MARION COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – A Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) deputy used a taser on a driver they say was impaired and uncooperative.
How it began
An MCSO deputy says he tried to pull over a driver on suspicion of DUI. The driver was later identified as 41-year-old Bryan Bennett. The incident was caught on the deputy’s dashboard and body camera.
The video shows the deputy flick on his emergency lights after he says he noticed the driver swerving in the 16900 block of East Fort King St. on Sunday around 2 a.m.
Although the deputy activated the siren, MCSO says the driver continued going down a dirt road until he reached the driveway of his house.
The deputy ordered the driver to step out of his vehicle, which the video shows he did.
The deputy instructs Bennett to put his hands up.
Instead, Bennett takes out his phone and tells the deputy he is “calling his lawyer.”
The deputy shouts, “Listen to me… you’re gonna get tased!”
The deputy shouts again, “Put the phone down!”
After he does not comply for the second time, the deputy tases Bennett.
You can see Bennett’s body go limp with the static sound of a taser.
Bennett drops to his knees and shouts, “I have heart problems, I have heart problems!”
The deputy instructs Bennett to lie on his stomach or else he would be “tased again.”
“I’m mentally ill!” Bennett claims as the deputy puts his hands behind his back.
Medics then responded to the scene to check on Bennett. According to them, he was in “good health.”
Deputies say when they searched Bennett’s car, they found an open container of Twisted Tea that was “cold to the touch.”
MCSO says Bennett has three prior convictions for DUI.
He’s now charged him with:
- Fleeing to Elude a Law Enforcement Officer
- Driving Under the Influence (4th Offense)
- Resisting Arrest without Violence
He was transported to Marion County Jail. Deputies say he refused to perform field sobriety tests and did not take a breathalyzer.