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Sun - Sentinel

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Ft. .La'ud erdal e
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. Tuesday

D'214,963
JAN 28 '~ 2002 ..

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Police and the
.ing andintroducirigirin6vatiW, .'
"
.
nonlethal forms o~we$onsj£d
weapon)s.maker
"Tw~ things that" oc~ur 1Il»- .
. .) .
. . gether are not necessarily C011J.
th
say e gun s.use,IS nected," Heal said.r'This isthe .:
not fatal
an
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t
ho..
':'.:'
single best, most effective fotfii
Ii ID) ., "..., " . ... . ey,.,. :.,6(:ppnleth.al weapon; by falUff
suspectdrugs.. ' .: . .. : t~~( [~ollywoo~ . de~th] lni'l!1

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111111 111111111111111111111111111111111

By JOHN HOILA.!-'ID .: . ~ .
,
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.c)y.'~:::..~ '. :~;~:.. ' ,.
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STAFF WRI~E.R
·, . <
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••
: ' ~ :M.e(;li,~81 eVidence is Il;lur~r.
HOLLYWOOD- A mentally ill
~\J9.91. studybythe University
or drug-crazed-man goes on a of.so\ithern California saifJt~

. rampage, P?lj~e j.oU him witha ff?~,.~~: .~t l.east.on~,~,~*hJ~~,ij1
50,000-volt electnc gun, and the, the:.'::Ol:lgmal ·Taser:.· ~evIC't!,
- man dies.Susplcion fallson the' whose technology is the basis ·
gun.
.. .. .. .
.r. »,::
for the'Taser International ~
That scenario, 'repeated Sun- ~SeQ by Hollywood police.' T6~ .
day night in .Hollywood.vh as;' .erInternational is only 8 ye81ts
caught the attention of police- .: old, and no deaths have been
l ocally and around the country linked to' its product, Tuttle '
who are quick
'
'
. said. . . .
to defend the "Two things that occur
. Several-so
taser weapon
people .have
as the best . toge'tiler are not
died after be~
nonlethal
necessarily connected. .' . Ing hit bY'Ql
weapon avail- .
. stungun, 11'6able. They say This.is the single best,
search shows,
thereisnoevi-mos t effective form .of. .'
but in-nearly
dence anyone
every ' C8S~
has ever died nenlathalwaapen,"
drugs , have
from being
. ~,
.'
been foundrin
struck by a
.;.. .
the . victim's
stun gun like
. ..
CAPT. SID HEAL system. L-a'St
: . LOS A NGELES COUNTY
h'
the one used
" SHERIFI"S DEPARTMENT mont
. In
in Hollywood.
, Hamilton.g s
. Vinnie Delostia died Sunday . Ohio, police stoppedusing tlre
night after a struggle with Hol- stun gun after a man died, bat
lywood police in which they they resumed when autopsyedzapped him in the chest with a suIts showed his death was
electric gun. Investigators are .from a cocaine overdose.' . -qo
awaiting a medical examiner's
One 'area 'open to debateus
report, although police Lt. Tony whether the guns are harmful
.Rode said it appears drugs to pregnant women and their
, killed Delostia.
fetuses. Last month a woman
Taser International, a brand stunned by Chula Vista, CaJif.
name for the electric shock de - 'police gave birth to a stillbtlm
vice used to stun suspects, is baby two days later.
.
used by more than 1,100 police
A medical report said lab
departments nationally, com- .cause of the death was inconpany spokesman Steve Tuttle elusive, although the motllllr
said Monday. It operates by fir- tested positive for cocaine. .HO
ing two electronic darts, pack""We haven't seen any mediing 50,000 volts, onto the body cal evidence that a Taser has.~­
of suspects, knocking them er caused a death or injury.fo
down and incapacitating them anyone," Tuttie said. "Theretfs
for at least five seconds.
no physical way our Taser <dru
Because the amperage is put out enough power to do that
low, the shock cannot cause .type of damage. It can't happermanent injury, the company pen."
.
said.
One of Taser's strongest supporters is Los Angeles County John Holland can be reached
Sheriff's Capt. Sid Heal, who at jholland@sim~sentinel.
has gained ~ reputation for test- com or 954-385-7909. . .
.

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PRESS CLIP PIN G S

How
. a taser works
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: be~n, from a Taser, l~' would
. .. , . . havebe~p. the first onein histB,.

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N1798

The electric shock delivered by a taser gun overwhelms an attacker's
his muscles to contract.
nervous systern.forcinq
,

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, Mf!mo!'Y ",. " .. .. .,. ., Dis.posable launching ~echanism
. , .. . .
; : " ; ~:; poit ".<.. >:.,;.,"- ': ..,> Coritainscompre:ss-ed' nitroge'li cartrfdge):
Records
wires and probes
date/time
.
Eledrical wires '
of each
Provide electricalpathwa~
firing
from the gun to the da~
.; .
. ...
' -116
.
. ;': Probes '. ' .
" . Attach to ' ~}J
attacker anpri '
. deliver'sh&l<

---..J:~

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• • •; '

Eledric mrrent source .
Eight AA batteries in grip

. Targeting system
Laser sight

Q!The gunis fired from a
maximum distance of
21 feet.

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.

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Q.J The probes.strike several inches
apart ana,
.
.~

embed in theattacker's skin or c1othifig.

•

QJA. S~second, 2S-watt eledrical burst - - - '
travels through the wires and into
the attacker's body, causing the
attacker's muscles to contract.

QJAdditional shocks may bedelivered by pulling the trigg er repeatedly.'
. The gun also has backup shock probes built into the gun's nose th~t;~
are activated by touching th e gun directly to the attacker.
SOURCES: Taser International, Inc.; KRT

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