Conn. Police Chief Defends Officers Who Tasered Man

Nov. 14, 2011
Bridgeport olice chief is defending two officers who used a stun gun on an unruly man before he died.

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- The police chief is defending two officers who used a stun gun on an unruly man before he died Sunday.

According to a police press release, the man needed medical attention but was acting erratically. He resisted medics while being put into an ambulance Sunday morning at 98 Wilkins Avenue.

Officers Victor Rodriguez and Minerva Feliciano responded about 10:30 a.m. and saw the man trying to assault a medic, police said. They tried to subdue the man, who police say was in his 50s.

While trying to gain control of the man, they used their stun guns at least three times, police said. He went into cardiac arrest and later died.

Police said he might have been under the influence of drugs. They withheld his name until they could notify his relatives.

"Both Officers Rodriguez and Feliciano acted properly and in accordance with our policies regarding the use of electronic control devices to gain compliance from uncooperative and/or combative subjects," Police Chief Joseph L. Gaudett Jr. stated in the release. "They performed admirably and in a highly professional manner to gain control of a difficult situation."

At the Bridgeport Police Department's request, the incident will be investigated by the State Police Major Crime Squad, the release states. The State's Attorney's Office will oversee the investigation.

Copyright 2011 - The Hartford Courant, Conn.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service

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