Matt told him that if an officer ever stopped him, he had every right to know why he was being stopped, and whether he was under arrest. By signing up, I agree to receive emails from The Intercept and to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Both blood and mucus had crusted around Bryces nose. It's the most comprehensive and trusted online destination for law enforcement agencies and police departments worldwide. I dont play games., Ive been tased a dozen times, Runnels said to Bryce. He has worked on SWAT teams and has been part of Kansas Citys police narcotics unit, taking point on an estimated 1,000 search warrants during one three-year span. The Kansas City Star INDEPENDENCE, Mo. He graduated from said college in 2002. Judge Dean Whipple had not yet watched the government's key piece of evidence a dashboard video because he wanted to do so with attorneys present to make arguments. Bryce tried to appreciate the moment, but he wasnt nave. The cop was like, You want to mess with me, and pulled out his Taser and tased him, witness Michelle Baker recalled after recording a, shortly after the incident. You need to get up here.. Organize a group to go to a meeting with your congressperson. Why dont cops know all this? Certainly some did, but for all the years Matt had carried a Taser, he didnt know. Set up meetings. A rare instance when a cop actually went to jail for excessive force. You see whats happening here, Matt told them. Its sickening to me to listen to Taser even speak, Matt continues. Talk to a staff member. As part of his guilty plea, Runnels admitted that while he was employed as an officer of the Independence Police Department, he deprived the minor of his civil rights by deliberately dropping the minor face first onto the ground while the minor was restrained and not posing a threat to Runnels or others. They had him on a stretcher, ready to go to the hospital. The hearing lasted no more than 30minutes. Their immediate concern was why a police officer would use one on their son. He was just being completely uncooperative with the officer, the spokesperson told KCTV. Timothy Runnels, a 32-year-old former Independence, Missouri, police officer SENTENCED to 4 years in Federal Prison. Blood and mucus had crusted around Bryces nose. People were just shaking their heads, Stacy said. Evidence at the hearing revealed that as a result of the tasing, the minor went into cardiac arrest and became unresponsive. They didnt realize how long Bryce had been without oxygen. The cop was like, You want to mess with me, and pulled out his Taser and tased him, witness Michelle Baker recalled after recording acell phone videoshortly after the incident. I get a lot of sympathy from my black cop friends, like, this is what weve been saying about cops for a long, long time.'. report. Look for a box or option labeled Home Page (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari) or On Startup (Chrome). Timothy Runnels electrocuted the teen for 23 seconds during traffic stop, more than four times longer than cops are . Call their office. A federal judge ordered that the. We came together to support the Dream Defenders in Floridaand their mission, our first project and the origin of our name. It looked like he hit his head on the concrete. Bryces only mistake in this situation was following his parents advice to ask questions, particularly to ask why if stopped by law enforcement. Yet the defenses argument for leniency was based on the claim that Runnels had acted reasonably as an officer right up until the moment he dropped Bryce on his face. Timothy Runnels, a 32-year-old former Independence, Missouri, police officer, sat at a large, rectangular defense table inside Courtroom 8B at the Charles Evans Whittaker Federal Courthouse in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, late last month. His face was swollen, with some dirt and asphalt mashed into his cheek. Get your ass out of the car, andattempts to pull him out by force. This content was created by a Daily Kos Community member. As part of his guilty plea, Runnels admitted that, while he . Instead of getting angry at his fellow officers, though, Matt felt sympathy for them. Then click "Follow," which will make all STDD diariesappear in "My Stream" of your Daily Kos page. and manufacturers. This is a community diary. Independence Police Department squad car. After excessively tazing a fellow cops underage son during a traffic stop and slamming the handcuffed teen face-first onto the street, an overzealous officer was recently sentenced to four years in prison for violating the minors civil rights. There were four counts total, two related to obstruction of justice and two related to deprivation of rights. A twenty-three second jolt of 50,000 watts ended his life for a short time resulting in irreparable brain damage. He wasnt just alive he was demonstrating awareness. Although sentencing guidelines called for a term of eight to 10 years, prosecutors recommended a sentence of no more than four years as part of the plea agreement. Timothy Runnels, a 32-year-old former Independence, Missouri, police officer, sat at a large, rectangular defense table inside Courtroom 8B at the Charles Evans Whittaker Federal Courthouse in. Matt