTEN TO THEM!
Click to expand...

According to the article he was leaving, and the rent-a-cop grabbed him. WTF would he need to do that? And tasered him when he was shouting at them to let him go. As for listening to them to get up after being tasered... i've seen people being tasered while in prison, and the way it works, is that it essentially disrupts your CNS and muscle function... sure, the paralysis ends when the electricity does, but when have you ever seen a tasered person get up as soon as the electricity ended and booted away? I've seen grown men with bodybuilders like built crippled like a baby.
 
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Corbett

Diamond Member
Jun 8, 2005
3,074
0
76
LMAo, trying to blame it on the fact the kid is dark skinned. What a joke. He was obviously resisting. He got what he had coming to him.
 
irishScott

irishScott

Lifer
Oct 10, 2006
21,562
3
0
The cop might of overreacted, but the guy was asking for something.
Rule 1 for dealing with cops: YOU DON'T FVCK WITH THE COP
 
S

Syringer

Lifer
Aug 2, 2001
19,333
2
71
D

Dessert Tears

Golden Member
Feb 27, 2005
1,100
0
76
pg22 (and anyone else familiar with Powell), can you describe the ID check policy after 11pm? I've read that it's long-standing, announced over the PA, and everyone's (not just a random selection) ID is checked.

TIDSDNI = Taser in "drive stun" does not incapacitate

Originally posted by: Ricemarine
2. In no way was he creating a resistance.
Click to expand...
Originally posted by: meltdown75
How many cops does it take to remove one uncooperative person? I'm going to go out on a limb and say two although I'm sure some cops could do it all by their lonesome.
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Non-compliance is non-compliance. Also, I've read posts from witnesses that MT was struggling constantly and gripping stationary objects throughout the incident. That claim can't really be confirmed or denied by the existing footage. I've read that MT is 200lbs - not impossible to control, but a real pain to drag around for two officers. You can see the difficulty they're having as they get him through the doorway between 1:30 and 2:30.

Originally posted by: Ricemarine
Actually, as I watched the video again, around the 4:30 scene, the cops threaten to taze him again, and he replies he cannot, so they taze him again...
Click to expand...
At 4:30, I can hear MT say "I can't [unintelligible]" in response to being told to stand. It's plausible that he said that he was unable to stand.

Originally posted by: canadageek
honestly, you have no idea...have you ever been taser'd? i was once, voluntarily. i wasn't shot, just had the electrodes taped to me (thigh and shoulder) i can tell you that it is the most pain i have ever experienced in my life. 3 seconds was an eternity. and quite frankly, i'd be pretty reluctant to use it on someone else, unless they were a direct threat. this is not a water pistol or bb gun, folks...it isn't a safe, easy alternative. use it like a real gun, not just inadvertantly.
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Thigh and shoulder is done for maximum effective separation of the prongs - the electricity flows between the prongs and triggers the pain sensors along its path. Did you also have conductive gel applied between your skin and the electrodes? The separation in "drive stun" mode is 2-3 inches, and its effectiveness is greatly reduced.

Originally posted by: Phokus
Tell me what you're supposed to do when you're handcuffed and they keep tasing you regardless.
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Stand up? According to the Daily Bruin Viewpoint counter-editorial (linked in a previous post of mine), MT is ordered to stand 73 times. TIDSDNI and would not directly affect his ability to stand.

Originally posted by: DLeRium
The police report was written after the incident meaning they already knew their asses were on the line and a few people includign the department + administration are going to get a LOT OF FLAK for their actions, so they had to bend the truth as much as possible.
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Can you point out a specific section of the police report that is suspect to you?

Originally posted by: pkme2
They violated standard police procedure and they didn't ask him for ID before proceeding to the next steps. They assumed too much. Racial Profiling comes to mind?
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MT refused to present ID to the CSOs (student library staff) and was asked to leave prior to the police being summoned.

