'Don't Taze My Granny!'
Today in necessary and justified taserings: an Oklahoma man called 911 and asked for medical attention for his disabled, bedridden 86 year-old grandmother. Did she somehow end up being tasered? I'm surprised you even have to ask.
Instead of sending EMTs, El Reno, Oklahoma sent ten cops, because, safety first. Granny told them to get out of her apartment. Mouthing off to cops? That's a tasering.
"Instead, the apparent leader of the police [defendant Thomas Duran] instructed another policeman to 'Taser her!' He stated in his report that the 86 year-old plaintiff 'took a more aggressive posture in her bed,' and that he was fearful for his safety and the safety of others.
"Lonnie Tinsley told them, 'Don't taze my Granny!' to which they responded that they would Taser him.
So of course they tasered granny twice and stepped on her oxygen tube and grabbed her out of bed and cuffed her and then, well, they had to call the ambulance. But then they threw her in the psych ward for a week, so, game set and match, the police! If only Lonnie Tinsley had exclaimed "Don't taze my Granny, bro!" he could have gotten a great pop culture meme started. Missed opportunity.
[You really should read this entire Courthouse News account. Shout out to Ravi for the tip.
UPDATE: Here's a version that says granny "pulled a kitchen knife and told officers 'she was in control of her life.'" That's a tasering.]