Timothy Runnels pleaded guilty in September to violating the civil rights of then 17-year-old Bryce Masters during a 2014 traffic stop. In a highly publicized Canadian inquiry into the 2007 Taser-related death of Robert Dziekanski in the Vancouver International Airport, a police psychologist accused the company of using the mythical disorder as a way to justify ridiculously inappropriate Taser use by police officers. (Sept. 14, 2014) First, according to Bryce, he and a friend named Curtis Martes were searched by two Independence officers, Travis Gillihan and Timothy Runnels. I thought he shot him. save. Matt couldnt see any probable cause. Officer Timothy Runnels flagged Bruce Master in 2014, but the incident led to the boy's cardiac arrest and long physical and emotional recovery after Runnels tasered him. Matt wasnt sure what this was supposed to mean and wasnt present when the incident happened, but word spread quickly about the foul-mouthed cop who was written up on the spot for nonchalantly using a racial slur during a gathering of officers. The trial judge, however, denied Runnels motion, and the 8th Circuit last week upheld that finding. They had him on a stretcher, ready to go to the hospital. Of course, no such luck for Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Sandra Brown(a pause to catch mybreath). Now, he sees a company with everything at stake trying to have it both ways: Tasers are safe for all sorts of encounters, but dont blame us when something goes wrong. It is only fair. "The department remains committed to ensuring. Then, to Runnels: Hes turning blue., Watching the video, Stacy was astounded. Driver uncooperative, struggles, taser deployed, additional struggle. Other sources, such as an informal list known as Truth Not Tasers, put the figure at nearly 1,000. Photo: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg/Getty Images. One pull on the trigger sent electricity shooting out for five seconds; Runnels had held it down the equivalent of four pulls. Theyre working it backwards. Matts experience as a cop taught him that officers can sometimes write themselves out of trouble through exaggerated and self-serving reports. He would sleep for a bit, forget again, then look in the mirror. I get a lot of sympathy from my black cop friends, like, this is what weve been saying about cops for a long, long time.'. President Obama signed into a law a small piece of our bill in December 2014. As his mom and dad moved in to take a closer look, he spat out little pieces of his teeth. Runnels needed to be held accountable for his actions, and they were disappointed the government accepted a plea deal based on only one of the charges. Cops do fuck up. When Masters refused to get out of his car, Runnels tried to drag him out, then drew his Taser and shot him. Copyright 2023 Police1. The commutation comes after Morgan, a former Chicago police officer who was working as a railroad detective, was arrested in 2005 following a traffic violation for driving the wrong way on a one-way street near his home, the report says. Masters went into cardiac arrest after Runnels used a stun gun on him after the teen refused to get out of his car. Matt peppered the FBI agents with questions during that first meeting, but he didnt receive many answers. I knew, in my heart, that I didnt do anything wrong to him, he said. Thats what happened; there was no other plausible explanation. Nick Berardini[emailprotected]gmail.com@NickBerardini, Matt Stroud[emailprotected]gmail.com@MattStroud. Then and only then well see an end to this crap. Until that point, the Masters had no idea how long Bryce had actually been tased. 83 comments. First responders revived him, but he suffered hypoxia or oxygen deficiency to the brain. Curtis thought Matt should probably come by to make sure everything was all right. Hes got his hand up on his car, his shades on, and hes looking pleased with himself, Stacy said. 1. The Missouri officer, Timothy Runnels, was sentenced last week to four years behind bars for the 2014 tasering arrest that put teenager in a Bryce Masters coma. The memories he had formedover 17 years, many of the things he thought made him who he was, no longer applied. They called for scans and tests. Bryce Masters was 17 at the time of the September 2014 confrontation with former Officer Timothy Runnels. On April 5, for instance, Matt and Stacy wanted to surprise Bryce with tickets to a Kansas City Royals game. Give me your hand, youre under arrest, Runnels said. Riveting article. One aggravated assault happens every seven minutes. He was wrong. "Kos" and "Daily Kos" are registered trademarks of Kos Media, LLC. Former Independence Police Officer, Timothy Runnels, sentenced to four years in Federal prison for use of excessive force during traffic stop. Look for a box or option labeled Home Page (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari) or On Startup (Chrome). Our thoughts and prayers are with him. As part of his guilty plea, Runnels admitted that, while he . His face was swollen, and they later found out that his jaw was likely dislocated, but popped back into place. It's the most comprehensive and trusted online destination for law enforcement agencies and police departments worldwide. Missouri police officer Timothy Runnels was recently sentenced to four years in prison for tasing 17-year-old Bryce Masters. Hethen tases Bryce for 23 seconds, handcuffs him, drags the boys body behind the car, and deliberately drops him face first onto the asphalt road. Just shoot them with the Taser, and its over and done with.. Case Details Parties Documents Dockets Case Details Case Number: 19-2199 Filing Date: ), Watching the video, Stacy was astounded. Cops do make bad decisions. As he left Centerpoint Medical Center late Sunday afternoon, he walked with a noticeable limp, dragging his right leg behind him. While he still values the profession, his newfound empathy made him more aware of the real damage some officers inflict. Timothy Runnels was sentenced to four years behind bars for the 2014 tas The dashcam video showed officerssearching through Bryces vehicle