A Florida cop was terminated after he was caught on video using a Taser on a compliant suspect in June 2021.
St. Petersburg Police Officer Matthew Cavinder was fired after using the stun gun on a 64-year-old man accused of trespassing despite the fact that the man, a wheelchair-bound panhandler, was not physically resisting the arrest.
“I think I looked at that video over 20 times,” Police Chief Anthony Holloway said.
“Today, I still cannot explain why that officer went to his Taser. We train officers every year. Everyone at this police department is trained on de-escalation.”
He added: “There was no de-escalation. He went right to his taser.”
Holloway noted that Cavinder did not activate the prongs: “What he did was place the Taser up against his body.”
Cavinder will not face charges over the incident since his action was not “intentional”, the official said.
