Police Tase Man in His Home After Relative Calls Fire and Rescue for a Drug-Related Emergency

The victim denied police permission to search his home. Cop shouted, "I don't need your permission!"

Travis Richardson is suing two Virginia cops for assault and battery and excessive force, among other claims. The officers tased him in his own home in August 2019, after he denied them permission to search for a suboxone prescription that he said he had but they insisted he did not.

The story began when Richardson had a drug-related medical emergency, prompting a relative to call for emergency medical assiatance. Fire and rescue pros were already helping Richardson when the police arrived. Richardson told the officers that he had taken suboxone, and he insisted that he had a prescription for it. The cops insisted that he did not, and they asked to see proof. According to his lawsuit, Richardson "provided the name of his doctor to Deputy Smith" and "pointed in the direction of his bedroom" to indicate where the prescription might be, but did not give permission for the officers to search for it.

Video of the interaction that resulted, including the tasing, can be seen in this tweet from Richardson's lawyer, Joshua Erlich:

CW: police violence

Watch as Dep. Daren Smith of @SpotsySheriff calmly tells Travis Richardson "I'm gonna tase you bro" and attacks Travis from behind. Travis calls out to his grandma for help. Smith tases him again.

Illegal. Unprovoked. Unconstitutional. pic.twitter.com/WwGMZoSwk6

— Joshua Erlich (@JoshuaErlich) December 6, 2021

 

According to the lawsuit, Spotsylvania County Deputy Thomas Grasso grabbed Richardson from his bathroom. Richardson was asking why this was happening when Deputy Daren Smith "approached Mr. Richardson from behind and said, 'I'm going to tase you.' At that time, Mr. Richardson was compliant and non-threatening. Deputy Smith had not given Mr. Richardson any verbal instruction and Mr. Richardson had not demonstrated anything other than a willingness to comply with the instructions given to him by the deputies."

Smith attacked Richardson with the taser. The deputy "continued to press the taser into Mr. Richardson's back as he fell to the ground screaming and tased Mr. Richardson for approximately five (5) seconds."

Richarson fell and cried for help to his grandmother. The suit says, and the video confirms, that the officers then "pushed Mr. Richardson onto his stomach, face down on the floor, with his arms behind his back. Despite Mr. Richardson being completely subdued and restrained, Deputy Smith pulled the trigger again on his taser again while pressing it into Mr. Richardson's hip. Deputy Smith instructed Mr. Richardson for the first time, 'Put your hands behind your back or I'm going to tase you again.'"

Grasso was at this point very angry at the helpless man he'd attacked in his home during a medical emergency, shouting at him while he was face down on his floor: "You're not going to tell us we have no permission to be here!" They also shouted at him for having fallen on their taser.

According to the lawsuit, another deputy informed Richardson, as Smith and Grasso took him to an ambulance, that "you are not under arrest. You are being treated."

The officers also reportedly stole Richardson's phone from his home and have yet to return it.

Grasso later asserted that Richardson had ordered them to leave his house and had refused to put his hands behind his back for them. The police video do not support these claims.

Richardson's suit declares, not unreasonably, that the cops decided to tase the man "based solely on Mr. Richardson having denied them consent to perform a warrantless search of his residence." The officers hit Richardson with some felony charges that the suit says were retaliatory lies, including "disarming a law enforcement officer of a stun gun" and "felony assault of a law officer."

The suit alleges that Smith told Richardson they were making those charges to ensure he didn't get bail, which indeed he did not for weeks after the arrest. His charges were reduced to misdemeanors before trial.

Richardson's suit seeks "compensatory damages in an amount of approximately
$600,000.00," "punitive damages as to each of his respective Counts against
Defendant in an amount to be determined at trial, but no greater than $350,000.00 per count" plus attorney's fees, and "injunctive relief requiring that law enforcement officers employed by the Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office undergo training on the proper use of force and methods for interacting with individuals suffering from mental health or drug-related problems."

