Teen who says she was injured by Mountie stun gun sues RCMP in Manitoba

WINNIPEG — A Manitoba woman is suing the RCMP, contending she is still suffering injuries and emotional trauma from a 2007 incident in which she was allegedly repeatedly zapped with a Taser inside a holding cell.

The woman, who was 16 at the time, says she and her friends were pulled over by police looking for a stolen car and brought to the detachment in Selkirk, north of Winnipeg.

In her statement of claim, the woman says she was put in a cell by several officers, and after punching or shoving one of them, was allegedly shoved onto the floor, kneeled on by four officers, and hit with a stun gun in her thighs three times.

"The plaintiff ... has sustained permanent neurological scarring to her legs and serious nervous shock," reads the statement of claim filed in Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench.

The lawsuit also claims that after leaving her in the cell, RCMP taunted the teen while she cried in pain and never offered medical attention, leaving the young woman traumatized.

"The plaintiff is unable to work, go to school or be physically in the presence of male police officers or male adults in general due to the emotional trauma incurred," reads the lawsuit.

The statement of claim contains allegations which have not been proven in court. The RCMP has not filed a statement of defence and a spokesman was not sure Monday whether the force had even received a copy of the claim.

"It would be inappropriate to comment on any ongoing litigation," said Manitoba RCMP Sgt. Line Karpish.

The Selkirk case is not the first lawsuit filed over Taser usage.

Michael Parson, 30, of St. Catharines, Ont., was awarded $50,000 this month by a judge after being hit with a stun gun up to 15 times by the Niagara police service in 2003.

The usage of Tasers on teens is expected to come under scrutiny in Sioux Lookout, Ont., where the family of one girl is suing the Ontario Provincial Police, alleging officers tasered the then-14-year-old in a holding cell last summer.

The family is seeking an order that Tasers not be used on minors unless a life is in jeopardy. After the case came to light, Ontario's children's advocate, Irwin Elman, called on the provincial government to institute such a ban. But the government rejected the idea, saying police need the ability to use all the tools at their disposal.

Copyright 2009 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Deank wrote:"She says she hit out in anger at the last officer to leave the cell, at which point he called the others back in and they held her down and tasered her.
"

see right there... that tells you they did it simply for revenge.

Deank wrote:"Does the fact the van was her parents make one whit of difference? "

nope just giving some of the story is all since this weeks line on it is so lacking in detail and some people might be wondering what exactly transpired.


come to think of it, it does make a difference. Bets that her parents knew exactly who stole it when they reported it stolen? Yup that means her parents called the cops on her. Must be a pretty bad child for ones own parents to call the cops.

Deank wrote:heh.. or stop hurting suspects for no reason... but that might be too much to ask.