Motorist shocked with highway patrol's Taser files lawsuit

Motorist shocked with highway patrol's Taser files lawsuit


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Cleon Wall and AP reporting A man who was shocked by a Utah Highway Patrol trooper's Taser has filed a lawsuit claiming the officer violated his civil rights.

An attorney for Jared Massey filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court Friday. It alleges trooper Jon Gardner used excessive force when he fired the Taser before Massey could respond to an order to put his hands behind his back.

"You'll see that he falls really hard. You can hear him hit his head. He was bleeding. That could have caused some brain injury," the attorney said.

Massey was stopped by Gardner on U.S. 40. near Vernal on Sept. 14.

A video of the incident recorded by a patrol car camera was posted on the Internet site YouTube.

Gardner was placed on leave and returned to work after taking a course in verbal commands.

Massey later pleaded guilty to speeding in Uintah County Justice Court and paid a $107 fine.

(The Associated Press and The Salt Lake Tribune contributed to this article. Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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