found it hard to believe the federal government, given the vague guidelines established for proper Taser use, and the broad authority officers had to use force, could make a charge stick. By the time the Masters arrived, paramedics were on the scene, attending to Bryce. This time, he didnt reconsider. While we are pleased that Mr. Runnels was held accountable for his actions, no one really wins in this scenario. The companys use of the condition in public statements and court testimony is controversial as well. Stacy wanted to take responsibility for dealing with the medical staff, and the downtime gave Matt an opportunity to focus on the investigation. Tears began to form in both his parents eyes, anticipating what everyone else in the room was about to see. The Masters didnt worry much about Bryce in high school. This case was investigated by the FBIs Kansas City Division and is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Shan Patel of the Civil Rights Divisions Criminal Section and First Assistant U.S. Attorney David Ketchmark of the Western District of Missouri. Meanwhile, Independence police officials were intent on controlling the story. His face was swollen, with some dirt and asphalt mashed into his cheek. The team members would receive their 2015 World Series rings that afternoon, so Matt and Stacy got Bryce up mid-morning. The Masters could see Bryces heart heaving up and down on the screen, an indication that he was going through cardiac arrest. It was deliberate, cold, and devoid of empathy or humanity. In finding that Runnels was not entitled to qualified immunity, the 8th Circuit adopted a position that it has rarely taken in the past. The FBI told him to be patient and that an agent would contact him sometime in the next few days. I havent done anything officer, Bryce yelled. A former Independence police officer has been sentenced to serve four years in prison after violating the rights of a 17-year-old boy during a traffic stop.Timothy Runnels used a Taser on Bryce . The Supreme Court has said that the doctrine is necessary to give officers breathing room to make reasonable but mistaken judgments. Without it, according to the court, the possible threat of personal liability would make them overly timid and discourage people from entering public service. It really should be that if someone with the power to deprive others of life, liberty, and freedom is found to have falsified evidence that resulted in a conviction, then they themselves should be sentenced to the full term that the charge carries. I felt like he would have cared for an injured animal better., I will never get over the fact that he put his foot on Bryces back, while he was literally dying, she said. Five years later on September 14, 2014 it would be difficult to argue that Runnels was unable to avoid shooting Bryce in the chest. Another officer put his head inside Bryces car and said, It stinks bad in there like marijuana. His chin was split open. Masters was able to crawl out of his car before falling unconscious face-down on the pavement. Two law enforcement families were devastated by these events and we all simply wish that day had never happened.. He no longer had the ability to adequately control feelings of anger, frustration, depression, and anxiety. Warning: This video contains graphic scenes of police violence. "We hope that today's sentence will allow Bryce to begin to focus on his future. He screamed at Stacy. Interment will follow in the Largent Cemetery. Dr. Augustin was firm. Nineteen Republican governors chose to kill poor people by not expanding Medicaid. An official website of the United States government. Ebola has killed about 9000 people in total; Republican governors kill 23,000 people PER YEARby refusing federal support for Medicaid, a story ignored by traditional media. The cop put his foot on his back and moved it back and forth like he was putting a cigarette out and asked him, Are you ready to get up now? You could tell the kid was going into convulsions.. Masters nearly died, according to testimony last week. Runnels had resigned from the Kansas City department under threat of termination in 2010. It was easier for himto view Runnelss actions as an error of judgment exacerbated by ignorance. He started to see the holes in excited delirium as a catch-all for Taser-related deaths. (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.). We are rapidly approaching the signature collection phase of our campaign to get the Over-Policed Rights Act on the California ballot. It was a war of attrition. But in more recent comments to a state investigator, Tolbert said that he drew the crime scene and Sanford only drew the bodies. In my heart of hearts, I felt like he was slipping away, she said. Former Officer Timothy Runnels was sentenced last week to four years in prison over the September 2014 incident. . Tchous study was one of the first to demonstrate that a Taser shock canpotentially lead to cardiac arrest and it was financed by Taser International and completed in 2006, eight years prior to Runnels using a Taser on Bryce. The outage impacted approximately 2,000 utility customers on U.S. 61, said Tim Runnels, a spokesperson for Entergy. Matt and Stacy said the agents seemed unsurprised by the injuries. Bryce was recently ticketed for allegedly going 80 mphin a 40 mph zone by an officer who claimed he had paced the car to determine its speed instead of using a radar gun. Stacy and Matt cried as Bryce fought. According to the company, the preferred target area was changing for reasons that had more to do with the ineffectiveness of chest shots than any danger associated with them. Dan Margolies has been a reporter for the Kansas City Business Journal, The Kansas City Star, and KCUR Public Radio. Close. Who beat the shit out of me? Matt peppered the FBI agents with questions during that first meeting, but he didnt receive many answers. 