Brooke Fantelli, California Transgender Woman, Allegedly Tased In The Crotch By Imperial County Desert Rangers (VIDEO)

A California transgender woman is reportedly planning a civil lawsuit after allegedly being tased in the abdomen and in the genital area by officials.

As LGBT Weekly is reporting, Brooke Fantelli, who is apparently a well-known figure in the off-road racing community, was allegedly stopped by a ranger while in the midst of a photo shoot in the Imperial County desert.

Though the 43-year-old Fantelli had been living as a woman for some time, she had been told by her physician that she needed to live two full years as a female before she could change her California identification. Only when the ranger saw Brooke’s identification card did the hostile interaction begin, according to the report.

Fantelli said the ranger went from referring to her as "ma'am," "her," and "she" to “sir,” "him," and eventually "dude." She said she was eventually told by the ranger that she was being arrested for being drunk in public after consuming beer (Fantelli claims she had two and a half beers, the officer said she had four) before finally being subjected to the excessive force.

"He actually looked me straight in the eye and says, 'You used to be a guy,' and I said, 'Yes, I did.' There was no way around it. I could see it in his eyes. He wanted to do that," Fantelli, who is heard audibly screaming in the video, told San Diego's 10News last month. She went on to note, "It was obvious. He hated me."

Watch video of Fantelli's alleged interrogation below:

Comments

[7Pillars]

01:09 PM on 12/13/2011

Taser use is ONLY appropriate when gun use is appropriate! It is ONLY meant for a Non-Deadly option to instances where they would otherwise use a gun.It DOESN'T MATTER if police instructions were ignored - Tasers are for use ONLY IF the officer's safety is in jeopardy. IF using a gun is not appropriate, then neither is use of a Taser. That is official policy in most every Police Department. Tasers are not for getting someone to simply do what Police says to do. PERIOD.

[dbrett480]

11:05 PM on 12/09/2011

We have no idea what the conversation entailed. Just because she had her hands up doesn't mean anything. The officers could have been instructing her to place her hands behind her back, but she was arguing. Let's see the whole interaction to find out what really happened.

[Elizabethrm88]

02:49 PM on 12/17/2011

"You", brett, might have no idea. Probabilities is that you, like the rest of us, can tell exactly what was going on. But your kind, brett, has to pretend that you do not, is that it? so that you can defend the sick actions of those so-called men in attacking a defenseless and innocent woman. It speaks volumes as to your own frame of mind and that of those despicable "men" (for lack of a better term. So please, do not group me in with sick and perverted "we".

[dbrett480]

03:39 PM on 12/17/2011

I'm not defending them. I'm saying we need to see the whole video. The person only gets tased at the very beginning, what led up to it?

[tonidnewman]

08:59 AM on 12/08/2011

yes the police department are very cruel to transgender types. they make you do the most perverted stuff like undress in front of everyone and verbally abuse you. human rights extend to everyone. Just basic human rights is all that is necessary.

[dbrett480]

10:18 PM on 12/10/2011

You are basing this on the statements made by Fantelli. The video shows no evidence of homophobic conduct by officers, and only shows what happened immediately before she was tased.

[Notsosurearewe]

02:43 AM on 12/11/2011

Getting tased in the groin, though? That's cruelty to anyone, and in this case will probably intensify the case against him.

[Elizabethrm88]

03:00 PM on 12/17/2011

The evidence, brett, is the testimony of the victim AND the video evidence. We are sorry that you choose to dismiss such evidence in favor of your own prejudices. You probably also believe that there are very few cases of police brutality because they never get proven. Of course, victims, bystanders, pictures, and videos are always irrelevant to you because it doesn't fit you kind of agenda. Now, does it?

[Clayton James]

07:52 PM on 12/07/2011

California sheriff are not any better. i volunteered jail time to pay for a wet wreckless (a lesser dui charge) to pay for court fines and I was called pervert and all kinds of other things. i was forced to strip naked in front of a line of people while all the "straight" men were able to change in privacy behind a courtain. They as well have spit on me.

[pepperpal1821]

07:47 PM on 12/07/2011

I question why it was necessary to taser this indivual in the groin area? Was it transphobic behavior on the rangers part or really poor aim. Either way these guys desperately need diversity and gun range training.

[Oh Johnny]

03:23 PM on 12/08/2011

Maybe we should be questioning why they tasared the person in the first place.

