Thursday, November 15, 2012

Police use taser on man trying to keep neighbor’s house fire from spreading to his own

Man tasered by police calls it "brutal" 


Pinellas Park, Florida -- Daniel Jensen wasn't running from the law, he was trying to protect his home from burning up. Yet, Pinellas Park Police tasered him in the process. Jensen and his attorney say it's an excessive use of force.

Jensen was still shaken and visibly emotional as he retold what happened last Thursday evening. He said being tasered by police has not only impacted him, but it also impacted his children, who saw it all happen.
He described the Pinellas Park Police officers actions as "brutal." He said they showed "no compassion."
"All I remember is laying in water, being electrocuted for saving my home," said Jensen.

Four days later, burns on Daniel Jensen's body still mark where the stun gun's probes hit him. He says they tasered him for doing what any father and husband would do protect his family's home from an out-of-control grease fire.

The 42-year-old father of two recalls his wife waking him around 6 in the evening, saying there's a big fire at his neighbor's house.

"I could hear it, I could feel it," he explained.

He ran outside and grabbed a fire extinguisher. He sprayed it until it was empty.

"I was calling for my daughter and getting no response. I came out, grabbed the hose and sprayed her room until I heard she was out. I was always taught to help when you can; help is what I tried to do," said Jensen.
He continued to recount the events. He said he then took the garden hose and started watering down his fence and the back corner of his rooftop, trying to prevent the fire from spreading to his property. But with each attempt, Daniel said Pinellas Park Police kept pulling him back... even though firefighters were not in sight.

"They kept telling me, 'Let it go, that's what insurance is for.' That's not acceptable to me," said Jensen.
Captain Sanfield Forseth with the Pinellas Park Police Department said officers could have charged him with obstruction for not listening to an officer's orders.

"I wasn't doing that. What I was doing was what any home owner would do to protect a family and home," said Jensen.

Captain Forseth said the department will not be charging him.

When Jensen saw the fire jump on to his back roof, he again grabbed the hose. That's when he said -- unknown to him -- a police officer pulled out a taser and fired it at his back.

More @ 10 News

11 comments:

  1. Bad story all around. The cops, I can understand why they told him to lay off, but that still doesn't give them the right to attack someone doing what anyone would do - on his own property and in defense of his own property. I wonder, did his house ultimately burn down?

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    1. I wonder, did his house ultimately burn down?

      First thing I wondered, but saw no mention.

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    2. Guess not.

      http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/article/281898/8/Homeowner-tazered-while-trying-to-put-out-fire

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  2. No excuse for the LEO actions.
    (We had to electrocute the homeowner in order to save him)??..... IMO LEO's are far to inclined to "pull the trigger" as their first option rather than their last option as it always supposed to be!

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  3. Non lethal weapons were a bad idea. Cops feel too free to use them.

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    1. Point of fact..... "non lethal" isn't always such! Tasers, bean bags, rubber bullets, use of the "choke hold"..... with any of these death can and does occur.
      Roger U is correct, LEO are very prone to using them because they are no longer trained in the use of, or have the skills set for "negotiated compliance". They are simply taught "do whatever you must to wrap it up and ensure that YOU go home at the YOUR day, and not the other guy".
      Harsh?? Kinda..... (been there, done that, got the tee-shirt).
      That said, obviously not all LEO subscribe to that. Many still believe that they work for the "public trust". Unfortunately, they are getting harder to find. And now with the DHS working in "partnership" with city/county/state LE Agencies the federalisation of these agencies brings with it federal rules and regulations, and the (federal way) of doing "Law Enforcement".....
      Mayberry is gone forever.....

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  4. with the DHS working in "partnership" with city/county/state LE Agencies the federalisation of these agencies brings with it federal rules and regulations, and the (federal way) of doing "Law Enforcement".....
    Mayberry is gone forever.....

    I am not a happy camper.

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