A Cincinnati Reds fan is in the midst of being tased by a police officer after running onto the field.
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Well that seems like a completely justifiable use of force in this situation. /s
“Ah yes, someone interrupting the sportsball game. Let’s use a weapon on them that is sometimes fatal. That is an appropriate escalation of force.”
—that policeman probably
I’m assuming America, lucky the wernt shot.
But I guess this isn’t a school field
Cincinnati is usually in America, yes.
Love the name, btw
Thanks mate
Your comment assumes that there is a reasoning mind inside that uniform, instead of mindless knee-jerk brute force.
And that mindlessness also goes for whoever decides to pull these “I might get tased for this” pranks or dares, just to be a blip on local television for a second or two.
It’s fine, he shouted “He’s coming right for us!” first.
Am I the only one here who thinks the cop was justified?
That man needed to be stopped, 100%. No way what he could’ve done on the field to the athletes, and a taser shouldn’t be deadly when used correctly.
As long as it’s not irreversible damage, I don’t see the harm.
I remember when a member of the National Front (ie Nazis) stormed a public presentation I was doing and tried to start a fist fight while getting in my face.
Security escorted him out.
The man was angry, attempting to do a violence, likely dangerous. We de-escalated the situation and everyone walked away unscathed - as horrible as that was, the crucial part is everyone walked away without violence
And that was without a professional, highly paid, planned-for security detail in a public arena.
How is the security team not briefed on how to prevent engaging in violence when confronting streakers? Amateur hour imo. I feel like that should be the first item on the docket at the first planning meeting.
First, that sounds awful. Glad your’re okay.
Second, I don’t think we’re talking the same scale here. A sport game has several thousands of fans, lots of them wanting to storm the field. It’s pretty much a completely different job guarding that and a presentation with (presumably) way less people and way less room for people to storm and overwhelm the security.
I’m not a security expert, so I might be wrong, but that just seems to me a whole different scale which is harder to implement.
I think the issue is risk assessment, right?
Someone comes running for the POTUS, it’s a security risk with national security consequences.
What is the likelihood of a streaker at a game actually being a terrorist with murderous intent? Not “is this a non-zero chance of it ever happening?” but “how likely is it it will actually happen”
Well, there’s maybe 5-10 of examples in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Iraq, Maurtiana - but the only western examples are the Boston bombing (11 years ago), the Atlanta Olympics bombing (28 years ago) and the Black September hostages (52 years ago) - and a few IRA bomb threats in the uk in the 80s.
None of these were pitch streakers and this pitch streaker didn’t observe any behaviors of the previous MOs. In fact, if they were a bomber, tasing them is probably a bad idea.
I dunno, maybe I’m talking out of my ass here, but I think “fan runs onto pitch could KILL EVERYONE” is a massive over reaction
I don’t think it’s only a danger from terrorists, also regular people wanting to hurt athlists. Take Monica Seles as an example.
You really can’t ever know what a man wants or will do to a “celebrity” if left unchecked.
Right but at what point do you say “we can’t hold sports events in public any more?”
Absolutely the safest way to play is to… not. And sports players are likely more at risk from the sport itself than any audience.
Secondly all live performance - including sport - is subject to influence by its audience. As much as they’re not supposed to, even the most professional team would be affected by their own fans being half empty and actively booing them than being full and being cheered on.
Out-of-hand reactions will always happen. It is up to the organizers to plan and react accordingly. I can’t believe “electrocute the audience” is truly the best course of action.
Edit to say: A cop with a taser would not have helped Monica Celes as due to the nature of tennis, the crowd are close enough to the players to make instant response almost impossible.
athlists
No.
Come on, English is my 2nd language, give me at least a bit of slack.
Is your first language Russian? Or Hebrew?
I agree, someone holding a very dangerous weapon (baseball cap) should be stopped instantly.
Honestly I think the cop didn’t go far enough, maybe could have called in close air support instead?
You know what’s another dangerous weapon? A fist. And an elbow. And a knee. And a tackle.
People can be dangerous even without weapons. He needed to be stopped immediately, before reaching any non-security personnel.
Shit. I know like 20 people with fists, elbows, and knees. I’m gonna call the cops on them right now.
If they’re running at you after illegally jumping through security trying to prevent him from getting close to you - I sure hope you’d call the police! That’s dangerous behaviour, and is scary.
