PALMER PARK, Md. – It’s the kind of thing you don’t see every day: A naked man on a fire truck later subdued by use of a Taser.
But that was the scene Wednesday in Prince George’s County, and the bizarre case highlights police officers’ use of less-lethal force. Prince George’s County police say the case demonstrates why stun guns are valuable tools for officers and the community.
The man, who police later identified as Mohamed Sulaiman Bah, 24, of Silver Spring, climbed onto the fire truck naked after allegedly shooting his friend. He swore at bystanders, shouted threats, and according to police, was high on PCP at the time.
When Bah eventually climbed off the truck, he was stunned with a police Taser.
“They tased him within 1 second. He was in handcuffs within 10 seconds with no injuries to anyone,” says Maj. Mark Person with the Prince George’s County Police Department.
Person says incidents like Wednesday’s reaffirm why the department is increasing the number of officers who carry Tasers to 600 by next month, almost doubling the number authorized to carry such equipment.
“I can only describe it as being a textbook use of the Taser,” says Person, who is the commander for the department’s training and education division. He plans to use video of the Bah arrest at the police training academy.
Prince George’s County currently has 357 officers who carry Tasers. Officers deployed those stun guns 94 times in 2012.
Person says since the department started using the stun guns on a regular basis, injuries of both suspects and officers have decreased.
Video of Bah’s arrest (Warning: Some may find the content graphic):
Video of police discussing the arrest:
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