Matt Masters does not agree that the Taser use was reasonable, but he agrees it was common police practice. A former Independence police officer who injured a teen driver during a 2014 traffic stop was sentenced Wednesday to four years in federal prison. Bryce Masters used his mobile phone to record his encounter with Officer Timothy Runnels on September 14, 2014. He was shot 21 times in the back and seven times about the body. Nurses cut his clothes off. Matt thinks back to his initial training in 2004, when he was assured that the weapons electric current would notcause death. Runnels faces a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for his conviction for violating the minor's civil rights. 716. on about your day, ask yourself: How likely is it that the story you just read would have been produced by a different news outlet if The Intercept hadnt done it? Independence Police Department squad car. Stacy and Matt cried as Bryce fought. Cops use that all the time.. The court found that the law surrounding the officers use of force was not clearly established. I get a lot of sympathy from my black cop friends, like, this is what weve been saying about cops for a long, long time.'. Thats what happened; there was no other plausible explanation. Matt headed to jail and posted Bryces bail. Former Officer Timothy Runnels was sentenced last week to four years in prison over the September 2014 incident. Circuit Court of Appeals found that the policeman, Timothy Runnels, had violated the teen victims right to be free from an excessive, prolonged use of a Taser. They had seen the dashboard video and had a clear picture of what happened. Runnels improper use of the Taser caused Bryce's heart to stop for eight minutes. "We hope that today's sentence will allow Bryce to begin to focus on his future. Bryce Masters received CPR after being tased by Officer Timothy Runnels (top right), Sept. 14, 2014. First, according to Bryce, he and a friend named Curtis Martes were searched by two Independence officers, Travis Gillihan and Timothy Runnels. Timothy is related to Carolyn Ann Runnels . You can receive all future diariesof Support the Dream Defenders in your Daily KosStreamby clickinghere. The ticking sound of the Taser continued. As a cop, though, he couldnt escape the thought that Bryce had somehow provoked him. Stacy recalled pointing to one of the officers on the scene and asking Curtis, Is that the one who did it?. This time, he didnt reconsider. Members of the Daily Kos group Support the Dream Defenders launchedfour ongoing projects: 1. The story became notorious among Kansas City cops. OurFreedom of Information Act project. When the loud thud of the drop boomed throughout the courtroom, gasps echoed out. Matt assumed it was due to positional asphyxia a condition where breathing is inhibited because of awkward positioning or restraint. More awesome news! One woman looked down and covered her eyes with her hand. The 17-year-old went into a coma after what started as a traffic stop ended with Runnels using his Taser for 20 seconds, four times longer than officers are supposed to keep the electricity running. A jury found police officer Runnels used excessive force against Masters during a traffic stop. Runnelss crime, depriving a minor of his civil rights, occurred when he dropped the dying 17-year-old boy on his face. Finally, she asked one of the nurses. According to the court filings, Runnels also admitted that his actions resulted in bodily injury to the minor. Cops do make bad decisions. During a sentencing hearing before Senior U.S. District Court Judge Dean Whipple of the Western District of Missouri, the government provided evidence that Runnels deployed his taser into the minors chest during a traffic stop and then caused the electric current to run for approximately 20 seconds, four times longer than officers are trained to deploy a taser. And, to this day, were what, 15 years later since its hit the vast majority of departments, thats still the narrative.. He has worked on SWAT teams and has been part of Kansas Citys police narcotics unit, taking point on an estimated 1,000 search warrants during one three-year span. The hearing lasted no more than 30minutes. Stacy just looked on in horror. Even the victim, 18-year-old Bryce Masters, had seen it only once. He told Bryce that the officer shouldnt have gone into his pockets and the search was likely illegal. Even so,the prosecution agreed that the initial Taser use was reasonable and within common police practice. The more they discussed the question, the more sobering it became. Miami Trace High School recently released the second nine weeks honor roll and honorable mention. He had to have done something.. I still get what cops go through, the decision-making