Video: Police Taser fan at pro game — did they go too far?
May 6, 2010 by Shane BorerPosted in: Latest News, Lawyers
Some attorneys are hard up for clients these days, but criminal defense lawyers may find business in the unlikeliest of places: a baseball stadium.
Steve Consalvi, a17-year-old attendee of Monday’s Philadelphia Phillies vs. St. Louis Cardinals game, has been called “dumb” and “an idiot” for running onto the field and getting shot with a Taser by a police office.
The teen was the first fan to ever be Tasered by the high-voltage weapon on the field of a Major League Baseball game. See the incident below (warning: video contains violent material):
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey were quick to defend the actions of the officer who Tasered the teen, claiming “people need to be concerned about fan behavior,” and that “we had, what, 45,000 people there? The other 44,999 didn’t run out on the field.”
Concern carried over into the Phillies’ Tuesday night game, when another over-zealous fan made his way onto the field just before the ninth inning. While he was surrendering to police, fans were heard chanting “tase him, tase him.”
Consalvi’s stepmother has claimed they don’t plan to contact a lawyer or pursue legal action because of the incident. She also said her stepson is “very embarrassed, very upset,” and that “he’ll write a letter to the Philadelphia Phillies organization to apologize, which is the right thing to do.”
Tags: Attorneys, Criminal defense lawyers, Philadelphia, Phillies, Taser
May 7th, 2010 at 11:28 pm
I believe they could have tackled him, if the police officers were “in shape” for a little running …. Too many officers are NOT in good physical shape and the TAZER is the easy way out rather than huff and puff…
I do believe that getting TASERED is dangerous and people have D-I-E-D from it. Wonder if this overzealous fan had died on the field? Now, we would all say… police brutaility…
Have you ever had a good electrical zap from your home appliance or home electrical work that you are doing? It hurts!!! If you do not think TASERs are painful – then volunteer to be TASERED and good luck on your bad painful learning experience.
My answer is NO – he should NOT have been TASERED, just tackled to the ground the old fashioned way. It was obvious that he had no weapon in his hands. Obviously that he was just a over-zealous fan – and was not even running directly to a specifc player or the dugouts….. Just tackle the guy to the ground and handcuff him.
Next time you see an overweight cop or an older cop (older than 40 years old)…. think… how athletic are they or not… Hmmm….
May 8th, 2010 at 7:07 pm
As soon as people realize that there are rules to be followed and there are consequences for not following them, things like this will not happen. My hat is off to Consalvi and his stepmother for accepting responsibility for his actions. Yes, tazing is painful and could be deadly, but if society knows that tazing may be used in an effort to subdue or control a situation, then they should think twice before committing the action. The Major League also has every right to pursue criminal trespass charges and resisting arrest charges against Consalvi. Tackling a person can not only be dangerous to the person being tackled, but also the person doing the tackling. Just use the tazer and be done with it. Come on people, behave.
May 8th, 2010 at 7:11 pm
I think it is hilarious that they Tazed this fool. People did not pay to see his freak show they paid to see the ball game. This punk obviously wanted to be the center of attention, he got it. Maybe he can find more respect for authority now. What was he thinking???????
May 8th, 2010 at 8:55 pm
Phil
It is not about the Taser or the cop. It is about the kid that broke the Law by running on the field. I did see one time that the cop tackled someone and the cop broke his arm. Then everyone one said, “Why didn’t he just use his taser gun”. Well I guess you are dammed if you do and dammed if you don’t.
May 9th, 2010 at 2:54 am
Phil is absolutely correct. The fan was obviously not a danger to anyone. Tasers are for dangerous people and are supposed to be less dangerous than gunshots, but they are not safe.
May 9th, 2010 at 9:24 pm
I can’t believe “Phil” said in his lame response that, “…officers are NOT in good physical shape and the tazer is the easiest way out..” What a shmuck! Tackle him?? Be real, Phil. Why should an officer have to fear getting hurt by “tackling” another shmuck? I bet the kiddo had more of a chance getting hurt being tackled than tazed. And I betcha the kid won’t do it again either. If he does, light him up again so the real fans can watch the game, not some idiot avoiding police, players, and field managers while running stupidly onto the field.
May 10th, 2010 at 12:43 pm
I think they are overusing these tasers. I have read many stories from around the country where people who are obviously not physically dangerous, have been tased. The taser is probably an easy way to take down someone without having to use any skill but they should remember that not everyone is a threat, there are still plenty of people out there (most) who will give up without a fight. Perhaps they are afraid? Scared cops with guns and tasers, not good.
