The Burbank Police Department is facing some criticism after one of its officers used a taser to subdue a 16-year-old autistic boy who became agitated during a routine traffic stop.
The boy’s mother, Tawnya Navarez, was pulled over at the intersection of Burbank Boulevard and Hollywood Way on July 8 because her son was not wearing his seat belt. Naverez said she repeatedly warned the officer that he was autistic and becoming increasingly agitated by the officer’s tone and actions, but a confrontation between the two ensued anyway.
According to the policeman, the boy became “combative,” and attempts to “deescalate” the situation failed. The boy allegedly struck the officer and ran into the road, forcing the cop to pepper spray him. When that didn’t work, he used his taser to incapacitate the teen. The boy then evdiently began convulsing on the ground.
Navarez spoke of the incident in a presser Monday, her eyes welling up with tears.
"There's no reason that a routine traffic stop with a 16-year-old autistic kid should ever end with that kid on the ground being tased, being pepper-sprayed and having a seizure," her lawyer said.
Both the officer and his department insist there was no other choice. The boy was continually charging at the officer when he was stunned, Burbank PD said in a press release.
The incident is now being investigated by the department’s Juvenile Detail. No word yet on whether the woman will file a lawsuit.
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