Wednesday, September 30, 2009

You're never too old to be Tasered! - Part 17 in my "Shoot First, Questions Never" series!

Police in a small Wyoming town used a Taser 5 times on a 76-year-old man riding an antique tractor in a parade after he allegedly disobeyed police orders and the tractor hit a car.

Retired truck driver Bud Grose of Glenrock told The AP in a telephone interview that he was OK after the incident, but is consulting with an attorney. "Yes, it hurt, but it didn't put me down or cause me any reason to go to a doctor," Grose said. "But I am 76, and I have a heart condition."

The incident occurred during the annual Deer Creek Days event in Glenrock, a town of about 2,200 residents about 20 miles east of Casper in central Wyoming. Police said Grose disobeyed their orders and the tractor hit a police car.

[Right: An example of the 1958 John Deere, Mr. Grose was driving recklessly]

Grose said the tractor was pulling a four-wheeled wagon that carried three women sitting on chairs inside and was near the end of the parade route when the incident occurred.

The Division of Criminal Investigation report said Grose disobeyed Officer Michael Kavenius' traffic command and steered around him to head toward the town park rather than the end of the parade. Kavenius told state investigators he was struck by Grose's tractor, but Grose denied hitting the officer.

The report said Kavenius then chased Grose on foot until an Officer Brown joined the pursuit in a police SUV and caught up to Grose's tractor. The police pulled in front of the tractor, which came to a stop as it bumped the SUV. That's when Kavenius shocked Grose with the Taser.

Following the incident Grose was quoted as saying "I'm probably gonna retire from parades now", so I say - lesson learned.

3 comments:

Civilian Overseer said...

Weak, I move to strike this post from the otherwise splendid "Shoot First"? series on the grounds that taser and other non lethal weapons should not count. Does anyone care to second the motion?

vaughan said...

Don't think so Civillian simply because "Shoot First" is surely tales of police officers using overwhelming force to stop a "Threat" thus Tasering a farmer in the middle of a parade is the perfect example.
Y'know sometimes when you read this series you long for the saner days of TJ Hooker!

Civilian Overseer said...

You're perfectly entitled to your opinion, Citizen V., just one question Do you deny that you are now or ever have been a member of the Communist Party of the United States?.....

P.S. two Ls is for Officers only.