This is outrageous. I would love to see a follow up on this story. She should have no problem getting a attorney to take this case.

The cop should be tied to a pole naked and tasered for hours, and then sued to the 9's.

[pepperpal1821]

04:36 PM on 12/08/2011

I agree with you about what should be done and why was she tased in the first place but this is the real world and it just doesn't work that way. There are always going to be a few bigoted indivuals with and without authority who think they can throw their weight around. The transgendered community has come a long way in most cases, thanks to the help of the LGBT community. The more stories like this that are posted, the more the general public will sympathize with their plight. Take gay marriage for instance and look how far they've come. It takes baby steps and someday being transgendered won't be so misunderstood. Education equals tolerance.

[dbrett480]

10:20 PM on 12/10/2011

A taser has two prongs. The first prong will go towards the upper chest area while the second will drop toward the torso or even lower. It isn't bad aim, it's how the taser is designed to work.

Plus, there is no evidence that any homophobic conduct occurred. We don't see it on video and the video doesn't show what led up to the law enforcement contact.

[Aaryn Balliet]

05:48 PM on 01/30/2012

Yes it does, but a great many times I've seen people deliberately aim lower to hit that sensitive area. Regardless how a Taser works, it's the person holding the weapon that really matters. You are TAUGHT in training how a taser works. I'm pretty sure he knew exactly what he was doing.

[pepperpal1821]

07:31 PM on 12/07/2011

I question why it was necessary to tase this transgenderd person in the groin area? Did it have anything to do with transphobic behavior on the officers part or was it just bad aim? Either way these guys desperately need training.

[kissynoises]

06:03 PM on 12/07/2011

That was so unbelievable. I still want to think that the police are the Good Guys like I taught my children. But when I see this kind of thing I can't help but wonder. Sure hope these guys are the exception to the rule.

[2012RNPL]

12:02 PM on 12/07/2011

I tell ya if these darn transgender types don't start gettin it together we're gonna have to start forming camps where we can start streamlining justice here because these sporadic events where these "Types" start thinkin they can have a few beers in the desert with their families are just getting out of control. If Obama was half the socialist I thought he was we would have a cop on every corner searchin out these transgender folks with K-9s. They have a funny smell to em too! Its like a mixure of personal freedoms and civil rights. Damnit as a tax payer I DID NOT sign up for this!

[rmw15]

09:17 AM on 12/07/2011

American Critizens. They want every protection, every entitlement, every free handout, every get out of jail free card and every free lawyer so they can live outside the law in any fashion or manner they want. Then they criticize and sue every person who provides the very services they demand. Yes America we are neck deep in the "fundementaly changing America" our socialist president promised us.

[2012RNPL]

11:47 AM on 12/07/2011

hmm

[PostCapitalist]

01:56 PM on 12/07/2011

Is that you Archie Bunker?

[Janette Ozoa]

01:06 AM on 12/07/2011

this is disgusting.

[bynddrvn5]

10:17 PM on 12/06/2011

There is a reason there are so many complaints against the officers in California, the police departments refuse to make their officers accountable to violence towards the general public.

Officers who do the right thing and report police misconduct often end up either getting fired, or harassed.

Cases of Police brutality: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cases_of_police_brutality_in_the_United_States

[dbrett480]

10:21 PM on 12/10/2011

There actually are not that many complaints against law enforcement. And most complaints are unfounded or unsubstantiated.

[bynddrvn5]

03:27 PM on 12/11/2011

Some lawyers in California specialize in just police brutality and similar cases, you have to have a lot of cases to justify it as your ONLY specialty.

California is particularly bad, they need to clean house once and for all.

[femfatale]

08:37 PM on 12/06/2011

Well welcome to the real world for minorities! This is what goes on to minorities everyday, instead its with night sticks and guns! But no one cares for minorities, gays, or the homeless.

[girlpatriot]

08:03 PM on 12/06/2011

Classic example of the police state this country is falling under.

This is obvious excessive forced being used.

[Cody Wandel]

07:25 PM on 12/06/2011

It's interesting to read comments from all the defenders of heavy handed police. The defenders are the ones who facilitate police states, dictatorships, military states, etc. Half the public defends this until one day it's too late and the defenders end up brutalized too. In any country, in any time. Some people yield to authority no matter what, they will always find a way to blame the victim.

[Erin84]

06:30 PM on 12/06/2011

What else do you need to see. The suspect had her hands in the air and did not approach the officers.