2. Eventually, they asked him how Bryce was doing. Police1 is revolutionizing the way the law enforcement community The Department of Justice included parts of our law in their reports on Ferguson, Missouri, in 2015. Former Independence, Mo., police officer Timothy Runnels was sentenced Wednesday to 4 years in prison for violating the constitutional rights of a minor who was in his. Case Details Parties Documents Dockets Case Details Case Number: 19-2242 Copyright 2023 Police1. Matt assumed it was due to positional asphyxia a condition where breathing is inhibited because of awkward positioning or restraint. Timothy Runnels pleaded guilty in September to violating the civil rights of then 17-year-old Bryce Masters during a 2014 traffic stop. Top 3 Results for Timothy Runnels. I thought he shot him. After serving his sentence, Runnels will be placed on supervised release for two years. Do you feel sorry for him? Stacy once asked, referring to Runnels. Runnels may not have known it at the time, but Bryce was going into cardiac arrest. It just may be too late. And I am., After almost 20 years as a cop, it had become easy for Matt to split the world into good guys and bad guys. The case status is Pending - Other Pending. I cant tell you what is on there, Stacy remembered one agent telling them. Bryce Masters awake at Centerpoint Medical Center, Independence, Missouri, Sept. 17, 2014. A federal felony is not a slap on the wrist, Hobbs said. The more they discussed the question, the more sobering it became. Today's story doesn't involve a Taser related death. His bike was stolen, and Ali told a police officer, Joe Martin, that he wanted to beat up the thief. Once Bryce learned to drive again, Independence squad cars followed him several times, sometimes even pulling up next to him so the officers could smirk or wave. ""He lives not only with memory deficiencies and other cognitive impairments, he has post-traumatic stress, extreme anxiety, and severe insomnia that makes interpersonal relationships challenging and difficult to an extent that they were not before his anoxic brain injury," the suit states." After Bryce was tased, Matt discovered something hed never heard in any Taser training hed gone through, something he resisted believing, because it violated an article of faith among police officers: Tasers can kill. OurMichael Brown Over-Policed Rights Act, crowd-sourced at Daily Kos in the fall of 2014 after the death of Michael Brown. He was transported back to the moment when everything changed, and despite how hard his life had become, he thought he would do it all the same way again. In the medical world, Tasers causing cardiac arrest was apparently a well-established phenomenon. Bryce Masters, then 17, was pulled over by Officer Runnels and was told that his car's license plate was linked to a suspect. Matt suspected that once it was clear the warrant association to the car wasnt sufficient probable cause for an arrest, Runnels needed new justifications. Bryce repeatedly asks if he is under arrest. And, if his future was going to be the way that they described to me if he did make it, I didnt know if I wanted him to.. The commutation comes after Morgan, a former Chicago police officer who was working as a railroad detective, was arrested in 2005 following a traffic violation for driving the wrong way on a one-way street near his home, the report says. Bryce was scheduled to startrehab the very next day. We didnt think death, Matt remembered. Timothy Alan Runnels October 5, 1963 - June 13, 2022 (58 years old) Terre Haute, Indiana Give a memorial tree Plant a tree Light a candle Illuminate their memory Timothy Alan Runnels Obituary We are sad to announce that on June 13, 2022 we had to say goodbye to Timothy Alan Runnels of Terre Haute, Indiana. They stopped by the intensive care unit to thank the staff. But, deep down, she understood what Bryce was up against. In addition to being a police officer, Martin also trained young boxers at a local gym. Join Facebook to connect with Timothy Runnels and others you may know. He didnt understand why we wanted to go so early, and he threw a fit, Matt said. It is not recognized by the American Medical Association or the American Psychological Association, nor is itlisted in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The dashcam video, which has been sealed by the court, is definitive and ugly, and Runnelss actions are impossible to justify. TheDream Defendersdefend the Dream of Martin Luther King Jr. by "develop[ing]the next generation of radical leaders to realize and exercise our