Mother files suit after her 8-year-old is Tasered by police for wielding a knife [View all]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/08/08/mother-files-suit-after-her-8-year-old-is-tasered-by-police-for-wielding-a-knife/



Mother files suit after her 8-year-old is Tasered by police for wielding a knife
By Tom Boggioni
Friday, August 8, 2014 10:01 EDT

The mother of an 8-year-old who was tasered by South Dakota police last October has filed a federal lawsuit claiming police used excessive force violating the child’s civil rights, according to the Rapid City Journal.

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According to attorney Dana Hanna, “Four police officers in close proximity to an eight-year-old Indian child with a kitchen knife in her hand made no attempt to simply grab the knife from the girl or grab the girl’s arm. Instead, within minutes of arriving on the scene, one of them shot her with a Taser.”

According to police reports, officers arrived at the girl’s home after a babysitter called them saying the girl was holding a knife and threatening to hurt herself. Upon arriving, officers instructed the girl to drop the knife — described as a paring knife — and, after failing to comply, one of the officers shot her in the chest with his Taser.

According to the lawsuit, “The force of the electricity shot through her body, lifted her and threw her against the wall.After the officers had stunned L.M.J. into high voltage submission, they pulled the fish-hook like Taser darts from her chest, gave her emergency medical attention, bandaged the holes left by the razor-sharp hooks and called an ambulance.”