'Culture of impunity': San Marcos police facing civil rights lawsuits for using Taser on 2 people, i

[ItsjustMe]

‘Culture of impunity’: San Marcos police facing civil rights lawsuits for using Taser on 2 people, including man who is deaf

A pair of lawsuits pending in federal court in Austin accuse San Marcos police of quickly resorting to the use of stun guns to violate the civil rights of two men in separate incidents.

Police used a Taser weapon against John Kelley, who is deaf, in May 2019 while he was walking along a highway frontage road, body-worn camera footage obtained by KSAT Investigates shows.

Through an American Sign Language interpreter, Kelley told KSAT he was walking away from his family’s vehicle near the Interstate 35 access road and Davis Lane after having a disagreement with his wife.

He later learned that someone who saw Kelley and his wife, who is also deaf, signing to each other, called 911 and reported a possible physical disturbance.

Footage obtained by KSAT shows three officers approaching Kelley from either side of him and from behind, repeatedly yelling for him to stop before two officers used their Taser weapons on him.

The video shows Kelley falling to the pavement and rolling onto a grassy area as officers continue to yell for him to put his hands behind his back.