Video of controversial police Tasing renews debate
(CBS NEWS VIDEO) A man who refused to go to the hospital because he had no insurance was Tased four times by a police officer who insisted that he cooperate and get into an ambulance. He is now suing the Marin County Sheriff's Department, which stands by the officer's use of the Taser.
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WOODACRE, Calif. (AP) -- A 65-year-old man is suing the Marin County Sheriff's Office after a deputy repeatedly shocked him with a Taser stun gun at his home last year.
A video on the KGO-TV website shows Peter McFarland on his couch ignoring a deputy's order to put his hands behind his back.
In the video, a deputy says he must place McFarland on a psychiatric hold for a mental evaluation. When McFarland stands up, he is shot with the Taser.
The two deputies had responded after paramedics treated McFarland after he slipped on steps.
The Marin Independent Journal reports that McFarland's suit accuses the deputies of excessive force.
Sheriff's officials said they had not seen the suit, but they did issue a written statement saying they were "confident the actions of our deputies will be found to have been both within the law and department policy."