process, the damned if you do, damned if you dont process, Matt said. While he still values the profession, his newfound empathy made him more aware of the real damage some officers inflict. A former Independence police officer who injured a teen driver during a 2014 traffic stop was sentenced Wednesday to four years in federal prison. . The jury. Runnels may not have known it at the time, but Bryce was going into cardiac arrest. Everything Taser told them.. Lack of human empathy does. It was a war of attrition. He jumped up from his seat and yelled, What the fuck? Eventually, they asked him how Bryce was doing. As part of his guilty plea, Runnels admitted that while he was employed as an officer of the Independence Police Department, he deprived the minor of his civil rights by deliberately dropping the minor face first onto the ground while the minor was restrained and not posing a threat to Runnels or others. Yet the FBI and the U.S. attorneys office assured the Masters that the dashboard recordingwas definitive. The cop put his foot on his back and moved it back and forth like he was putting a cigarette out and asked him, Are you ready to get up now? You could tell the kid was going into convulsions.. Bryce spent the better part of 45 minutes arguing with his parents as he tried to wrap his mind around why they wanted to go to the game so early. As the video openswe seea gray Pontiac enter the frame, and Bryces dad, Matt, put his hand on his sons knee. Runnels orders Masters to exit his . He was completely immobilized, the ventilator still in place, but he was making eye contact with his mom and dad. And it sure wasnt lack of training that made D commit such a cruel and dangerous act against a loving, loyal, and protective dog. Officer Runnels will pay a price for his murderous actions. Bryce repeatedly asks if he is under arrest. A federal felony is not a slap on the wrist, Hobbs said. Runnels says, Youre under arrest. He felt terrible for missing the game. He was born on May 27, 1947 in Bloomingburg, Ohio to Clarence and Rebecca Wyatt Runnels. Matt and Stacy were upset, but they believed the worst was over. Rest in peace, Muhammad Ali. This case was filed in U.S. Courts Of Appeals, U.S. Court Of Appeals, Eighth Circuit. Runnels needed to be held accountable for his actions, and they were disappointed the government accepted a plea deal based on only one of the charges. As the boy went into cardiac arrest and technically died before paramedics resuscitated him, the aggressive cop was captured on video manhandling and stepping on the dying teens motionless body. Then click "Follow," which will make all STDD diariesappear in "My Stream" of your Daily Kos page. Matt, Stacy, and Bryce sat around an oval conference table with their attorney Daniel Haus, a few FBI agents, an attorney from the Department of Justice, and Ketchmark. How he dragged the near-unconscious boy away from the dashcam and then callously dropped him so that his face hit theconcrete sidewalk is sickening. People were just shaking their heads, Stacy said. He tells Bryce to get out but doesnt give a reason. He wanted to prove himself, but he didnt know any of the details. That Friday, Matt, Stacy, and Bryce walked into a courtroom at the Charles Evans Whittaker Courthouse in downtown Kansas City. More importantly, if there was no warrant associated with Bryce or his car, why was he stopped in the first place? Yeah, they had a heart attack, but the Taser didnt cause it. It goes back to the way he was trained. Timothy Runnels was sentenced to four years behind bars for the 2014 tas The officer pushed him against the car and began digging through his pockets. "The department remains committed to ensuring that police officers who violate their sworn oaths by using excessive force are held accountable," said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Gupta. Bryce admits now that, given a potential lifetime of frustration, the thought crossed his mind. Most of the damage Bryce suffered, though, was done to his psyche. It was so unnatural.Bryce was unconscious, and no one was telling Stacy he was going to be OK. Shecalled Matt. Miami Trace High School recently released the third nine weeks honor roll and honorable mention. He suffered brain damage and the road ahead will not be easy for him. The young man lived, and Matt was justified, the grand jury found, but even then, it made him extremely uncomfortable. About an hour later, a colleague called Matt; two FBI agents assigned to investigate police misconduct were already looking for him. Timothy Runnels was sentenced to four years behind bars for the 2014 . Bryce refused. Toward the end of Runnels sentencing hearing on May 26, Bryce stepped to the front of the courtroom to give his victim