Comments

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Was he vaccinated?

[The Great Negro]

He can’t get Covid now, so yeah.

[The Great Negro]

I see he’s not dead. That’s something.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

He's unmasked during that exchange so I think the cops acted reasonably. He's literally trying to kill America.

[The Great Negro]

Considering the response to covaids around the globe it makes sense.

[mad.casual]

Regularly exposing the human immune system to 58 billion volts is an effective treatment against the spread of suboxone addiction.

[The Great Negro]

Depressingly predictable.

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[CE]

You know who else was attacked in Spotsylvania County and ended up at the courthouse?

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[cgr2727]

Nicely done

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

A white teacher taught white students about white privilege. It cost him his job

It had been five months since he was fired for teaching about white privilege at a high school in rural Tennessee. Two months since he had fought to regain his job at an emotional three-day hearing, becoming a symbol of the acrimonious debate over the way race, racism and history should be taught in America’s schools.

“Hey,” Matthew said to his father, working to steady his voice. “They’re still letting me go. They upheld the decision.”

His dad paused. “You OK?”

“Yeah, I’m OK. I mean, I’m disappointed, but,” he said, trailing off. “You know.”

His next call was to one of his sisters, Laura Hawn, who asked if he would keep fighting.

“I don’t know,” Matthew said. “I mean, I guess I will. I mean, right now I can’t … right now, I feel kind of defeated.”

In the coming weeks, Hawn would file yet another appeal to the school board — try one more time to get his job back.

But that Friday, after calling his mother, all he could do was sit in silence at his kitchen table.

His head slumped forward until it reached his outstretched arms. He let it rest there, hiding his tears.

Good. You don't have a right to that job. Looks like your white privilege didn't quite help you out this time. If you don't like the school district policy, then go teach somewhere else, like going to a different pizza shop down the street when you don't like the crust at this one.

[mad.casual]

And he had taught the class that got him fired, “Contemporary Issues,” for nearly a decade without a single parent complaint.
...
White privilege, he told his nearly all-white class, is “a fact.”

Yeah, teaching subjective "facts" in a "Contemporary Issues" (White privilege didn't exist in the 60s?) class? Take your critical thinking skills to the next pizza joint down the street.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

A commenter here pretty much did a slam dunk on this issue when people were trying to claim that CRT wasn't being taught in schools, it's a different thing for a teacher to say, "Here's a concept-- 'white privilege' which some people believe exists' and "if you're white, you're privileged, and it's an incontrovertible fact... write that down."

This racist has no fucking place in the public schools.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

So, is it now considered racist to merely *observe* differences between races?

If I were to note that black men are disproportionately incarcerated compared to white men, is that a racist statement? Should I not notice that?

If I were to note that the probability of being incarcerated is higher for black men than for white men, is that racist?

How might you describe succinctly the observation that the probability of a white man going to prison is lower than the probability of a black man going to prison?

[Full Of Buckminster]

How might you describe the observation that the probability of a white man going to the NBA is lower than that of a black man?

[kcuch]

That also is white privilege and supremacy.

Who else but evil white men would set aside their animus, hatred, and hostility for the other races in order to profit from the concept of hiring the best people for the job despite their race, sex, or ethnicity.

[Emmett Dalton]

No. It is NOT racist to observe differences between races.

For example, noticing that 55% of the homicides in the USA each year are committed by black men which might be a contributing factor for the above incarceration rates, is not racist.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

His son died, and the January 6 attack!

Nearly a year later, the note is kept atop the dresser in their bedroom. “It’s the first thing we look at every morning,” Jamie Raskin says. He has come to see in Tommy’s words more than just the day of his death, but the embodiment of his life, the distillation of all he tried to do in the quarter-century he shared with them. “I think his parting instructions about how he wanted us to live are very consistent with trying to take care of our family, our friends, our country, our world,” he says. And so it feels right to begin each day with Tommy’s final message, now his father’s road map, a reminder of the work still to be done: To help rebuild a fractured country, to reimagine the life of a family, to inhabit the visionary places Tommy once showed them. To find a way to come back, and stay.