Guess I should tase or shoot all the people that walk past my no trespassing signs instead of just walking out and asking them to leave.
Shit. I think they all had elbows too!
Ah yes, because a stadium with thousands of people is exactly as manageable as your backyard.
Also, saying “tase or shoot people” is ridiculous. Don’t put those in the same category. One is meant to neutralize, the other to kill.
Also also, I like how you disregard completely the point about how they’re running - probably sprinting even. Which is again, much less manageable than your (honestly unreleated) example of “people that walk past my no traspassing signs”.
Seriously, put yourself in the situation for just a second and think again how chill you would’ve been.
You never know! He could have been about to use his laser robot arm to destroy the whole stadium!!!
Sure. Fine. Whatever. Think whatever you want, without thinking of the consequences. OK.
You are the kinda motherfucker to magdump a door when your doorbell goes off in the middle of a day
Great, now cursing. Real classy, random internet person. Bye and have a bad day.
I can’t believe someone would say f*ck on the internet
These guys were at a baseball game right? Those ball players have gloves, bats, balls etc that could all be used for self defense. They are also athletes who are probably in good shape. This was not a threat to their lives or anyone else’s.
Stop letting the fear of possibilities be an excuse to hurt other human beings.
an excuse to hurt other human beings.
I think the person that keeps arguing that this was justified is one of the “the pain is the point” people. They just want to have an excuse to hurt someone.
Tasers aren’t non deadly, they’re less deadly. Because they can still kill in some circumstances. What exactly needs to be protected at the possible cost of a life here?
The career of an athlete on the other team of that idiot’s favorite team?
I can 100% see a crazed fan hitting a player of an opposing team. Security is necessary, and fans barging onto fields should be handled as quickly as possible.
Everything changed after Monica Seles got stabbed in the back in the 90s.
It’s a baseball game. A random fan going after an extremely fit athlete, who has an entire team (and the other team) with fucking bats if they were really necessary is not in any danger. Literally none.
Not to mention 99% of people running into the field is doing it for the thrill of running into the field in front of an audience.
So you think athletes’ careers are worth more than the average person’s life. That’s pretty fucked up.
So it shall be alright to use taser one cops when they threat with guns, protect fascist militia, or evict people from their house
The issue is that the use of force is not proportionate. Tasers can and do prove fatal in many cases, and pitch invaders can be dealt with using far less risky methods e.g..
In UK policing there is (supposed to be) a focus on ensuring proportionate use of force where it is necessary, and officers can face significant prison sentences if judged to have gone beyond that and have caused harm as a result.
The man did in fact need to be stopped, but “shouldn’t be deadly” is still potentially deadly. The dude might’ve had a heart condition, could’ve dropped dead right on the spot. Not worth risking for a baseball game, IMO.
That’s on the person illegally (and probably violently) marching into the game, knowing security will stop him, also probably violently.
I just think the person is so incredibly stupid, and should have expected something like that.
The penalty for something stupid isn’t death though. If less lethal options are available, why not use those?
I agree, but I’m pretty sure that tasing under normal and proper use shouldn’t kill healthy people (a person running storming a sports game is 100% healthy). Like, if he had stayed tasing him for like 20 seconds then I’d get the outrage, but removing the taser once he’s incapacitated really shouldn’t have major consequences.
And it’s definitely a valid option in the case of a large field like a game stadium, where there’s lots of room for the person to run away rapidly. Once he gets a few meters away from security, he has lots of room to sprint away, and catching him would be really hard.
Idk, I just think it’s really really hard to guard a game once someone broke through security gates.
Lots of room for someone to run away rapidly?
So, like the athlete supposedly in danger would be able to do? Kind of puts a damper on the whole someone was in danger theory you keep trying to push.
This is the same mentality that got a teen shot because he rang the wrong doorbell after getting the address wrong or the man shot for using a driveway to turn around. The world isn’t as dangerous as you’ve made it in your mind.
When a common tool for detaining people is likely to kill you, you have it coming if you just run into the field during a match. It’s like walking out in front of a moving vehicle. The penalty isn’t death, and no one is trying to kill you. It’s likely to happen on accident though.
It’s a bit more like stepping on the road in front of a vehicle that isn’t moving, and then hitting the gas pedal and claiming “shouldn’t have stepped on the road!”. It’s not wrong, but choosing this method to deal with it is simply not necessary.
