Texas City Officials Settle Taser Suit for $25,000

Arlington city officials have settled a lawsuit for $25,000 after a police officer mistakenly used a Taser twice while pursuing the wrong man.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that the lawsuit stemmed from the March police pursuit of a stolen vehicle that crashed into a minivan parked outside Rack Daddy’s Pool Hall. Officer D. Vo spotted Jonathan Pierce, a 131-pound African-American man, and pursued him. The driver of the stolen vehicle, white and 70 pounds heavier, fled.

The suit alleged that, even though Vo was told he was after the wrong man, the officer charged toward Pierce and discharged his Taser, hitting him in the back.

Vo’s attorney said the officer thought the suspect was African-American and that Pierce initially resisted arrest, which Pierce denied.