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Tasers
targeted
as lethal
Amnesty International
cites Pomona deaths
By David Bradvica
Daily Bulletin

u

If there are
any indications
that the taser
was dangerous,

POMONA - An international human rights organization ha.s singled out the
1996 deaths of two suspects
in the custody of Pomona
we wou'dn~t
police in a report that ~alLs for
.t !H
law enforcement agencies to
I.
immediate ly suspend the use
of tasel" ·weapons ~o their
-FotMer Pomona police
effectS""Can be better studie .
Chief Rick Shaurette
nesty Intet'national"s
153-page report on what it
views as human rights abuses hooks into the subject's clothin the U.S. criminal justice
ing from a distance; the CUrsystem said both suspects
died after being shot t\'ith a rent, typically 50,000 volts,
is transmiLted through the
taser by Pomona police.
,"vires.
But fanner Pomona police
It ill seen as an alternative
Chief Riek Shaure-tte said
investigations into the deClths in situations where lethal
showed that each was caused force is not required.
Amnesty's report said the
by the suspect's dnlg use, not
Pomona.
deaths were among
by the taser.
"If there are a.ny indica· seven'll reported deaths foltions that the taser wa.s dan- lowing the u"e of tasers, but
gerous, we wouldn't use it," AmnesLy national board
said Shaurette, who retired chairman Paul Hoffman said
Oct. 1. "It's not my call any- the organization has no spemore, but I don't see how Sus- t'ifrc figures em ta"er-related
pending its uSe to .=:;tudy their deaths.
"It's not easy to get that
usc would help. There's no
reason to believe that it is a kind of data," said Hoffman.
lethal weapon that could a Santa Monica lawyer. "But
it seem::: like a larger pattern
cause death."
.
The taser ha;;; been popu- - that these cases arc not isoThe first incident in Pomona
lar since the 1980s as a ~less­ lated instance::;. Our job is to involved a 29.year"old Lancaster
than-lethal" weapon designed point out the potential prob- woman who was subdued by a
to stun Or temporarily disable lems in their actual use and taser in July 1996 after she wai;
unruly or unc('opers.tive sus" ask whether thei r effects pulled over and arre"ted on susDeets. A ta~li!r i!5 a hand·hcld ought to he swdied. We think picion of d ri vi n g und~r the infl udevice that shoots two barbed they .=:;hnuld be."
ence of illegal drug;;;. The woman

use

died abol
arrest. Fi
ye-9.l'-old I
being aha
ta.ser at t
tion, whe:
cOIIlbativ(

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'~'

rs
~ted

thai
3rnational
a deaths
lf there are
any indications
that the faser
H

was

dangerous~

we

wouldn~t

."
use If.

.:..Former Pomona police Chief Rick Shaurette
ks into the ;;;\..1 bject's dothfrom a distance; the curt, typically 60,000 volts,
ransmitted through the:
es .

. is seen atl an alternative
situa tion5 where lethal
;e is not required.
mne.sty's report said the
10na deaths were among
~ral rQported deaths fol~
:ng the USe of Lasers, but
rlesty national board
rrnan Paul Hoffman said
organization has no spefigures On taser-related
hs.
:s not easy to get that
of data," said Hoffman,
ota Monica lawyer. "But
~ms like a larger pattern
It these case" are not isol instance&. Our job is to
: out the potential probin their actual use and
whether their dfects
~ to be studied. We think.
~hould be."

Glen Friedman/Daily Bulletin

The first incident in Pomona
Both cases wereinvel3tigafed by
involved 9. 29·year-old Lancaster
- Los Angeles County Sheriff's
woman. who was subdued by a L.;;;:~T.7~=:::=:~~~T::::r-::-;~:-' deputies and the Coroner's Office.
taser in July 1996 after she was
In both cases, investigators deterpulled ove)" and arrested on susmined the deaths had nothing to
picion of driving under the infludo with the use ofthe taser, Shauence of illegal drugs. The woman
rette said.

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Even U. S. violates·
basic human rights
For the first time, London-based Amnesty International
shines its spotlight on police brutality, prison cruelty
and capital punishment in the United States.

