I know that theres going to be uber-goobs that right off that bat complain that this doesnt belong on DKOS and Im pushing some important diary off the list. Well... too bad. Not all of the countries problems involve the middle-east. With cases like the UCLA Tasering, and the NY Nightclub shooting, there needs to be reform of police conduct and investigation into the TASER industry.
ABC:
Roughly three million Americans live with epilepsy. And a surprising number of them go to jail for it.
Why? Around the country, police officers and bystanders who see someone having a seizure mistake it for disorderly, criminal behavior.
That's what happened to Daniel Beloungea of Pontiac, Mich. On most days Beloungea lives the normal life of a 48-year-old single man. But roughly once a week, he loses total control of his body and mind to an epileptic seizure.
A seizure took over Beloungea's body while walking through his suburban Detroit neighborhood last April. When an onlooker in a neighbor's house saw Beloungea having the seizure, which includes rapid repetitive arm motion, she misinterpreted it as criminal conduct. Specifically, she thought Beloungea was masturbating in public.
With that misconception in mind, she called the Oakland Police Department. When police arrived on the scene, Beloungea was still undergoing his seizure, acting disoriented and not responding to questions.
When officers couldn't get through to Beloungea they drew their weapons, shocked him with a high-voltage taser, hit him with a baton and wrestled him to the ground. They then handcuffed him and put him in a police car.
The officers put Beloungea in jail, citing assault of a police officer and resisting arrest. Throughout the incident Beloungea, was wearing a medical alert bracelet identifying him as an epileptic, stating his name and the contact numbers of people who can be reached in case of an emergency.
Beloungea was ultimately found not guilty by reason of insanity. Beloungea is not insane — he's simply epileptic. But his lawyer, Otis Underwood, told ABC News there was no other way to get Beloungea off the charges than the insanity defense. The catch: He had to spend 20 days locked in a criminal mental facility.
UPDATE: A commentator posted with this link:
Summary of Selected Cases Involving Restraint and other Inappropriate Seizure Management Practices by First Responders
The following represents a sampling of cases, both pending and resolved, involving this issue that have come to the attention of the Epilepsy Foundation. The attorneys identified below for each case may be contacted individually for more information.