Peter McFarland Tased By Sheriff's Deputies In His Own Home (VIDEO)

Peter McFarland of Marin County, Calif. is suing the county sheriff's office for tasing him in his own home while his wife pleaded with them to stop.

The deputies arrived June 29 of last year after McFarland fell outside his home while he and his wife Pearl were returning from a charity fundraiser, and he said something to the effect that if he had a gun, he'd shoot himself in the head.

It was hyperbole, McFarland told the deputies, who arrived after paramedics had already helped him inside. A rare survivor of pancreatic cancer, he considers himself lucky to be alive.

Yet the deputies insisted on taking McFarland to the hospital for psychiatric evaluation, ultimately tasing him after he demanded they leave his house. "Stop resisting!" the deputies repeatedly tell McFarland, as he whimpers and writhes in pain.

McFarland was arrested and jailed on a charge of resisting arrest, but a judge later threw out the charge.

WATCH the end of the confrontation, captured on one of the deputies' taser-mounted camera:

Comments

[a veteran]

09:55 AM on 09/04/2010

Tasers should be outlawed and the cops should get their asses beat. Better yet, fired, fined, imprisoned and never allowed to work in law enforcement again.

[cheapNdumb]

01:36 PM on 09/03/2010

I thank God for Tazers! My Son DIED while being tazed. He was revived, if not for the tazers he would be DEAD because that would have gunned him down! (unarmed but a black belt and emotional problems)

[LarBear]

06:33 PM on 09/02/2010

Before you pass judgement on the Police... Clearly this "film" was edited... We do NOT know what went on prior to... We do NOT know what someone wanted to see or not see... Though some of the blanks may be because the Tazer wasn't "armed" so to speak... I, do not know when the Tazer camera turns on...

Once tazed and one can hear the "chatter" of the tazer in use... While off, he still resists handcuffing... Would it be better done to have an Officer physically take him down and several Officers kneel on him to hold him while they pry his arms in place for cuffing?

I. suspect, once he gave indications of possible suicide (joke, or not) with all the Lawsuits, the Police Lawfuly had to take him into custody... Kind of like "nicely" allowing a drunk driver to drive themself home rather than arresting them...

[cheapNdumb]

12:19 PM on 09/03/2010

I will pass judgment on these thugs.

[conticreative]

04:09 PM on 09/16/2010

I saw the longer version of the video. The guy is fairly calm on his couch. He is trying to convince the police that he is fine and wants to go to bed. The deputies continue insisting they want to take him in for a 3 day hold.

He finally gets upset and he gets up to see the deputies out of his home when he is tazered.
The deputy gives him barely time to get a hold of himself before they tazer him again and again while saying "Do not resist".
As far as I can see, he is not resisting he is simply out of his mind with pain.

Consider that:
1) He fell on his stairs while coming back from a benefit (Most folks don't kill themselves by falling down the stairs)
2) He was not suicidal but used an obvious figure of speech (note his pants' knee - he was probably in pain)
3) He was in his own home and was taken care of by paramedics (which one presumes are also trained in recognizing suicidal cases)
4) He is (in the video I saw) making a good case for his own sanity
5) His wife already mentioned he has a bad hearth

The police behavior was uncalled for. Sometimes they are right, sometimes they are wrong. I am afraid here they are wrong.

[louddogood]

02:51 AM on 09/02/2010

I get it now! They can't even support their wives/girlfriends (if you know what i mean!) ! OK, so lets understand their need to taze people due to their frustration. We, citizens of this country, should think about creating a support group for these individuals. I feel sorry for them, by god i do. So let's hear it for creating a fund for a mano-mano help for these guys. We've got to pull them back to what they're supposed to represent! One thing I know, my ancestors never covered their nuts with their left hand and scream while throwing live electric darts with their right hand. No offense intended to whomever, but our "legions" of this day shouldn't be those who just throw darts and "hissy-fits". - "Key'th Stone" :)

[Buffyboy]

10:35 PM on 09/01/2010

Just one day later and you can't find anything about this story anywhere. Cleanup time.