I

By DAVID A. LOVE
Knight Ridder
n the next few months. I will

travel throughout th,e United
Kingdom and Ireland on behalf of Amnesty Intemational. I
will not be investigating humanrights violations there. I will be
discussing the human-rights violations that are occurring right
here in the United States,
At the 12 universities where I
will be giving presentations, I will
draw attention to police brutality,
prison cruelty and capital punishment in the United States. My
part is but a small role in Amnesty"s unprecedented focus on the
United States. For the first time in
its 37-year history, the Londonbased organi2ation has launched
a major campaign in a Western
nation.
As a kick-off to the yearlong
effort, Amnesty released a report
called "United States of America:
Rights for All. The 153-page
report highlights a "persistent
and widespread pattern of hu~
man-rights violations." The overwhelming majority of the victims
are racial and ethnic minorities.
Police brutality is a longstBnd·
ing problem throughout the
United States. Some police departments are ~ty of a pattern
of abuse and mlsconduct. During
traffic stops, searches, arrests
and investigations, police officers
shoot, beat, choke and hog~tie
unresisting suspects. CiVilians
make thousands of complaints
every year, and cities pay millions
of dollars to settle police-abuse
lawsuits. Nevertheless. few Offending officers face severe pun·
ishment for their actions.
Women and children are sub-jeeted to abuse in American prisons. As of June 1998, at least
3,500 juveniles con'll'icted as
adults were placed in the same
facilities as hardened adult crimi~
nals, exposing them to a high risk
of sexual and physical violence.
Female prisoners have been
beaten., raped and prostituted by
prison guards. Many pregnant
inmates are reportedly shackled.
some while in labor.
Prison officials in the United
States also use electro-shock de'j

of equipment at their disposBl
which at times is contributing to
human-rights violations."
The most disturbing of these
devices is the remote-control stun
belt. At the push of a button, it
shocks prisoners with 50,000
volts for eight seconds. According
to the manufacturer, the belt can
cause people to involuntarily defecate or urinate. The U.S- Bureau
of Prisons, the U.S. Marshall's
Setvice and more than 100 coun'
ties and 16 state'> use the stun
The taser. is a hand-he
weapon that shoots barbed forks
into a. sUbject's clothes byway of
electrically charged wires. In July
1996, police in Pomona, Calif,
killed Kimberly Lashon Watkins
with a taser, Five months later, a
handcuffed Andrew Hunt Jr. died
after Pomona police shot him
era! times with a taser.
More
, p o ce ep
ments in the country have also
approved the use of pepper spray.
Since 1990. according to the Amnesty 5Wdy, more than 60 people
have died in police custody after
they were exposed to this chemica! agent.
Chain gangs are in use in
several states, including Alabama, Arizona, Florida aI'ld WISconsin. Although chains and leg·
irons are forbidden by international law, U.S. law does not
prohibit their use.
With more than 3,300 inmates
awaiting execution, the United
States has the largest death-row
population in the world - many
Of them :sentenced without adequate legal representation. The
death penalty is applied in a
racially biased manner in the
United States. AIImesty reports
that since 1977, 82 percent of
people executed were convicted
of murdering whites, although
blacks and whites are victimized
by violent crime in nearly the
same numbers. Further, the execution of mentally-retarded and
juvenile offenders in the United
States violates international stan-

dards.
The United States claims to be
the protector of human rights
around the wOrld. In light (If th~

09/17/99

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I4J 01

COUN:l" OF t.OS ANGE!..ES

12

DEPARTMENT OF CORONEOR

AUTOPSY REPORT

No.

96-0947.1
HUNT, ANDREW

Page: _--=5:0.--_

SECTIONS:
Routine sections of major organs and tissues are submitted in
formalin for storage.
PHOTOGRAPHY:
Photographs of the body are taken.
WITNESSES:
Detectives Rodriguez and seeger of LASD Homicide Bureau.
OPINION:
It is concluded that the death is one produced by the metabolic
and thermal effects of excited delirium associated with cocaine
abu5e.
The contribution I if any, produced by infliction of taser
dart wounds remains problematic.

SLR:rs:c
T-2/25/97

- -...

iEiA7'3eP-Fiew. 21111
..

-"".: ...-. ~

.. :.

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DEPAATMEI«f OF

COUNTY Of LOS ..PolGELJ::S

AUTOPSY REPORT·

12
al

COFlO~ER

No.
96-0947J.
HUNT, ANDREW

I peIfonned an autopsy on the body of

-

the DEPARTMENT ...;;:...
OF CORONER

--------~---

Los Angeles. California

-.;;;..,;.~---'~----=------------

~

on

DECEMBER 30, 1996

(Da1~)

~

@

_ ____I

. . . . ._ -------------1

0915 HOtffi.S
CT~I

From the anatomic fmdinJ!:5 and pertinent history I ascribe the death to:

I

CAl

EXCITED DELIRIUM ASSOCIATED WITH COCAINE ABUSE

I

DUE TO, OR AS A CONSEQU EN\.~ ....
(II)
DU~

TO. OR AS A CONSEQUE~CE 01'

tC)

DUE

roo OR. AS A. CONSEQUENCE or

(D)

~_

,

OTHER CONDITIONS CONTRIIIUTING IIUT NOr ItEI..A'l'l'O TuTlIE 11fIJ.lEDIATE CAllSf or DF.A'l'ti:

Anatomical Summary.-

I.
",.,."

• • ".-. -

--.,."

