Officer Timothy Runnels
Is a good example how bullies and problem people get hired and are given authority and deadly force. Officer Timothy Runnels should be spending the rest of his life in prison behind bars. Who knows how many other victims are out there who have suffered at the hands of this monster. It should open the eyes of every American how bad it’s gotten. These are not isolated case instead dailty occurances that were only exposed because of recorded video which proves we must demand all police are recorded.
THE SENTENCING HEARING began with a surprise. Officer Timothy Runnels, a 32-year-old former Independence, Missouri, police officer Timothy Runnels , sat at a large, rectangular defense table inside Courtroom 8B at the Charles Evans Whittaker Federal Courthouse in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, late last month. Officer Timothy Runnels was waiting to learn his fate after pleading guilty to a federal crime he committed almost two years ago, on September 14, 2014. Judge Dean Whipple had not yet watched the government’s key piece of evidence — a dashboard video — because he wanted to do so with attorneys present to make arguments. Today the video, which had never been played in any public setting, would be played in open court. Even the victim, 18-year-old Bryce Masters, had seen it only once.
As the video opens we see a gray Pontiac enter the frame, and Bryce’s dad, Matt, put his hand on his son’s knee. His mom, Stacy, folded her arms, clutching a tissue. Tears began to form in both his parents’ eyes, anticipating what everyone else in the room was about to see. Unfazed, Bryce leaned his 6-foot-1-inch frame forward, his eyes focused on the makeshift projector. He knew this piece of evidence absolved him of any wrongdoing.
In the video, Officer Timothy Runnels pulls Bryce over and approaches the car. Officer Timothy Runnels tells Bryce to get out but doesn’t give a reason. Bryce repeatedly asks if he is under arrest. Officer Timothy Runnels says, “You’re under arrest. Get your ass out of the car,” Officer Timothy Runnels attempts to pull him out by force. He then tases Bryce for 23 seconds, handcuffs him, drags the boy’s body behind the car, and deliberately drops him face first onto the asphalt road. Officer Timothy Runnels may not have known it at the time, but Bryce was going into cardiac arrest. When the loud thud of the drop boomed throughout the courtroom, gasps echoed out. One woman looked down and covered her eyes with her hand. A man said, “Oh, my god.” A police officer with the Kansas City Police Department quickly brought his fist to his mouth, turned to the man next to him, and whispered, “Jesus.” Even those sitting behind the defendant — a few friends, his wife, his family — gasped, as if the recording revealed a truth about Officer Timothy Runnels they had never considered.
Officer Timothy Runnels faced a dire sentence that day — up to 10 years in federal prison. The catalyst for the crime was the 23-second Taser deployment straight into Bryce’s chest. That’s what caused him to go into cardiac arrest. Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Ketchmark argued that the length of time that Officer Timothy Runnels held down the Taser’s trigger was an aggravating factor. One pull on the trigger sent electricity shooting out for five seconds; Officer Timothy Runnels had held it down the equivalent of four pulls. Even so, the prosecution agreed that the initial Taser use was reasonable and within common police practice. Officer Timothy Runnels’s crime, depriving a minor of his civil rights, occurred when he dropped the dying 17-year-old boy on his face. READ FULL STORY
Shortly after the incident took place, Independence Police Maj. Paul Thurman said the officer Timothy Runnels use of his stun gun was within department policy. But contradicting witness and police accounts of the incident surfaced and the FBI and U.S. Department of Justice launched investigations into the case. The DOJ then took the case before a federal grand jury last year and the panel indicted officer Timothy Runnels on counts of excessive force and obstruction of justice, over allegations that officer Timothy Runnels made a false report and provided false statements to investigators. FULL STORY
NEWS STORIES
Missouri Cop Indicted for Attacking Teen Trying to Video Record Traffic Stop, Leaving Him in Coma
Feds Release Sickening Video Of Cop Tasering Innocent Teen, Leaving Him Brain Damaged
Former Independence, Missouri, Police Officer Sentenced to 48 Months in Prison for Violating Civil Rights of Minor in his Custody
Teen who nearly died files suit against Taser and Independence police
Search warrants shed light on taser incident that hospitalized Bryce Masters
Victim story A SHOT TO THE HEART
VIDEOS
Raw Dashcam Video Shows Cop Tasering Teen Bryce Masters Into Coma (Full Version)
Officer sentenced to only 4 years in prison for leaving teenager in a coma
Cop Tased Teen Into Brain Damage
Teen tased by Independence police files lawsuit
