Law enforcement instructor Leon Spears joined the Daily Caller’s Tuesday show “Behind the Blue Line” to break down body camera footage of several police officers tasing a knife-wielding man.
The footage showed police confronting a suspect on the rooftop of a home. The man can be heard demanding from the top of a brick wall that the officers kill him. He then begins walking away and screaming as officers attempt to calm him down.
On the show, Spears commended one of the officers for attempting to de-escalate and offering the suspect water. He also noted, however, that mental health professionals and paramedics should have been on the scene too. As the video continued, the man tripped over one of the tree branches and fell to the ground, leading the officer to tase him.
Another officer had his gun drawn and pointed it at the suspect as he was being tased. Spears called this action “poor firearm management,” since the suspect did not threaten the officer with bodily harm.
“He [the officer] was not threatened at all from bodily harm or injury, so I don’t know why he needed to actually show that level of force, for deadly force,” Spears said. “Furthermore, when he actually tried to assist his partner, his gun was still drawn. So anytime in dealing with this person that needed mental help, he actually had his firearm drawn, his finger was near the trigger, and that could have been a deadly discharge. That was just poor firearm management.” (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: ‘Behind The Blue Line’ With Leon Spears Is Back)
Spears added that the gun should have been holstered while the suspect was still on the roof of the house.
Several officers tased the suspect as he struggled to get off the ground. The officers eventually detained him as he began losing consciousness. As they handcuffed him, the police called for paramedics.
Spears pointed out that the officers did a “good job” staying calm and ensuring the suspect could still breathe while restraining him. He added, however, that the police should have immediately called in medics, rather than cuffing the suspect as he lost consciousness. The suspect regained his consciousness and began screaming at the top of his lungs. Several officers struggled to lift him into a sitting position as he lay on his side.