independent collective power; building alternative systems and organizing to disrupt the structures that oppress our communities." Independence is bigger than it seems with about 117,000 residents, the fourth-largest city in the state but still has the feel of a tight-knit, middle-class community. As he looked Bryce over, Matt casually floated his positional asphyxia theory. The video above shows Runnels approaching a pulled-over vehicle being driven by Bryce Masters, then 17, who was on his way to play video games with a friend. Request a quote for the most accurate & reliable non-lethal training, DragonEye Tech: Leaders in LIDAR Speed Measurement, The teenage driver went into cardiac arrest after the officer used and ECD on him when he refused to comply. Officer Runnels will pay a price for his murderous actions. Cops do make bad decisions. Nah, that cant even happen, he remembered saying. "The department remains committed to ensuring. He was incredulous. Even the victim, 18-year-old Bryce Masters, had seen it only once. U.S. District Judge Dean Whipple imposed the sentence Wednesday in Kansas City after hearing evidence and testimony last week in a hearing where Masters and his father, a Kansas City police officer,described the ongoing effects of the brain injurythe teen suffered. Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Ketchmark argued that the length of time that Runnels held down the Tasers trigger was an aggravating factor. The first news reports about the incident included comments from a spokesperson who said Bryce was stopped for an outstanding warrant, and that he refused to follow the officers commands. Who would hold party elites accountable to the values they proclaim to have? Rick Guilbault, the former head of training at Taser International, testified on behalf of Runnels that his use of the Taser was consistent with common practice and training. More importantly, if there was no warrant associated with Bryce or his car, why was he stopped in the first place? No one said anything about avoiding the chest, and this was five years after Taser International officially changed the target area and with an incident involving a local officers child providing a perfect example of what could happen. Thats all it takes to support the journalism you rely on. Dash camera video of the incident depicts Runnels handcuffing the minor after the taser deployment and then picking him up. Bryce refused. A federal judge on Monday released the police dashcam video that shows former Independence Police Officer Timothy N. Runnels using excessive force in arresting then-17-year-old Bryce Masters. Later Wednesday, Masters family issued a statement thanking investigators, prosecutors and medical personnel who treated Masters. The trial judge, however, denied Runnels motion, and the 8th Circuit last week upheld that finding. A former Independence police officer who used a Taser on a teenager during a traffic stop last year has pleaded guilty to charges he violated the teen's constitutional rights. Medical staff furiously worked around him. Three years? I have to admit that I teared up at the part about minority victims, that never see the inside of a courtroom. Eric Garner was killed right in front of our eyes and yet no one was held responsible. Cops do fuck up. One pull on the trigger sent electricity shooting out for five seconds; Runnels had held it down the equivalent of four pulls. Dozens of visitors, including many of Matts colleagues from Kansas City, descended on the hospital to offer support. Matt and Stacy would check on him as he slept, just to make sure he was still breathing. Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division, and U.S. Attorney Tammy Dickinson of the Western District of Missouri announced that former Independence, Missouri, Police Officer Timothy Runnels was sentenced to 4 years in prison for violating the constitutional rights of a minor who was in his custody. This is a screengrab of the Summary and Title of the Ballot Initiative sent to us bythe California Department of Justice: We await word from the Secretary of State who will be sending us a schedule with the maximum filing deadline and the certification deadline. After excessively tazing a fellow cops underage son during a traffic stop and slamming the handcuffed teen face-first onto the street, an overzealous officer was recently sentenced to four years in prison for violating the minors civil rights. He and Stacy sat Bryce down. Hes not breathing.Matt hung up and hit the gas. Tasers told everybody, If youve got to put your hands on somebody, why? His use of excessive force violated both the publics trust and his oath to uphold the law. As the video openswe seea gray Pontiac enter the frame, and Bryces dad, Matt, put his hand on his sons knee. But after his interaction with Runnels, his friendships faded as his classmates realized how emotionally unpredictable hed become. A snapping thud filled the room the sound of Bryces 175-pound frame hitting the pavement as his teeth crashed together and his jaw dislocated. The officers found half a joint but let them go. When Matt went back to work, he was eager to discuss the Taser with his colleagues. 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