I'm a bit surprised they didn't mention Charlottesville.

[Rev. Arthur L. Kuckland]

Must have been the covid that got him

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

It was all the stress of 9/11... I mean 6/1 that killed his son.

[Utkonos]

9/11——6-1??? Jeeze choose a continent already!

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

The European notation for dates makes it look more like a straight inversion of 9/11, instead of a flip. If you know what I mean.

[mad.casual]

“I think his parting instructions about how he wanted us to live are very consistent with trying to take care of our family, our friends, our country, our world,”

Join 4-H?

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[Longtobefree]

I have told my wife, in the event of a medical emergency, drag me out on the front porch and lock the doors before calling the ambulance.

[JeremyR]

People should have the right to do any drug they want, but when they overdose or have a drug related problem, they should not call government emergency services.

Why should taxpayers support drug users?

[Rossami]

By that logic, people who have wood shops (and their inevitable accidents) have no right to government emergency services either. Why should taxpayers support people who take such obvious risks? Nor do those who voluntarily take showers, cook in kitchens or do anything else with the slightest risk have a right to call government emergency services in the event of an accident.

That leads fairly quickly to the abolition of all government emergency services. Lots of people are (and should be) suspicious of the police and child-protective-services but EMTs and fire departments are generally still considered a good thing. I think your position will be a hard argument to sell.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

I wonder if there are any numbers on the number of people who've been rushed to the hospital and/or died of heroin/fentanyl overdoses vs. woodworkers in shop accidents.

I'm not making any pronouncements, just curious is there's a difference, or it's pretty close to 1:1.

[mad.casual]

I'm not making any pronouncements, just curious is there's a difference, or it's pretty close to 1:1.

Anecdotally, I don't know anyone who's OD'ed on heroin and driven themselves to the hospital. Conversely, I've never known anyone to have a shop accident, have their loved ones discover their body, and need EMTs to save their lives. Maybe I just don't spend enough time around master-level heroin users.

[Sylvie1]

In my 63 years, I have never known anyone who died of a drug overdose. But the guy I used to buy my wood from absolutely died in a home shop accident. His wife found the body, nothing any EMTs could have done would have fixed a broken neck.

[mad.casual]

Why should taxpayers support drug users?

Is that conditional on the drug and method of overdose or if you spill a pill bottle and your toddler manages to swallow some are you just SOL?

[Don't look at me!]

Depends. Is everyone vaccinated?

[Utkonos]

The police may have sensed an undercurrent with his refusal to allow a search, but it they who created a truly charged atmosphere. Given their revolting conduct, the lawsuit strikes me as well-grounded. Hopefully this case will send shockwaves throughout the nation!

[LibertyWeeb]

A man in a pinstripe suit walks up to you and hands you a piece of paper. He says, "Chumby sends you his regards," and walks away. You look at the piece of paper, and on it is a single, typed sentence: "No noose is good noose."

[Social Justice is neither]

Why would a medical emergency demand a thorough warrantless ransacking of the man's home if the emergency was under control? They showed up not to administer aid but to make a bust which was the wrong call.

[Hank Phillips]

The same nation once forced to feed and house British troops?

[Rise of the Impedance]

... individuals suffering from mental health or drug-related problems."

You know, people such as cops.

[Chumby]

Don’t tase me bro.

[Eeyore]

Exactly what I was thinking. Of course I would happily get tased if I didn't need to be taxed ever again.

[Utkonos]

I’ve reached the same conclusion—-after much prodding

[Jerryskids]

"injunctive relief requiring that law enforcement officers employed by the Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office undergo training on the proper use of force and methods for interacting with individuals suffering from mental health or drug-related problems."

