Rest in peace, Muhammad Ali. Even those who had heard it was theoretically possible thought it was a fluke, like getting struck by lightning. "We hope that today's sentence will allow Bryce to begin to focus on his future. Matt assumed cardiac arrest would be a prominent part of the conversation. Even on the night of Runnels sentencing, Bryce said, he was followed by an Independence squad car for at least 3miles. Bryce Masters in a coma at Centerpoint Medical Center, Independence, Missouri, Sept. 16, 2014. Meanwhile, Independence police officials were intent on controlling the story. Given the grim initial prognosis, the Masters felt lucky. Hey Matt, get here he just tased Bryce.. A former Missouri police officer pleaded guilty on Friday to violating the constitutional rights of a 17-year-old motorist by deliberately dropping the restrained youth face-first on the ground after a traffic stop last year, federal prosecutors said. It was clear he had vomited. He took a shot right to the heart, and that sent him into cardiac arrest.. Runnels faces a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for his conviction for violating the minor's civil rights. Why dont cops know all this? Certainly some did, but for all the years Matt had carried a Taser, he didnt know. The Masters could see Bryces heart heaving up and down on the screen, an indication that he was going through cardiac arrest. Used both as a description of a state of mind as well as a medical diagnosis, excited delirium is a phrase that medical examiners sometimes use in official reports after a person is severely injured or killed in an intense police interaction. The kind of reporting we do is essential to democracy, but it is not easy, cheap, or profitable. He didnt understand why we wanted to go so early, and he threw a fit, Matt said. But it was a crime scene at that point, with several officers there and yellow tape stretched to cordon off the section of property where the interaction had played out. That same month, Matt went in for his annual in-service update an hourlong training session in which officers go over updated information about how to legally deploy police tactics, including the use of Tasers. They called for scans and tests. Runnels faces a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for his conviction for violating the minor's civil rights. Do you think that Bryce is going to make it? heasked her. Call every week. They assumed the paramedics had done CPR and that the situation was serious but under control. The defendant abused his authority as a law enforcement officer by depriving a minor of his constitutional rights and causing bodily harm, said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Gupta. When the loud thud of the drop boomed throughout the courtroom, gasps echoed out. The Supreme Court has said that the doctrine is necessary to give officers breathing room to make reasonable but mistaken judgments. Without it, according to the court, the possible threat of personal liability would make them overly timid and discourage people from entering public service. Am I under arrest? Runnels seemed to reconsider using the Taser, holstered it, and then reached into the car, attempting to pull Bryce out. Taser International Inc. headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona. Bryce began to moan.You dont like to play by the rules, do you, Runnels said. The video, from the September 2014 incident, shows former police officer Timothy Runnels approaching the vehicle. Nurses cut his clothes off. Lets take a look at the case of Bryce Masters, an 18-year-old white teen and the son of a Missouri cop. Instead, today's story involves an over-zealous cop whose use of a Taser caused irreparable harm to a teenager who had committed no offense. An official website of the United States government. When his mom noticed, he tried to explain how strange they felt. First, according to Bryce, he and a friend named Curtis Martes were searched by two Independence officers, Travis Gillihan and Timothy Runnels. While we are pleased that Mr. Runnels was held accountable for his actions, no one really wins in this scenario. But, deep down, she understood what Bryce was up against. They still didnt know how bad the damage was, but at least Bryce recognized his parents. They told him that they were disappointed he was smoking marijuana but that his civil rights had been violated. The doctrine has effectively shielded police from all but the most egregious conduct and oftentimes it has shielded them from such conduct as well. He began pressing his tongue, which was raw and swollen, against his teeth. He was completely immobilized, the ventilator still in place, but he was making eye contact with his mom and dad. Lexipol. In my heart of hearts, I felt like he was slipping away, she said. Stacy was comfortable with Matt remaining at the scene, not realizing what she would face when she arrived at the hospital. Miami Trace High School recently released the second nine weeks honor roll and honorable mention. He knew this piece of evidence absolved him of any wrongdoing. And, when they do, theres someone on the receiving end of that., In his sons case, an officer is paying for his bad decision. But for another three years, Taser International training slides continued to avoid mentioning potential cardiac effects. The Independence Police Department was hardest on him. Evidence at the hearing revealed that as a result of