If a child steals something, is keeping them at gunpoint a proportionate response? Sure, kid shouldn’t steal and just holding someone at gunpoint won’t kill them, but it’s also an unnecessary risk.
It’s excessive. Tackle him like a normal cop.
Tackle? Them’s rookie tactics. Knee to the neck for 9 minutes or nothing!
They haven’t learned how to do that in their 6 weeks crash course.
Just for comparison, police training is 2.5 years in Germany. Im sure others are similar.
What clown world do you live in, where a guy with a cap is a thread so big that it’s ok to use a sometimes lethal “non lethal” weapon to stop him. And for fucking what? Whats the damage he is doing? Oh no, he’s disturbing grown ass men playing their silly ball game. Better risk his life and wellbeing.
shouldn’t be deadly
Police don’t know people’s medical history or current health conditions, there’s always the very real possibility of it stopping your heart and it happens more than you think.
I’m sorry, but people with heart conditions wouldn’t barge in on a sport event like that through security. And if they did, they’re a new kind of stupid. Police shouldn’t be less effective at their job in order to take extra measures towards dangerous people with disabilities. Security for the majority comes before the security of the minority (which I 100% agree should be considered, but I’m not taser expert. I don’t know how to make them less deadly, but they 100% should be). Especially when the minority is the one breaking the law.
Professional and amateur sports events around the world have dealt with streakers running on the field forever without violence. Its not like they are wielding a hammer obvious out to attack someone. Or a taser if you will.
Police should be trained to de-eskalate nonviolent situations without using violence and in other countries they are. I know, the US police force is not and that is a shame on them, but it doesn’t justify to shoot or electrocute someone in the back.
'murica, land of the poorly trained police shakes head (but not in disbelief).
<Chuck Woolery smiling cheekily>
“So how did the date end?…”
That deserves a frame and a spot on the photo wall at home
ACAB indeed.
No one is to have fun at the old billionaires game. Bastards 13:12
As sometimes outside the US, this entire thread is absolutely insane regarding the normalisation and justification for violence in general and tasers specifically
Are we reading the same thread? Just about everyone in here is criticizing the cop.
Exactly. I read all of the current comments and only counted one person defending the abuse of power. It was a very vocal person, but just one person.
I just read every comment on this post and you might be a bit mistaken about how much “normalization and justification for violence” is actually going on here. Everyone, aside from one person (Guydht), is condemning this abuse of force. Everyone.
Just because that one person was very vocal about their opinion doesn’t mean that there was a plethora is commenters agreeing with him.
that cop couldn’t look more like a cop
Also, why is he shoeless? Perhaps an homage to Shoeless Joe Jackson?
I’ve seen a photo of the one being tased doing a flip in front of this officer. I’m assuming no shoes because it’s easier to do stuff like that without them?
That take your shoes in jail in a lot of places. Iirc they have a stadium jail and probably wouldn’t be allowed to have them in the cell.
A more interesting pic:
The cop was justifiably scared. There’s no way he could do any flips in the air.
He did the backflip, all that was left to do is snap the bad guy’s neck and save the day. So close!
But I gotta say I really don’t understand what’s happening in the top right image, or the order of events.
A properly deployed taser is basically a guaranteed concussion. I’m glad this guy was too close to get a good shot off.
This is a perfect depiction of what it’s like being a Cincinnati Reds fan
Lmfao went to the game Friday, you couldn’t be more right
So interesting thing about tazers, they only paralyze muscle that is in between the propes during the tazer cycle. That’s why the little probes spread out the further they get from the tazer. See how close those wires are? That means he is extremely close and there is no immobilization happening it’s just causing pain. The range is far too close to be effective even if the use were justified.
That cop should have been dragged into the streets for doing that. How is this acceptable to people?
Unfortunately they have radios, and a very large number of backups.
They would still be outnumbered by a stadium full of people.
You think there’s more people in that stadium than there are cops?
Edit. I looked up numbers. Cincinnati has 1,053 sworn officers. If that is the Great American Ballpark, it seats 44k.
Seems the crowd outnumbers the cops.Not quite. Cincinnati is not an island. There are multiple other police districts around it, and even more districts around those. State troopers love shutting shit down. There is the national guard. There is also the American military. None of them are going to side with a few violent crowd members.