-

.r~

• •• - :••

_'''~

..... ,_._.

II.
III.

History of sustaining mUltiple taser dart wounds
"during"··ep-isode-·of "apparent""excite'd··-del-iriu:rcr;" ".'_. "

.,....

:.'.:.

~

Refer to Toxicology Report and Supplemental Report.
Refer to Microscopic Report (Form 14).

-

-

-

-~

...

...

.. r

...... '. r .......

":.~

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I4J 03

COuto/TV OF LOS ANGEl.ES

DEPART'-'ENT OF CORONER

.AUTOPSY REPORT

"12

i
1

-

the DEPARTMENT OF CORONER

JULY 22, 1996
on (Ollie)

Los Angeles. California

From (he anatomic Endings and pertinent history I
.....)

I

..

1 perfonned an autopsy on the booy of

at

ascri~

No.

@ 1030

96-05446

WATKINS, KIMBERLY

HOURS
(Time)

the death to;

I

ACUTE COCAINE INTOXICATION

DUE: TO. OR AS A COI'ISEQUENCE ur.
lBI
DUE TO. OFt AS A COI'lS£QUEI'ICE OF

I

•

ICI
DUE TO. OR AS A CONSEQUENCE: OF

•.

\1;11

-

OTf-lE:R C01"DITIO!'S ("O~TIlIBUTI;-lGlrUT '>0' RE:lI\TE"1l rUTHE" IMMEDI ...TE ("AI'~F Or liFAHI:

..

Obesity, moderate.

II.
III.

contusion, dorsum, second left finger.

xv.
v.

:: r!1-=

"':"-".''1..-- :

".r

_ .. " ..

~

Abrasion, right lateral lower leg .
•
S"tromai" hyperplasia ·of
~

'ovarle's· ....

~: ::t-r~I_

.,'

:.'. "'"

-

~ p\':~:'I' :,,,

-.•. ,"'.' :~.I

.,

~

-,

.;;..~,.

'II.'" ".'- • _..,..:

, ••••_.• - :

~:

'

-

I :.(- .•~ ..'t-.*

r

."".~.,

·-_

I

:...""!-,..:.....

:.r;.

.J.._.

I~:.~

-...

.;_~7~!90"'-RI!N.
.0.
__8111<1
.. .

'~'.:;.;-~:

. i

:~.~'':.

": .

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~-.~

•

&_

Po

~

•

I·

•

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_:-" -.. .-'= ., ."' ..

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I4J 04
DEPARTMENT OF CORONER

F LOS ANGEl-ES

AUTOPSY REPORT

No-

96-05446
WATKINS, KIMBERLY

8

C:lMMENT:
The cause of death is acute cocaine intoxication. The Police
report indicates the decedent rammed the wall at one and drove at
high speed and crashed into a car at another restaurant on
7/20/96 in Pomona.
She reportedly exhibited irra~ional behavior
and police were called. At the second restaurant, the decedent
became bellig~rent and resisted ~ttempt5 at restraint~ The
decedent waS tasered, handcuffed; and legs were restrained before
transpo~~ to the Pomona Valley Hospital Medtcal Center.
The
decedent was conscious and responsive during transport and in the
early part of her arrival at the hospital. After arrival at the
hospital, the decedent became unresponsive and was thought to
have cardiac arrest. The decedent was pronounceq dead at 1638
hours on 7/20/96. The autopsy reveals no gross cause of death.
,-, . -; •.... ".. ,'.-

·~a:ser·-''V1ound,S'·''O:E··kh'e''"T±ght·''-wr-ist

·a:rrd·""i.et't"·ant'er±·or"'thi9h··'w~re·'·~··"

,- .. ~,"'. ~,- .... -.-.-.~ .. ,

noted, plus nonfatal injuries of the body. A complete
toxicologic screen reveals a high level of cocaine and
cocaethylene. An undetermined amount of cocaine is converted to
the metabolite benzoylecgonine, postmortem. Cocaine'is capable
of producing fatal cardiac arrhythmia.
The taserin9, restraining
procedures and Desipramine in my opinion played no role in the
decedent's death.
The manner of death is accidental.

**
**

The autopsy is concluded at 1230 hours on July 22, 1996.

.............. ·r....-.:.-._

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76A.79 BP-Rf:v, 2191

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