WA officer stood down for tasering and arresting man in traffic stop

Officers who tasered a man after he tried to drive off following a traffic stop have been blasted for using ‘unreasonable and oppressive force’.

A man heading to dinner with his wife and a friend was pulled over by police in Fremantle, Western Australia in March 2017 to receive a defect notice for his Jeep.

After being given the all clear, the man then flashed his lights and attempted to drive away – before being tasered, thrown to the ground and arrested, Nine News reports.

 

A man heading to dinner with his wife and a friend was pulled over by police in Fremantle, Western Australia in March 2017 to receive a defect notice for his Jeep

A man heading to dinner with his wife and a friend was pulled over by police in Fremantle, Western Australia in March 2017 to receive a defect notice for his Jeep

Shaky smartphone footage of the altercation records the moment the man was tasered by Senior Constable Keenan as his wife let out a bloodcurdling scream.

The woman can be heard sobbing ‘what are you doing?’ and ‘you had no reason to do that’ while a friend continued to record the three officers.

‘What are you doing… you tasered him for flashing lights,’ the friend told police.

Constable Keenan is then shown on camera repeatedly telling the man to ‘get out of the car’ before holding the taser pointed towards him.

When the man was told by police to turn around to be cuffed, Constable Keenan then used force to twist his arms behind his back and press him against the car.

‘I’m not resisting, mate,’ the man told the officer.

‘You were under no threat when you tasered him,’ the friend behind the camera added. 

Shaky smartphone footage of the altercation records the moment the man was tasered by Senior Constable Keenan as his wife let out a bloodcurdling scream

Shaky smartphone footage of the altercation records the moment the man was tasered by Senior Constable Keenan as his wife let out a bloodcurdling scream

The friend of the arrested man captured footage of the officers (female officer pictured)

The friend of the arrested man captured footage of the officers (female officer pictured)

He was then placed under arrest for disobeying the directive of a police officer.  

A subsequent internal police review cleared Constable Keenan of any wrongdoing, however the Crime and Corruption Commissionn (CCC) has found his actions ‘unlawful, unreasonable and oppressive.’

Constable Keenan has not been charged with any wrongdoing but has been stood aside, one year after the incident

The female officer, Senior Constable Arnold, was criticised by the CCC for preventing the filming and has since been charged.

‘Police officers in this instance have done the wrong thing, they have been found out, and they will need to cop the consequences,’ Police Minister Michelle Roberts said.

Ms Roberts said officers should be kept accountable with the use of body cameras, and WA traffic police could be trialling the devices by the end of 2018. 



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