Murderous San Jose police and Taser sued in father's death

PDT SAN JOSE -- The daughter of a man who died after San Jose police shocked him numerous times with a Taser in a motel room has filed a $20 million federal civil rights lawsuit against the city and the stun-gun manufacturer.

Steve Salinas was unarmed and naked and had not committed a crime when officers beat, kicked and used a Taser to subdue him in a room at the Vagabond Inn at 1488 N. First St. on May 25, 2007, said the suit filed Friday in U.S. District Court in San Jose.

The repeated use of a stun gun and other force "was unreasonable and excessive under the circumstances, demonstrating a deliberate indifference which shocks the conscience," said the suit filed by Salinas' daughter, Noreen Salinas.

San Jose City Attorney Rick Doyle said Tuesday that police had responded to a reported disturbance at the motel and used force because Salinas "was acting irrationally and uncontrollably" and was under the influence of PCP.

"It's always unfortunate when somebody dies, but beyond that we'll have to wait and see how the case plays out," Doyle said.

The cause of death was cardiopulmonary arrest during a violent struggle while Salinas was under the influence of PCP, according to the Santa Clara County medical examiner's office. Listed as contributing factors in his death - but not leading directly to the cause - were the Taser use as well as Salinas' obesity, hypertensive heart disease and coronary artery disease, the medical examiner said.

The suit names the city of San Jose, Police Chief Rob Davis and Taser International Inc.

Salinas is the fifth person to die after the use of Tasers by San Jose police since 2004, when all officers in the city were given the stun guns for use on patrol, according to police watchdog groups.

A separate lawsuit, filed by the family of a Salinas man who died in 2005 after being Tasered while high on methamphetamine, is under way in federal court in San Jose. The suit filed by relatives of Robert Heston Jr. names Salinas police and the stun-gun maker.

"Tasers still need to be regulated to a greater degree," said Mark Schlosberg, police practices policy director of the American Civil Liberties Union in San Francisco. "This is an issue that needs to be dealt with not just in the court system, but needs to be dealt with in a regulatory manner."

Police and Taser officials have defended the weapon, saying it is a safer alternative to firearms.

LNK

Murderous San Jose police and Taser sued in father's death

Murderous San Jose police and Taser sued in father's death

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