Hollywood police used reasonable force in stun gun death, review finds
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Police officers in Hollywood used reasonable force when they used a stun gun 10 times on a mentally ill man four years ago, department officials say.
Daniel Tyson, who was zapped four times while cuffed and shackled, died within minutes on Oct. 27, 2014.
On Wednesday, Hollywood commissioners agreed to pay Tyson’s family $750,000 to settle a wrongful death lawsuit.
The only policy violated that day: Two of the several officers responding to the scene wore the wrong shoes, black sneakers. That’s according to a department review of the incident obtained Thursday by the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Police were called to Tyson’s apartment after he walked onto his balcony nude and was seen talking to a tree and tossing items onto the ground below.
Under department policy, officers were entitled to use deadly force after Tyson threw a sundial clock at an officer, leaving him with a deep gash that required six staples, the May 29 report says.
Hollywood officers are also permitted to use a stun gun on a handcuffed suspect if he or she continues to struggle — as police say Tyson did.
Stephanie Casey, an attorney for the Tyson family, declined to comment Thursday.
In a previous interview, Casey said up to six officers were on scene at the time of death.
The officers were not disciplined by the Hollywood Police Department, and a grand jury found their use of deadly force was justifiable under state law.
Officer Alexis Ramirez told the grand jury he saw “stars†after being hit with the sundial clock.
Tyson intended to kill Ramirez when he threw the clock at his head, according to the department’s Internal Affairs report. Ramirez zapped Tyson with a stun gun once but could have chosen to fire his weapon, the report says.
Backup Officer Andreas Pantaloukas used a stun gun on Tyson nine times. The stun guns — used for a total of 54 seconds — were “ineffective†because Tyson continued to fight the officers, according to the department.
When he stopped moving, paramedics tried to revive him with CPR. When that failed, Tyson was taken to the hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Friend John Collette told police Tyson had come unhinged the day before the incident. Collette says Tyson threw him to the ground, hit him with a champagne bottle and stabbed a chair with a knife, according to the report.
Officers had a “duty to act†because it was clear Tyson was a danger to himself and others, the report says.