Police Taser 82 year old man three times - while lying in a hospital bed

by Rob Walker | May 9, 2008 at 02:13 pm | 168 views | add comment

Only days after a major British Columbia public inquiry into Taser use by police (read the story here), another scandal has hit the headlines after an 82-year-old man recovering from heart bypass surgery was tasered three times by police in BC.

82-year-old Frank Lasser, a former prison guard, was apparently delirious due to lack of oxygen (he has to carry an oxygen tank around) and for some reason pulled a small pocket knife.

When three officers arrived, they decided to taser the man, who was lying on the bed and refusing to give up the knife. They then tasered him three times.

Lasser has had heart surgery and needs to carry an apparatus to supplyoxygen at all times. He was in the Royal Inland Hospital Saturday dueto pneumonia but has since been released.

RCMP said nurses called police after Lasser became delirious and pulled a knife out of his pocket.
Lasser told CBC News that he sometimes becomes delusional when he can't breathe properly. He said he couldn't explain why he refused to let go of the knife even after the Mounties arrived.

"I was laying on the bed by then and the corporal came in, or thesergeant, I forget which it was, and said to the guys, 'OK, get himbecause we got more important work to do on the street tonight,'"Lasser said.

"And then, bang, bang, bang, three times with the laser, and I tell you, I never want that again."