By Kevin Deutsch
Coral Springs Police officers used Tasers to shock a man they said was suffering a mental health crisis after he violently resisted being taken into custody under the Baker Act, court records show.
The 27-year-old man was charged with battery on an officer and resisting an officer with violence after police used the devices to electrically shock him in his back, arm, side, and chest, according to an arrest affidavit filed by the police department.
The incident began shortly before 9:30 p.m. Monday at NW 49th Drive when police responded to a call about a bipolar family member at his address, who was “off his medications and breaking things,” records show.
His behavior grew increasingly aggressive as he tried to enter a neighbor’s home. At the same time, police said they used crisis intervention techniques to try and calm Vielot, telling him they were there to help, according to an arrest affidavit.
Police tried to detain him under Florida’s Baker Act, which allows police to take someone into custody who is a threat to themselves or others.
They said he resisted detention, breaking free from an officer and pushing him over some landscaping as he ran back toward his house.
Police said they used a Taser on him as he ran, then shocked him with the devices multiple times while he was on the ground because he allegedly continued to resist, according to the affidavit.
The scene was witnessed by multiple neighbors, who came out of their homes amid the commotion, police said.
His family later told police he was bipolar and had stopped taking his medication.
He was medically cleared at Broward Health Coral Springs, taken to Coral Springs Police headquarters, and then to the Broward Main Jail.
Court records did not indicate whether the bond was set or whether he was still in jail Friday.
According to the court records, the police officer who the man allegedly pushed suffered an abrasion to his elbow.
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Author Profile
- Kevin Deutsch is an award-winning crime journalist and author. A graduate of Florida International University, Kevin has worked on staff at The Miami Herald, New York Daily News, and The Palm Beach Post.
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