Been Tased and Confused... UPDATED It's a Prank

We've been hearing the name Andrew Meyer all day today, betwixt meaningless OJ coverage, of course. He's the moron that got himself tasered by University of Florida Police Officers at a John Kerry event yesterday.

Anybody who watches the video with an open mind can clearly see that he violently resisted arrest and the cops there had every right to use the taser on him. I would have handled the entire event differently, especially in front of any mostly anti-police crowd on a university campus, but they covered all the bases: they asked him verbally, then warned him, then went hands on, but, because of poor tactics, were unable to control or handcuff him. When he continued to resist, despite numerous verbal commands, he got zapped. Boofreakinghoo.

He'll probably be kicked off of a Southwest Airlines plane tomorrow for wearing a short skirt.

If you ask me, the entire event was staged. He's either the biggest wussy on the planet or the world's worst actor (or both!). Screaming help me! at the top of his lungs, his false exclamations that he didn't know why he was being arrested and the way he screamed like a little girl while using force against the officers leads me to believe he staged the whole thing. If you visit the guys website (although I don't know why you'd want to), you'll see that he's quite the little prankster.

Sadly, it doesn't look like the university is going to back the cops on this one.

And I do have to give some props to John Kerry for trying to calm the situation down and trying to talk to the guy who cut in line and refused to calm down (although I'm sure he had no intention of answering the "skull and bones" question the nut posed). Sadly, his later comments about the very cops who were there to protect him were more in-line with his typical attitude.

“In 37 years of public appearances, through wars, protests and highly emotional events, I have never had a dialogue end this way,” Kerry said in a statement. “I believe I could have handled the situation without interruption, but I do not know what warnings or other exchanges transpired between the young man and the police prior to his barging to the front of the line and their intervention. I asked the police to allow me to answer the question and was in the process of responding when he was taken into custody.”

“I was not aware that a taser was used until after I left the building,” he continued. “I hope that neither the student nor any of the police were injured. I regret enormously that a good healthy discussion was interrupted.”

Michelle Malkin covers it, as does Hot Air. And from another cops perspective, check out Flopping Aces. 

UPDATED: Awe, thanks Michelle!

UPDATE II: It figures.

Police noted that his demeanor "completely changed once the cameras were not in sight" and described him as laughing and being lighthearted as he was being driven to the Alachua County Detention Center.

"I am not mad at you guys, you didn't do anything wrong. You were just trying to do your job," Meyer said, according to the police report.

At one point, he asked whether there were going to be cameras at the jail, according to the report.

Meyer was charged with resisting arrest with violence -- a felony -- and a misdemeanor count of disturbing the peace. He was released without having to post bond Tuesday.

[snip]

Meyer was carrying a business card advertising "TheAndrewMeyer.com 'Speak My Mind,' " the police report said.

The Web site features videos of Meyer taking part in several practical jokes. It also includes a "disorganized diatribe" that criticizes the war in Iraq and the media.

The Web site said his friends had posted coverage of his arrest. Source.

As I said, they should have let the idiot ramble and not given him his 5 seconds of fame, but, once they went hands on, the were required to take him into custody with the minimum amount of force necessary. They could have beaten him senseless with batons but chose the lesser force option, the taser, which was completely effective. Now let's see if the university backs them up.

Comments

[Jennifer]

This is a great blog. It's disturbing to me, how eager people are to embrace the notion that Idiot Boy was hit with the taser because he exercised his freedom of speech. When looking at the comments on youtube in response to the video I thought I was one of the few who felt there was a complete lack of context to the video. So many people are eager to throw the whole country to the Nazis. Including, evidently, CNN. It isn't often that I actually feel the mainstream media is out of line. Honestly, this is probably the first time I felt strongly that a story was being told with blatant and unjustified bias. Your voice of reason is very much appreciated!

[Mathieu Ferron]

Thanks very much for this cops point of view. But as I can see from your "comment are moderated, and will not appear on this blog until the author has approved..." you play the same violon then your friend and UF! The point of this video/event is not so much that this student is tasered, but that he is violently arrested in front of a ex-presidential candidat in a democratic context, which usually mean free speeching. Police job is to arrest jutice offender, not journalist or any other citizen asking question. As you mention, the only justice offence this guy has commited is to ressist his arrestation, which in my oppinion is fully overcomed by the fact that this violent arrestation is disproportionated and misplaced in the context.

[LC Beaker, Dept. of Hegemony by Force]

I agree with your take. I don't think the cops were out of line (I hope I didn't give that impression on my blog). My only point was that sadly, conservative speakers don't get the same level of security or consideration.

By the way, if he wanted to get his fellow leftists to help him, rather than scream "help me" he should have screamed "Viva la Raza!"

[brenda]

Someone please tell this bonehead and all the other ones that do stupid stunts like this one. While-- yes they have a right to free speech. We have just as much to right to wish them GONE. As in GO AWAY! WE have zero interest in your 2 mins of fame! Instead to tasering him....how about just glueing his mouth shut? Staples? stitches?

[Mike]

Ah, Mathieu, you're right, the arrest was violent, but whose choice was that? If he had followed the rules of the event, and then the verbal orders of the police, there would have been no violence at all. What you saw was about five cops trying not to hurt someone because they knew that people like you would whine about brutality no matter how it turned out, which is exactly what the idiot wanted.

[Flag Gazer]

I wasted a bunch of my day watching several versions of video on this and reading many news reports - it seemed to me that he was going out of his way to create an event.

I disagree with you on John Kerry - he was more like a deer in the headlights than anything else.

