Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Team coverageA Cedar City man says police used a Taser on him shortly after he suffered a seizure during a traffic stop. Now Travis Braun wants to have DUI and other charges against him dropped.
Braun has filed a formal complaint with the Cedar City Police Department over what happened and is now taking his case to the court of public opinion. He's posted dash-cam video on YouTube, arguing he was in need of medical help, not the force of a Taser.
The video shows Braun being given a field sobriety test by Cedar City police on the night of Nov. 20. After nearly 30 minutes of testing, Braun's condition suddenly changed and he collapsed.
The video shows police immediately call for an ambulance, reporting Braun is in a seizure. Officers move him from the pavement to the curb, but about four minutes later, an officer uses his Taser on him.
"Cops are definitely a benefit to society, but there is a line, and I think that they crossed it; and when they cross it, I will fight for my rights," Braun said.
Braun easily passed a Breathalyzer test, although blood tests later revealed Braun had traces of marijuana in his system.
The hospital report diagnosed Braun as having a seizure, but the police chief says officers on scene began to question if Braun was really having a seizure.
"His behavior changed in such a way they felt he was being resistant to being arrested, and that is why the Taser was deployed, because he was being quite combative and resistant," explained Cedar City Police Chief Robert Allinson.
Police have their own theory about Braun's motivation to go public. "What he asked for was if we would drop the charges, that his complaint would go away. And he was advised we don't do that, drop the charges against him, and it doesn't work that way," Allinson said.
"I want to clear my name. I want to be looked at like anyone else, not the guy who has been in trouble," Braun said.
The internal police investigation into Braun's complaint is still underway. He has pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charges filed against him, including assault on a police officer.
E-mail: spenrod@ksl.com
E-mail: cwall@ksl.com
E-mail: sworsley@ksl.com