the tasing, the minor went into cardiac arrest and became unresponsive. He acknowledges that the number of Taser deaths is small compared with the total number of Taser deployments, but he worries about the people like Bryce who are unnecessarily put at risk. Matt was irate, screaming, You bunch of fucking cowboys! at the officers assembled to gather evidence. We are rapidly approaching the signature collection phase of our campaign to get the Over-Policed Rights Act on the California ballot. What did I do? It was hard to accept that a police officer, someone he was taught to trust, could injure him so grievously. If he did wake up, there was a good chance he would never recover beyond a vegetative state. KANSAS CITY, MO Video released on Monday shows a new view of the moment a police officer used a taser on a teenager. Top 3 Results for Timothy Runnels. The team members would receive their 2015 World Series rings that afternoon, so Matt and Stacy got Bryce up mid-morning. The Taser did this. Kos Media, LLC. Cops use that all the time.. Runnels wrote that he observed the vehicle to have darkly tinted windows, and that after Bryce partially rolled down his window, he detected an odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle. Runnels maintained that there was a warrant associated with the license plate, but FBI agents told Mattthat the plate number would have provided details for a woman, with a different car, from a different county. On one occasion, he said, he was out bowling when two officers approached him and sarcastically asked how he was doing. Timothy Runnels was sentenced to four years behind bars for the 2014 tas "These outages are minimal compared to what we saw today," Runnels said . Am I under arrest? When the grand jury returned an indictment against Runnels on March 26, 2015, the Masters finally got a bit more information about what happened on September 14. As Matt walked around the stadium without Bryce that Sunday, he saw several Kansas City cops he knew on patrol. After excessively tazing a fellow cops underage son during a traffic stop and slamming the handcuffed teen face-first onto the street, an overzealous officer was recently sentenced to four years in prison for violating the minors civil rights. Even the victim, 18-year-old Bryce Masters, had seen it only once. Independence, Missouri - Video released on Monday shows a new view of the moment a police officer used a taser on a teenager. ', , that never see the inside of a courtroom, What's a cop to do when his son is beaten bloody by another cop? When Matt went back to work, he was eager to discuss the Taser with his colleagues. The best result we found for your search is Timothy Glynn Runnels age 60s in Atmore, AL. Our thoughts and prayers are with him. He took a shot right to the heart, and that sent him into cardiac arrest.. The video and other evidence presented at the sentencing demonstrates that Runnels then deliberately dropped the handcuffed victim face-first into the pavement. He wanted to prove himself, but he didnt know any of the details. You see whats happening here, Matt told them. Thats all it takes to support the journalism you rely on. 19-2242 (8th Cir. hide. Runnels had pled guilty to violating the civil rights of 17-year-old Bryce Masters during a traffic stop in 2014. According to the company, the preferred target area was changing for reasons that had more to do with the ineffectiveness of chest shots than any danger associated with them. The sergeant didnt respond well to the threat and told her that if she were a better mother, maybe none of this would have happened. Because youre only as good as the training.. Toward the end of Runnels sentencing hearing on May 26, Bryce stepped to the front of the courtroom to give his victim impact statement. Dr. Augustin said, Thats not what happened, Matt remembered. Eventually, Bryce went back to sleep. Matt peppered the FBI agents with questions during that first meeting, but he didnt receive many answers. A federal felony is not a slap on the wrist, Hobbs said. He ran a license plate check on Masters's car, which revealed an outstanding warrant apparently associated with the plate.3 Runnels then initiated a traffic stop. Timothy Runnels, a 32-year-old former Independence, Missouri, police officer, sat at a large, rectangular defense table inside Courtroom 8B at the Charles Evans Whittaker Federal Courthouse in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, late last month. Bryce admits now that, given a potential lifetime of frustration, the thought crossed his mind. In the video, Runnels pulls Bryce over and approaches the car. They put ice packs around his body to prevent his brain from swelling. Warning: This video contains graphic scenes of police violence. The memories he had formedover 17 years, many of the things he thought made him who he was, no longer applied. Bryce Masters awake at Centerpoint Medical Center, Independence, Missouri, Sept. 17, 2014. After Bryce was tased, Matt discovered something hed never heard in any Taser training hed gone through, something he resisted believing, because it violated an article of faith among police officers: Tasers can kill. Get your ass out of the car, andattempts to pull him out by force. A federal judge on Monday released the police dashcam video that shows former Independence Police Officer Timothy N. Runnels using excessive force in arresting then-17-year-old Bryce Masters. Of course, no such