asBryce was carted off in an ambulance. "We hope that today's sentence will allow Bryce to begin to focus on his future. Masters was 17 at the time of the incident and had sued the city of Independence along with police officer Timothy Runnels, who shot the teen with a taser after Masters refused to get out of his car. According to a press release from the FBI, Runnels had deprived the minor of his civil rights by deliberately dropping the minor face first onto the ground while the minor was restrained and not posing a threat to Runnels or others. A court date was set for September 11, almost a year after Runnels tased Bryce. Runnels had pled guilty to violating the civil rights of 17-year-old Bryce Masters during a traffic stop in 2014. You dont just get tased, Matt remembered thinking. When Matt watches his son suffer, he sees the marriage of a police culture that is too eager to blindly justify force and a company shrewd enough to take advantage. If Runnels was trained when he was hired in 2007, unless he was adequately re-certified with updated information about the risks of cardiac arrest, it was likely he and Matt had the same false understanding of the weapon they both carried. Runnels had resigned from the Kansas City department under threat of termination in 2010. He jumped up from his seat and yelled, What the fuck? Site content may be used for any purpose without explicit permission unless otherwise specified. Bryces only mistake in this situation was following his parents advice to ask questions, particularly to ask why if stopped by law enforcement. The 8th U.S. Finally, she asked one of the nurses. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a $6.5 million jury verdict against former officer Timothy Runnels over the confrontation with Bryce Masters during a traffic stop in 2014, KCUR . Even the victim, 18-year-old Bryce Masters, had seen it only once. Timothy Runnels, 32, previously pleaded guilty. Former Independence, Mo., police officer Timothy Runnels was sentenced Wednesday to 4 years in prison for violating the constitutional rights of a minor who was in his. Join Facebook to connect with Timothy Runnels and others you may know. Thats all it takes to support the journalism you rely on. Posted by 6 days ago. Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, and U.S. Attorney Tammy Dickinson of the Western District of Missouri announced that former Independence, Missouri, Police Officer Timothy Runnels was sentenced to 4 years in prison for violating the constitutional rights of a minor Runnels seemed to ignore all this and, as the video shot by a neighbor makes clear, he put his rightfoot onto Bryces back. Its a miracle hes alive.. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS The Taser did this. He no longer had the ability to adequately control feelings of anger, frustration, depression, and anxiety. It is estimated that someone is murdered in Texas every seven hours. And, when they do, theres someone on the receiving end of that., When asked if he still has faith in the system, considering that Runnels is one of the rare officers to face criminal punishment for using excessive force, Matt shakes his head no. That is so whether the tasing comes in the form of multiple, separate deployments or, as in this case, a single, continuous deployment that lasts for an extended period of time., Kirk Presley, Masters attorney, hailed the courts ruling, saying it relied on established precedent that excessive force is always unconstitutional., In fact, the jury found that defendant Runnels continued Taser trigger pull was intentional and malicious, Presley said in an email. Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Eventually, they asked him how Bryce was doing. After serving his sentence, Runnels will be placed on supervised release for two years. Youwere are the greatest. Two law enforcement families were devastated by these events and we all simply wish that day had never happened.. Our state version of the MBOPRA is currently in committee in the Kansas legislature. At no point did I intend to harm him, Runnels said last week. These are classic signs of a brain injury., What Id seen with his posturing made me want to look away, Stacy said. They had seen the dashboard video and had a clear picture of what happened. You can receive all future diariesof Support the Dream Defenders in your Daily KosStreamby clickinghere. ""He lives not only with memory deficiencies and other cognitive impairments, he has post-traumatic stress, extreme anxiety, and severe insomnia that makes interpersonal relationships challenging and difficult to an extent that they were not before his anoxic brain injury," the suit states." INDEPENDENCE, Mo. Get your ass out of the car, andattempts to pull him out by force. finds relevant news, identifies important training information, Some of Bryces memories are made and erased overnight, and sometimes more frequently. Bryce will forget that an event has occurred, and then get irritated with his parents for reminding him that it has. The FBI arrived within the hour. He had assumed he couldnt wake up on time, so his parents went without him. Everything Taser told them.. Bryce spent the better part of 45 minutes arguing with his parents as he tried to wrap his mind around why they wanted to go to the game so early. Matt suspected that once it was clear the warrant association to the car wasnt sufficient probable cause for an arrest, Runnels needed new justifications. They took statements from both Stacy and Matt and started taking pictures of Bryce. Police said Morgan was belligerent and fired first, while Morgan said police started firing as soon as they saw his gun, and denied firing a shot, the report notes. And it sure wasnt lack of training that made D commit such a cruel and dangerous act against a loving, loyal, and protective dog. His mom, Stacy, folded her arms, clutching a tissue. For reminding him that officers can sometimes write themselves timothy runnels today of trouble through exaggerated and self-serving reports things he made... 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