Police Required to Use Pepper Spray and Taser on Student With Mental Health Issues Over Pronoun Dispute
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Police Required to Use Pepper Spray and Taser on Student With Mental Health Issues Over Pronoun Dispute
Officers responding to a stolen vehicle call are pulled into a lengthy standoff with a student in mental health crisis who refuses repeated requests to lower their voice and calm down. After verbal de-escalation, warnings, and offers of space fail to gain compliance, and the individual resists being handcuffed, officers turn to pepper spray and a taser to safely take them into custody. In the aftermath, officers debate whether the student needs a mental health hold or should go to jail, and take steps to keep them out of the general population for their own safety.
An officer working a stolen vehicle investigation is confronted by a student who begins shouting and refusing to lower their voice. The officer warns that continued shouting will result in handcuffs and a trip to a Baker Act facility for a mental health hold, and asks the student multiple times to calm down. The student accuses the officer of threatening them, while the officer explains they simply don't have time to be yelled at in the middle of an active investigation. A second unit is requested to help manage the situation as the student's agitation continues.
Repeated Attempts to De-escalate
Officers spend an extended period trying to talk the student down before any force is used. The student begins recording on their phone and repeatedly asks officers to use a particular pronoun, saying it is causing them distress. An officer named George calmly asks the student to put their belongings down, turn around, and place their hands behind their back. The student refuses outright, telling officers they already tried to get help and instead felt they were met with hostility, despite officers' attempts to reason with them.
Non-Compliance Forces Officers' Hand
With verbal attempts exhausted and the student still refusing to comply, officers order them to the ground. When the student does not obey, officers deploy pepper spray after clearly warning them beforehand, and continue asking for the student's hand so they can be handcuffed safely. Despite warnings that a taser would be used as a last resort, the student continues to resist, insisting only that officers give them space rather than complying with lawful orders.
Taser Deployed to Secure the Arrest
After the student allegedly throws a fist and a kick at officers during the struggle and grabs at an officer's radio microphone, a taser is used in a brief "drive stun" mode to bring the student under control. Officers are then able to secure both hands and complete the arrest. Paramedics are called to check on the student following the taser's use, standard procedure after any such deployment, and the student is placed in a patrol car.
Student's Reaction After Arrest
Once restrained, the student tells officers, "I hate you all. You escalated this. You didn't have to pull out the pepper spray. You didn't have to continue to misgender me. You know my buttons and you set them off." The student asks for their phone and belongings back as they are led away.
Officers Weigh a Mental Health Hold
Debriefing afterward, officers recount the student throwing a closed fist and a kick, and grabbing an officer's equipment during the struggle. They discuss whether the student should be Baker Acted for a psychiatric evaluation or processed through jail, noting a mental health hold can still be arranged at the jail itself. Recognizing signs that something is seriously wrong, one officer notes the student cannot be safely held with the general population because they would be at risk there, and the group agrees to place the student in protective custody as soon as they arrive for processing.