impact statement. The case status is Pending - Other Pending. People tell me Im different, he admitted to the crowd. It is estimated that someone is murdered in Texas every seven hours. So Runnels grabbed him by the armsand pulled him, with the boys legs dragging on the ground between Runnels shuffling feet, toward the side of the road. Runnels may have been a bad cop, but if he hadnt been given a device that Taser International had assured him was extremely unlikely to kill, then he might not have been tempted to shock a teenager who simply wanted to know why he was being arrested. Dr. Augustin was firm. Timothy Kendall Runnels Addresses 56th St NE , Snohomish, WA Ridge Rd , Orondo, WA PO Box , Mill Creek, WA Relatives Laurin R McCrory Timothy Allen Runnels Matt H Runnels Helen Jean Runnels + 1 more Phone Numbers (425) nay - peek (425) nay - peek View phones View Tim's Current Address | View Tim's Phone Best Match Powered by Whitepages Premium The police kept referencing an outstanding warrant, but unless there was a ticket Mattdidnt know about, Bryces license was valid and his car had been registered to Matt and Stacy for over three years. I remember thinking, Oh my God. As if possessed, Bryce slowly got out of the car and lay down on the pavement at Runnelss feet. The provider is registered as an individual and his NPI record was last . A former Independence police officer has been sentenced to serve four years in prison after violating the rights of a 17-year-old boy during a traffic stop.Timothy Runnels used a Taser on Bryce . In another incident, a police cruiser blocked him in; a few nights later he was pulled over. The Missouri officer, Timothy Runnels, was sentenced last week to four years behind bars for the 2014 tasering arrest that put teenager in a Bryce Masters coma. I didnt do anything wrong. Still, seeing himself abused like that was surreal. I can hear you, Bryce said. Witness video of Independence officer Tim Runnels arresting Bryce Masters following a traffic stop Sunday in Independence. Top 3 Results for Timothy Runnels. Tasers told everybody, If youve got to put your hands on somebody, why? The agents would confirm only that there was a dashcam video of the incident. Runnels faced a dire sentence that day up to 10 years in federal prison. But his anxiety those first few months made such issues much more debilitating. Given the grim initial prognosis, the Masters felt lucky. Later Wednesday, Masters family issued a statement thanking investigators, prosecutors and medical personnel who treated Masters. He was recording the interaction with his cellphone. Matt was irate, screaming, You bunch of fucking cowboys! at the officers assembled to gather evidence. So the record clearly supported a denial of qualified immunity.. Meanwhile, Independence police officials were intent on controlling the story. Matt and Stacy said the agents seemed unsurprised by the injuries. Contact your United States senatorandcontact your representative in the United States Congress. As he left Centerpoint Medical Center late Sunday afternoon, he walked with a noticeable limp, dragging his right leg behind him. Any positive reviews previously submitted about Dr. Timothy D Runnels, DC will appear here. Hes going to prison., Matt and Stacey were obviously outraged by what happened to Bryce and dealt with the heartbreaking circumstances of his injury every day. You need to get up here.. I get a lot of sympathy from my black cop friends, like, this is what weve been saying about cops for a long, long time. Because youre only as good as the training.. Lonnie Ali at her husbands funeral: America must never forget that when police and young black boys speak, great things can happen.. He even argued that using the Taser for 20 seconds was reasonable because Runnels didnt have control of Bryce until it was over. He would sleep for a bit, forget again, then look in the mirror. Today the video, which had never been played in any public setting, would be played in open court. Cops do fuck up. All he had was the instinct that, as the son of a cop himself, he would have made sure to be respectful. Runnels improper use of the Taser caused Bryce's heart to stop for eight minutes. Get your ass out of the car, he said. The Taser did this. Matt was surprised. It was easier for himto view Runnelss actions as an error of judgment exacerbated by ignorance. His most vivid recollection was the intense pain coming from his mouth. The conversation was still fresh in Bryces mind on September 14 when Officer Runnels pulled him over. Yeah, I kind of do, he concluded. theintercept.com Tased in the Chest for 23 Seconds, Dead for 8 Minutes, Now Facing a Lifetime of Recovery I felt ashamed, because I didnt want to watch it. I knew, in my heart, that