Community | July 26, 2008 | 1 comment

66-year-old minister claims hospital guards tased him over joke

source: http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Hospital_tasers_66yearold_minister_over_joke_0725.html

Vierotchka

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Hospital_tasers_66yearold_minister_over...

A reverend claims security guards dragged him out of a Toledo, Ohio hospital and tasered and beat him because he told a joke, CBS reported Friday.

Rev. Al Poisson said he was visiting the hospital to see a man who had been injured while Poisson was shopping with his 6-year-old grandson. According to the reverend, an innocent joke about the lack of a smile on a guard's face led to a beating.

Security cameras caught the incident on camera and show at least five officers surrounding a man laying on the floor and beating him.

"It wound up being an atrocious, unbelievable situation, to say the least," the 66-year-old minister said.

"They've cut about five minutes of this video out," Poisson said, describing the length of time he was kicked on the ground by one of the younger guards.

St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center issued a statement defending the guards' actions which said "the response to the aggression was appropriate."

The hospital pressed charges against Poisson for assault that were eventually thrown out of court, Poisson said.

Poisson is filing a lawsuit with his lawyer Stevin Groth.

"We're going to use the American justice system, put this in front of a jury and let them decide what's appropriate," Groth said.

This video is from CBS Early Show, broadcast July 25, 2008.
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    Taser,  Tasers,  Taser Abuse
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1 comment // 66-year-old minister claims hospital guards tased him over joke // Video

  • lenhart
    • 0
      lenhart  

    • These are 'hospital' guards for crying out loud! They do not have the authority of bona fide law enforcement officers. If cops are breaking the law by tasering folk for NO GOOD REASON, the crime is even more obvious when its done by 'civilians'. The rash of tasing has resulted in some 290 deaths and it is clear that most of these could have been prevented and occurred in the absence of probable cause.

      Sigh....American freedom was hanging upon that phrase --'probable cause'! And it would appear that most Americans dont' have a clue what it means.

    • 4 years ago

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