Originally posted by: jpeyton
Bottom line: he was leaving, the cops wanted to detain him, he resisted (as is his right, no crime was committed). They tasered him after they grabbed him when he was on his way out.
Click to expand...
Originally posted by: jpeyton
If the officers wanted to talk to the student, they could have escorted him out and done so without grabbing him. He was already by the door, on his way out of the lab.
Click to expand...
Originally posted by: Praxis1452
supposedly the kid was walking out and got grabbed by the officers and that's why he was screaming.
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MT refused to present ID, then refused to leave immediately when asked by the CSOs, who are responsible for the library area. At this point, MT is technically trespassing. Whether MT was leaving when he was confronted by the officers is disputed. I read elsewhere (IIRC, this was a post from a witness) that the officer put his hand on MT's arm (not grabbed), which triggered MT's shouting audible at the beginning of the video.

Originally posted by: cessna152
The more and more I watch that video. Damn that kid has a NICE camera phone? It really does feel like it was almost staged or setup and the police stepped right into the trap? Does anyone know who took the video and if that student has any ties to the guy getting arrested?
Click to expand...
Originally posted by: HeroOfPellinor
Still, I second that the most noteworthy thing about this story is the quality of that guy's camera phone. Nice clean video, audio, and with enough memory to hold a lot of footage. :thumbsup:
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Does anyone know of a camera phone that meets the technical requirements? The set-up theory has been suggested elsewhere, and it's possible that the camera was not a camera phone.

Originally posted by: wetcat007
Originally posted by: glutenberg
Originally posted by: wetcat007
"Laila Gordy, a fourth-year economics student who was present in the library during the incident, said police officers threatened to shoot her with a Taser when she asked an officer for his name and his badge number. "

hmm, i guess they're not allowed to ask the police officers for their identification after they beat a student?
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Because it's a great idea to badger the police while they're trying to make an arrest while the student is yelling and screaming? Next time you see a police in the process of arresting someone, please do proceed to approach them asking for badge numbers. See what sympathy you get. Honestly, some people need to control the chip on their shoulders. Not everyone is out to get you.
Click to expand...
Was there not multiple cops and one student? Doesn't exactly mention if the person was cuffed or under control at the point the person asked. I would assume that when the person asked, the person being tasered was in control. Before leaving one of them should be able to give that information, and should not hesitate to either. It is not an unreasonable request.
Click to expand...
Originally posted by: Slammy1
I could buy the argument that the kid was deserving of some form of submission (5x taserings seem kinda excessive), but threatening the guy who was asking for his badge was def OTT.
Click to expand...
I read that the officers returned after MT had been removed and responded to requests for identification. Furthermore, an arrest is a matter of public record and all information would have been available at the station sometime the next day.

There is audio that suggests that a male student was interfering (unintelligible male voice, then officer "Don't get involved in this") even prior to the first "stun" applied at 0:30.
MT: I SAID I WOULD LEAVE! (1:05)
O: Take a step back - if you have complaints, you can bring them up later. (1 officer visible here)
MS: I want your badge numbers.
MS: Yeah! Can we get your badge number?
MS: I'd like your badge numbers.
MT: I got Tased for no reason, I was leaving this godforsaken place, you stopped me, you're abusing your power, here's your justice at work, university students.
Click to expand...
The officers are occupied at this point, they're not visible, but the camera position changes around 1:30 so that you can see their positions, 2 bent over MT and 1 observing.

Originally posted by: Cattlegod
Also, It would have been nice to see the student body come together and kick the crap out of those cops.
Click to expand...
The nearly certain result would be several dead students and possibly dead officers. The sheer number of students represents lethal force, regardless of ability or weapons.

Originally posted by: Looney
According to the article he was leaving, and the rent-a-cop grabbed him. WTF would he need to do that? And tasered him when he was shouting at them to let him go. As for listening to them to get up after being tasered... i've seen people being tasered while in prison, and the way it works, is that it essentially disrupts your CNS and muscle function... sure, the paralysis ends when the electricity does, but when have you ever seen a tasered person get up as soon as the electricity ended and booted away? I've seen grown men with bodybuilders like built crippled like a baby.
Click to expand...
Both the leaving and the grabbing are disputed. TIDSDNI.
 
I

IHAVEAQUESTION

Golden Member
Nov 30, 2005
1,061
3
81
Really, this news is only a few days old and I am tired of it already. I am not going to form an opinion of my own because everything is just speculation at this point. Let the independent review do its job and we will know the truth in a matter of few days.
 
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