I didnt do anything wrong to him, he said. You dont just get tased, Matt remembered thinking. WARNING: GRAPHIC FOOTAGE. (Sept. 14, 2014) No one said anything about avoiding the chest, and this was five years after Taser International officially changed the target area and with an incident involving a local officers child providing a perfect example of what could happen. Police said Morgan was belligerent and fired first, while Morgan said police started firing as soon as they saw his gun, and denied firing a shot, the report notes. Look for a box or option labeled Home Page (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari) or On Startup (Chrome). His short-term memory loss was severe, and it exacerbated his emotional instability. But, deep down, she understood what Bryce was up against. The Masters didnt worry much about Bryce in high school. Runnels stepped back, stood straight, took a shooting position, and again grabbed his Taser from its holster. What does an officer know about the Taser? he asked. Dr. Stanley Augustin, the chief trauma surgeon, joined the conversation. Being a convicted felon and losing the only career he ever aspired to was a significant punishment for Runnels, Hobbs said. 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. Matt started searching the internet for Taser deaths and cardiac arrest. Copyright 2023 Young Bryce Masters is still recovering from the injuries he sustained at the hands of Timothy Funnels. He had done exactly what his parents told him to do. Bryce Masters and his family at their home on June 2, 2016. Dash camera video of the incident depicts Runnels handcuffing the minor after the taser deployment and then picking him up. His memory had improved a bit. He and Stacy had been assured by the FBI that what Runnels did crossed the line. He took a shot right to the heart, and that sent him into cardiac arrest.. Runnels had resigned from the Kansas City department under threat of termination in 2010. Bryce and his two siblings remained in the Independence school system. Weve been fooled by a company that has made millions and millions of dollars off of the police departments.. She told the sergeant she spoke to that the family believed the officers had conducted an illegal search and that they were considering filing a complaint. Later, a different spokesperson would tell KCTV that the use of the Taser was in policy. Runnelss name wasnt initially released. You could see blood coming out of his mouth. share. An officer may not continue to tase a person who is no longer resisting, threatening or fleeing, Circuit Judge Jane L. Kelly wrote on behalf of a three-judge panel of the court. Following a five-day trial in December 2018, a jury awarded Masters $5 million in actual damages and $1.5 million in punitive damages, including $500,000 for prolonged use of the Taser and $1,000,000 for the pavement drop. He was waiting to learnhis fateafter pleading guilty to a federal crime he committed almost two years ago, on September 14, 2014. After misdiagnosing the cause of the problem, Matt Masters shared some more with us: After almost 20 years as a cop, it had become easy for Matt to split the world into good guys and bad guys. Finally, he was clear, and the room celebrated. Select the option or tab named Internet Options (Internet Explorer), Options (Firefox), Preferences (Safari) or Settings (Chrome). He believes that when Runnels said, All right, fine, fuck it, he was making a conscious decision to punish Bryce. He acknowledges that the number of Taser deaths is small compared with the total number of Taser deployments, but he worries about the people like Bryce who are unnecessarily put at risk. But there was no charge for the initial Taser deployment. I felt like he would have cared for an injured animal better., I will never get over the fact that he put his foot on Bryces back, while he was literally dying, she said. Timothy Runnels Bryce Masters v. Timothy Runnels, No. This is a community diary. Then and only then well see an end to this crap. In finding that Runnels was not entitled to qualified immunity, the 8th Circuit adopted a position that it has rarely taken in the past. Keeping these facts in mind, Matt thought back to his training, and Bryces case. Worse, they were afraid his emotional vulnerability would cause him to take his own life. They argue the doctrine has been a major obstacle to police accountability. Get your ass out of the car, andattempts to pull him out by force. The best result we found for your search is Timothy Glynn Runnels age 60s in Atmore, AL. He had been assured by instructors, trained by Taser International, that the electric current discharged by the Taser would not cause death. 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