[Buffyboy]

10:34 PM on 09/01/2010

I wouldn't call the police for anything.

[cheapNdumb]

12:26 PM on 09/03/2010

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5G116kMFco&feature=related

[inthelandoftheblind]

02:43 AM on 09/04/2010

cnd - Grreat link!

Fn'd 'n fv'd!

Found this nearby, there!Another good reason to say & write nothing at all...ever!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJhu74yBPlQ&feature=related

[Sinead Murtagh]

05:20 PM on 09/01/2010

I have a permanent disability with a lot of daily pain... I regularly make jokes about getting shot/cutting off parts of my body with a kitchen knife being a major improvement on what actually goes on in my body. When it gets bad I will ask friends/family to shoot me, please. It is a joke. Dark humour yes, but still humour and often the only way to keep laughing.

It is a verbal mechanism to convey just how bad the pain is. I am not now and never have been remotely suicidal. These officers were simply idiots. Worse, they were idiots who have been given weapons...

I live in Ireland where thankfully the police do not carry guns, although I am 110% sure that were I to make a humourous request to be shot to an Irish officer the response would be the entirely appropriate laugh. No offence intended folks, but America scares me. Your police have way too much power over citizens, way too much weaponry and way too much arrogance and macho attitude. I know there are many good decent officers there (I actually have family who are Police officers in the US - good people) but the overall ethos and terrible training has a lot to answer for.

[devildog21]

06:03 PM on 09/01/2010

Well said. It seems that the ability to use sound judgement is becoming more scarce all the time within our police departments.

[Buffyboy]

10:32 PM on 09/01/2010

I'm American and it scares me too.

[Suzanne525]

04:35 PM on 09/01/2010

While there are some good cops, many rambo wannabes go into the profession so they can legally beat up on people.

Sick.

I hope the man sues them; I hope they lose their jobs and pensions.

[cheapNdumb]

12:32 PM on 09/03/2010

WRONG! The good people who go into law enforcement become accomplices to the bad ones by keeping quiet about wrongdoing.

[lotusgirl]

04:26 PM on 09/01/2010

All I can see is my old dad in this eighties before he died. He would have done the same thing if someone would have come into his house and bossed him around when he hadn't BROKEN THE LAW! This man actually looked a little confused when they first start talking to him.

You would think that if they thought he needed evaluation, they would have been more sensitive to the fact that he may have not had a good reaction to them. It's not as if he's armed and a threat to them.

This is gross misconduct.

[AmericanMike]

04:23 PM on 09/01/2010

So who do you call when being terroized by the Police???
Serious question, anyone know what to do?

[Suzanne525]

04:26 PM on 09/01/2010

An attorney. One who has experience with police brutality cases.

[AmericanMike]

04:30 PM on 09/01/2010

Who do you call when it is happening or before it starts. An Attorney is great if you live.

[SolarEXtract]

04:22 PM on 09/01/2010

The guy is in pain on the ground and being tased and the cops are still yelling "stop resisting"???

WTF??

[coolfireone]

04:10 PM on 09/01/2010

How far has our nation slipped, including some law enforcement as evidenced here. The officers involved, who deserve every offensive label applicable, should not only be removed from the force but personally sued. Of course, not likely they will receive anything more than a mild rebuke, if that, from the Sheriff's office. Such action goes so far beyond that for which our nation stood, that it should be unimaginable.

[CubfanBudman]

04:04 PM on 09/01/2010

The cops should be fired, and charged with assult. Then their names and faces should be made public so they can never work in law enforcement again. They obviously aren't cut out for it.

[CubfanBudman]

04:02 PM on 09/01/2010

If he was black the CONServatives would be happy. See Prof Gates.

[hellboundtrain]

03:43 PM on 09/01/2010

www.davekopel.com/CJ/OpEds/DrugWarKillsInnocent.htm