luck for Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Sandra Brown(a pause to catch mybreath). In the whirlwind of activity, Matt and Stacy realized they hadnt yet received an official medical explanation for what caused Bryces cardiac arrest. His attorney, J.R. Hobbs, asked Whipple to place Runnels on probation. Timothy Runnels, 32, previously pleaded guilty to violating the civil rights of 17-year-old Bryce Masters. Matt and Stacy were livid. The court found that the law surrounding the officers use of force was not clearly established. This time, he didnt reconsider. The video above shows Runnels approaching a pulled-over vehicle being driven by Bryce Masters, then 17, who was on his way to play video games with a friend. Young Bryce Masters is still recovering from the injuries he sustained at the hands of Timothy Funnels. It was unbearable for Matt. Matt and Stacy would check on him as he slept, just to make sure he was still breathing. report. Police1 is revolutionizing the way the law enforcement community From The Intercept : I still get what cops go through, the decision-making process, the damned if you do, damned if you dont process, Matt said. While the number of people killed in Taser-related police interactions is in dispute and its unclear what role the Taser played in a number of these deaths Amnesty International has put the figure at more than 500. He would feel his mouth and turn to his parents. Dont give me that bullshit, he now thought. Set up meetings. It really should be that if someone with the power to deprive others of life, liberty, and freedom is found to have falsified evidence that resulted in a conviction, then they themselves should be sentenced to the full term that the charge carries. 2021) Annotate this Case Court Description: [Kelly, Author, with Colloton and Melloy, Circuit Judges] Civil Case - Civil Rights Act. Bryce tried to appreciate the moment, but he wasnt nave. Bryce let out a piercing scream. Runnels had once been an officer inthe Kansas City Police Department, though Matt didnt work in his sector. The first news reports about the incident included comments from a spokesperson who said Bryce was stopped for an outstanding warrant, and that he refused to follow the officers commands. . TheDream Defendersdefend the Dream of Martin Luther King Jr. by "develop[ing]the next generation of radical leaders to realize and exercise our independent collective power; building alternative systems and organizing to disrupt the structures that oppress our communities." AMR ordered (Taser protocol). It was clear that officials were determined to place blame on Bryce and paint a picture of a lawful stop that escalated into a justified use of force. 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. "Kos" and "Daily Kos" are registered trademarks of Kos Media, LLC. He thought again about his own training, and how Taser International, by holding a virtual monopoly on the weapons, heavily influenced the information officers received. The jury. He knows there are manydeserving cases, especially involving minority victims, that never see the inside of a courtroom. Dont use it on suspects who are just passively resisting. State police reinvestigated the case and found that a deputy who originally gave sworn testimony that Sanford drew an accurate diagram of the crime scene, later contradicted that testimony, the prosecutors offices statement said. Matt was furious. A tweet from the department later that night, at 7:28 p.m., read, Carstop on Southside for warrant assoc. One robbery happens every 15 minutes. Timothy Runnels Bryce Masters v. Timothy Runnels, No. One woman looked down and covered her eyes with her hand. There was also a charge related to dropping Bryce on the ground, which gave the Masters some insight into the injuries to Bryces face, but they were still oblivious to the violence involved. What does an officer know about the Taser? he asked. He has worked on SWAT teams and has been part of Kansas Citys police narcotics unit, taking point on an estimated 1,000 search warrants during one three-year span. In the video, Runnels refers to Bryces August arrest, which was being contested by the Masters. _____________________________________________________________. As part of his guilty plea, Runnels admitted that while he was employed as an officer of the Independence Police Department, he 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. Aside from dealing with a traumatic brain injury, Bryce has battled the perception that he is somehow responsible for the crime committed against him. Just shoot them with the Taser, and its over and done with, Mattsaid. By Monday morning, September 15, Bryces core temperature had reached 92.6 degrees 6degrees below normal. The sentencing hearingbegan with a surprise. Bryce refused. Thats what caused him to go into cardiac arrest. Bryce and his two siblings remained in the Independence school system. See, I was somewhere around 8 or 9 years old when I saw my brother abusing one of our dogs. She told the sergeant she spoke to that the family believed the officers had conducted an illegal search and that they were considering filing a complaint. Bryce didnt budge. Copyright 2023 But its undeniable.. The companys use of the condition in public statements and court testimony is controversial as well. Dr. Stanley Augustin, the chief trauma surgeon, joined the conversation. 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