Report typos and corrections to: corrections@rawstory.com.
Like this article ? Text `Support` to 50123 to donate.
A Florida police officer has been fired for repeatedly using his Taser on a Black man who was lying on the ground after being removed from a wheelchair.
St. Petersburg officer Matthew Cavinder was terminated by the city's police review board following the June 2021 incident involving 64-year-old Timothy Grant, which was captured on body-cam video.
"Investigators said the officer used it (the Taser) while the suspect was 'not physically resisting,' but then later wrote in his report that the suspect was resisting with violence," Fox 13 reports.
READ MORE: YouTube yanks MAGA Senate candidate's ad claiming Democrats 'rigged' 2020 election
During a news conference announcing Cavinder's firing on Thursday, police Chief Anthony Holloway said: "I think I looked at that video over 20 times. Today, I still cannot explain why that officer went to his Taser. We train officers every year. Everyone at this police department is trained on de-escalation. There was no de-escalation. He went right to his taser."
Cavinder had responded to a Chevron station to issue a trespassing notice to a panhandler, according to police.
"The officer spoke with Grant, who was in a wheelchair, and learned he had outstanding warrants for failing to appear in court on other charges," according to the Tampa Bay Times, which reported that "the extent of Grant’s resistance was pulling back his arm when officers tried to handcuff him, according to body camera video of the arrest."
In the video, after Cavinder tells Grant he's arresting him, he appears confused and asks the officer to call his mother.
Cavinder threatens to use his Taser on Grant if he doesn't stand up. After Grant says he can't walk, Cavinder tells him to get on the ground.
"Grant lies down, continuing to ask why he’s being arrested, and Cavinder continues to threaten him with the Taser. The officers lift him back into a sitting position and try to pull Grant’s hands behind his back, but he pulls his right arm away," the newspaper reported. "After a few more seconds struggling with Grant’s right arm, Cavinder presses the Taser to Grant’s back and starts to use it on him. Grant yelps 'ow' several times and, after about 5 seconds, Cavinder stops. Cavinder uses the Taser three more times, for between 2 and 5 seconds each time, as Grant yells in pain. Then the video ends."
Cavinder arrested Grant on a charge of resisting an officer with violence, a felony. However, the charged was later reduced to a misdemeanor since he didn't hurt or threaten to hurt the officers.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will decide whether Cavinder, who had been with the department since March 2020, should keep his law enforcement certification.
Watch the video below.
CONTINUE READING
Show less
Fox News panelists rush to cut off Jesse Watters after he says Kamala Harris may be having 'a typical female problem'
January 27, 2022
Panelists on Fox News' "The Five" rushed to cut off Jesse Watters on Thursday after he pondered whether Vice President Kamala Harris was having a "typical female problem."
The remark came during a discussion about Harris claiming that she felt she was in a "bubble" in Washington D.C., which prompted Watters to accuse her of not feeling grateful enough for the position she's in.
"She has her jet, she has a chef, she can move mountains if she wants to affect policy," he said. "I like that bubble! It's a cozy bubble! I wouldn't try to get out of that bubble."
Things got more dicey from there, however, as Watters started musing about whether Harris's sex was playing a role in her dissatisfaction.
"I’m sorry to say this, but many people are saying this -- I am not saying this, but many are saying! -- this sounds like a typical female problem," he said.
This prompted audible groans of protest from fellow panelists Jeanine Pirro and Dana Perino, who both tried to get Watters to stop talking about "typical female problems."
"Jesse, stop it!" Pirro pleaded with him, even as he kept saying that Harris was too concerned about her "feelings."
Watch the video below.
Jesse Watters: "And I\u2019m sorry to say this, but many people are saying this - I am not saying this, but many are saying - this sounds like a typical female problem. I\u2019m not saying that! I\u2019m saying this is what people are telling me!"\n\nDana and Jeanine quickly try to cut him off.pic.twitter.com/o8oqITN5bl— Justin Baragona (@Justin Baragona) 1643323976
CONTINUE READING
Show less
Republicans 'obliterated their own credibility' by attacking SCOTUS nominee who hasn't even been picked yet: Psaki
January 27, 2022
On Thursday, according to Forbes, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki hit back at Republicans who have pre-emptively attacked President Joe Biden's Supreme Court nomination without him even having made his selection, saying that they have "obliterated their own credibility" on the issue.
"Biden will 'work in good faith with senators of both parties' to choose a Supreme Court nominee, Psaki said Thursday, and slammed Republicans characterizing Biden’s nominee as 'radical, before they know literally anything about who she is,'" reported Alison Durkee. "She also hit back at Republicans who have criticized Biden’s commitment to nominating the first Black woman to the court, saying suggestions that Black female candidates are somehow less qualified are 'ludicrous.'"
READ MORE: YouTube yanks MAGA Senate candidate's ad claiming Democrats 'rigged' 2020 election
Already some Republicans are attacking the process, with National Republican Senatorial Committee chair Rick Scott (R-FL) claiming Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) will make Democrats "walk the plank" to confirm a "radical liberal with extremist views."
Biden's commitment to nominating a Black woman to the Supreme Court dates back to the campaign, and is part of a broader push by the president to increase the diversity of the federal bench, both racial and professional — a counterbalance to the years Republicans and the Federalist Society have spent creating a system to shuttle right-wing legal activists onto the bench.
Two prominently discussed candidates include D.C. appellate Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, whom Biden appointed to that role last year, and California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger.
CONTINUE READING
Show less
Copyright © 2022 Raw Story Media, Inc. PO Box 21050, Washington, D.C. 20009 | Masthead | Privacy Policy | For corrections or concerns, please email corrections@rawstory.com.
{{ post.roar_specific_data.api_data.analytics }}