[Kris]

6 cops can't even take someone outside wihout using a taser gun? LOL Those cops need some training.

The real question is:

Can someone get arrested for speaking his mind? Can someone get arrested based on the content of what his saying.

I honestly think the founding fathers had somehting totally different in mind. This is just unamerican.

[matt pigott]

First of all let me correct the author, these are not cops there college campus RENT A COPS.Do not derespect the true men in blue by saying these cowards with tasers are cops. Bottom line is the student was tasered and taken into custody for asking a question.Last time i checked we live in America, not Stalins Russia.

[PALADIN]

WHAT A PUSSY!!!!!!!!!!THE WAY THE GUY WAS YELLING YOU,D FIGURE THEY WERE KILLING HIM!!!!!!THE LAW CLEARLY STATES THAT WHEN A PEACE OFFICER TELLS YOU TO DO SOMETHING, YOU DAMN WELL DO IT OR SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES!!!!!!!! ANYTHING ELSE IS RESISTING , OR OBSTRUCTING AN OFFICER IN HIS DUTIES. THIS OVER EDUCATED LIBERAL BUM HAS,NT FIGURED THIS OUT YET. OH WELL MAYBE HE LEARNED IT NOW.

[Mike]

First, the officers were from the University of Florida Police Department, making them police officers with police powers, as any moron could research on his own. Second, tasering someone doesn't make them cowards but lying to condemn them makes you one and third, he was tasered for resisting arrest, which is obvious to anyone who watched the video with anything close to an open mind. He jumped in line, refused to yield the microphone when his time was up, refused legal orders to do stand down, and fought when they tried to remove him, and so, was tasered. All of which he has since admitted was his plan.

[Alex]

uhh... people cant be tasered for being morons, just because the kid was obnoxious does not mean he can be tasered.

just glancing over your site....your an embarrassment to *true* conservatives everywhere, look up prescott bush if you get the chance, if thats too far back check out ron paul, hes a bit extremist but the closest thing to a "conservative" in the academic sense that exists in the current political climate
you would qualify as a something approaching a fasicst

awesome posting policy, you think this will make the cut? enjoy your life of ignorance, maybe go to college, if you already have then go back and attend one that is actually reputable

[Cody]

Geez... I love the people that connect being arrested with his questions. Pay attention to the clip.

They were removing him for exceeding his time, and more or less speaking conspiracy theory BS. He then made a big deal about what are they gonna do, resisted being removed, and basically made a huge fuss out of what was "Your time is up."

And the taser was because he was resisting arrest. I don't know how many of you have tried to control a flailing full grown man, but it is not easy, especially when you don't want to cause bruises are broken bones. The taser was the more humane thing to do than club him or continue to brute force him.

Basically, Andrew Meyer is a big drama queen. And no, I do think some freedoms are a bit more limited these days, but this is in no way an example of such a case.

Think abit people before you claim "Police Brutality" or "Police State," you just make fools out of yourselves to the educated.

[Kali]

If I was John Kerry and some kid came rushing towards me, Id have them put a bullet in his head. Oh wait, but than we'd have another unnecessary lawsuit. Even more reason to kill him.

[Mike]

Kali, I agree with you, this guy is lucky that the security detail didn't take him down when he first jumped out of line and ran to the front. His security detail would have been a lot less friendly than the the University cops.
As for your comments, Alex, well, there's nothing there intelligent enough to comment upon. Thanks for reading...

[Eric]

I detest the fact that people and the media say: " ...was tasered just for asking a question." You people are idiots. To me, the question he asked has nothing to do with him getting arrested - there is no connection. It was the manner in which he asked, his conduct, and his repeated failure to listed to instructions from the UPD - which were, basically: 'shut the @#$% up and be nice.' The UPD did, after all, ask him nicely to stop his "performance", to which he said "I will ask my question, thank you very much!" The prick got tasered because he resisted arrest. simple. Next question, please.

[ron simpson]

Ok. For all the Idiots out there.
Resisting arrest is resisting arrest is resisting arrest.....any questions?
He was not going peacefully. Had he done that--no taser.
Also, free speech has limits. Within the rules of the forum and the holders of the forum, the college had the right to cut off the mike and have him removed. if he was on the street or in a forum that allowed his behavior, then it would be wrong to try and shut him up. But the Q&A forum was set up according to established guidelines and he BROKE THEM! The event holders had every right to remove him for violating the event rules. That is what all the pinheads out there are missing.
Although I must ask, if it had been a Republican that was heckling him and asking him nasty conservative (ie HARD) questions and was removed this way, would the libs have cheered or raised the same stink?

[matt]

How can you resist arrest when the officers have no grounds to arrest you? Did they ask him to leave no they physically assulted him. He did not get rough until they tried to take him into custody without telling him why he was under arrest. I am glad calling him a wussy makes you feel like a real big man. Prank or not it does not justify the officers actions. ohhh wait i'm talking to peace officers who are better me and i better "damn well do what they say". Comments like that make me wonder what percentage of officers joined the force to power there overinflated ego.

[Etniks]

Regardless of how forceful and controversial this kid was when he asked the questions, THIS IS NOT A WAY TO TREAT A 21 YEAR OLD STUDENT who asked actually VERY relevant questions.
I worked my ass off during that campaign and signed up 12 new voters in areas likely to vote for Kerry, gave rides to people to go vote on the day, plus I sent hundreds of dollars to elect him, but he conceded immediately and KEPT 51 MILLION DOLLARS TO HIMSELF from the campaign. He kept on talking quietly while the kid was screaming as if nothing was happening. Kerry and all others who support the police action are sick.