Something tells me these cops already know. It's not training they need, it's regular beatings to make them follow the training.

[Hank Phillips]

Biden could negate the JFK EO that made it okay for tax-gorging monopolists of deadly force to form labor unions and use violence to increase their depredations, couldn't he?

[A Thinking Mind]

Thank god for bodycams. Also, fuck these cops.

Is there any possible context that doesn't make these police humongous assholes?

[d]

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[Enjoy Every Sandwich]

The people who are constantly calling for more government in our lives don't seem to understand that this kind of shit will go along with it.

Or they do understand and like it.

[ChicagoTom]

And the people who are the biggest cop-suckers and boot lickers and apologists for cops and their lawless use of force are also the most distrustful of the government.

What's your point?

[Enjoy Every Sandwich]

That a lot of people don't make the connection between the police and the government. I thought that was plain.

[sarcasmic]

People who clamor for more laws don't understand how laws are enforced.

[Emmett Dalton]

It was plain

[Sid]

Step 1 - Legalize all drugs. It is not the government's role to police substances someone may want to ingest.

Step 2 - Train the damn police. Not these 4-8 week bumpkin schools of doing what Sheriff Johnson says is good law enforcement. A comprehensive training program that both provides instruction and internship experience as well as deselects candidates.

[Hank Phillips]

The U.S. has the shortest Constitution I know of. By voting libertarian and thereby repealing violent and useless laws folks could set an example not only at home, but also to the rest of the world. Fifty years ago fewer than 4000 people voted our pro-choice platform. That went to 4 million votes (plus local elections) 5 years ago. Today there are IALP chapters in 21 countries. All it takes is the courage to vote honestly. Leveraged clout does the rest.

[Emmett Dalton]

By using the term "bumpkin" one can presume you believe police brutality is a uniquely rural problem.

One glance at the data will correct your thinking on that.

[Archibald Baal]

Qualified immunity in 3...2...1...
Because no one has abused a druggie in QUITE this EXACT manner before.

[Eric Rasmusen]

Quite similar to Barnes v. Indiana, where the Indiana Supreme Court shamefully said a middle-aged black man was liable for assault when he pushed a policeman trying to illegally enter his apartment and was tasered and sent to the hospital. I found that everyone except law professor was appalled; law professors thought that you should never resist a policeman; you should let do whatever crimes he wants to and then sue later.
I assembled an amicus team that was wonderfully diverse, without even trying for that:
https://rasmusen.org/special/barnes/

[sarcasmic]

There's a saying "You can beat the rap but you can't beat the ride."

So yeah, you may as well let the cop commit whatever crimes he wants to commit because the alternative is hospitalization or death.

That's just reality. Cops can and will do whatever they want because nobody can stop them. There are more of them than you, they commit depraved acts of violence for pleasure, and the courts are almost always on their side.

[Hank Phillips]

See? Sullum needs to see this actual demonstration of The Political State enforcing prohibition laws written by looter politicians. Of course the addition of deadly force causes additional deaths! Of course the prohibition of experimental public proof that prohibitionist claims are false is the primary driver. The black market, fines, fees and asset forfeiture resulting from organized lying and crime serve mainly to cause money to flee banks and securities markets, and increase poverty.

[James K. Polk]

Those cops went all qualified immunity on his ass. That'll teach him!

[Jeff Mason]

I support the police 99% of the time but cases like this make me question that. I realize this is a rare instance but my God, if this guy was a threat, we need bigger cops. And yes, he can tell the police they are not authorized to enter his home. It’s called the Fourth Amendment. We also need to make sure these new, bigger cops actually read the Constitution. The man can open his doors to the fire department and exclude the police if he desires. They have recourse - it’s called a search warrant.

[Emmett Dalton]

My 99% is getting smaller all the time.

[Bobster0]

When I see "99%" I automatically think "Anti-Vaxxer!"

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