May 10th, 2010 at 1:21 pm
Fat or no, these were cops and this individual was breaking the law and causing a nusiance. Four people in the video were unable to stop him; he did not give to. If a taser was required to get him to stop resisiting arrest, so be it. He should also be charged with resisting arrest as well. Sometimes in life you have to cash the check your stupididty wrote.
May 10th, 2010 at 1:56 pm
I think it was justified. Yes Phil, people have died from tasers – but VERY few! People have also died from getting tackled.
Judging from the video, he was told to stop. One needs to start being responsible and accountable for his or her actions, and stop trying to get “easy money” from lawsuits.
May 10th, 2010 at 3:17 pm
Phil’s comments are harsh on law enforcement. As the wife of a law enforcement officer, not all are donut lovers … Fans are to be spectators, not on the field. There is no excuse for the fan’s actions. Phil is correct, Tasers hurt as well they should. It is sad that too many fans feel the need to get their 5 minutes of fame. Maybe a few fans getting Tasered will stop some of the irresponsible actions they make. Why is it Phil had to throw fear of Death into the comment, it could happen at any time, anywhere, doing nothing, that is life. Phil’s comments at the end lead the reader to believe that any law enforcement officer over 40 should not be in the field. There is no profession that has only fit individuals – at any age – and to point out law enforcement is a very disturbing comment. I hope the next time Phil needs law enforcement assistance he doesn’t judge the ability by the physical as I don’t know many that are out for the glory of the position and it is certainly not for the money. The Taser use hopefully made a point (actually two points) and I believe it did just that. The young man in question and the response for his actions was appropriate.
May 10th, 2010 at 5:28 pm
My son is a policeman and has volunteered twice to be tased at police trainings. It was absolutely debilitating during the charge and unforgettable, but temporary, and recovery was remarkably quick. You go from screaming “Uncle” to deep repentance in short order! Advantages? No lasting harm…just a couple contact points. Less likelihood of death, than if tackled. Instant submission. No physical contact with a policeman, so no false accusations of brutality for any form of touch. Far fewer police injuries (or death), especially with violent criminals, and less taxpayer money for worker’s comp. Also, the issue here was not police physical fitness. For every fat, out-of-shape cop, I would say there are at least one, if not two or three, very fit, athletic, highly trained public servants like my son. The issue was about stopping a 17 year old fool who chose to stop America’s favorite past time for thousands of fans, because he selfishly wanted to grandstand. The brief discomfort of a single tazing is pretty mild compared to what my father would have done to me if I disgraced my family so publicly.
May 10th, 2010 at 5:35 pm
This behavior has been going on for years and tackling and handcuffing an over zealous fan has done nothing to discourage this selfish act. It can also change the momentum of a game so fans may use this as a means to break the concentration of the opposing team. It appears that Phil has it out for policemen that are not in great shape but also take into consideration the pounds of equipment they are carrying. I saw a sheriff in great shape get hurt trying to tackle a crack head that was trying to gain access into my place of work to hide out. The sheriff had already used his stun gun without phasing him so he had placed himself between our open dock doors and the out of his mind crack head. You never know what is in the person system that makes them behave crazy. He was tazed 6 times before they got him under control. I say tazer them and take them out, don’t delay the game or risk injury to an officer or anyone for the sake of a stupid fan.
May 10th, 2010 at 8:28 pm
I’ve been an EMT for more than 15 years. Tackling a suspect is NOT less dangerous than a taser shock. I can’t count the number of both suspects and police officers I’ve treated and transported to hospitals over the years due to foot chases followed by tackles. The forces involved in such a take-down are incredible. Knees, abdomen, chest and especially head and spines of both the suspect and the officers are at risk during a foot chase take-down, especially on hard surfaces (I know the field isn’t an extremely hard surface, but the risks of injury are still high, even on turf).
The adolescent was breaking the law and resisted arrest by not stopping as ordered by the officers. In short, he had it coming to him. Fans are warned prior to professional sports contests not to involve themselves in play, and especially not to enter the field (- have you ever read the back of that admission ticket?). That young man was foolhardy at least, darned lucky at best, and hopefully will stand as an example to other future clowns to relegate their team spirit to the stands where they belong. Most of us attend sports games for the enjoyment and support of the game. We’ll get our shot at our personal 15 minutes of fame in more productive and legal pursuits.
May 10th, 2010 at 9:53 pm
Ok, Phil. Let’s not get into the teenage pillhead category here. My husband is 53 and could probably run circles around YOU! I’ve seen teenagers who walk slower than my dad did at 86 and can’t stand in a line(especially an employment line) without getting faint, so AGE is not the culprit here. Not staying in shape, knowing you have a physical job, is a problem that should be dealt with. Let’s face it, the majority of the people you will have to chase will be young, and unless they wear their pants around their ankles, pretty fast runners. So let’s just say law enforcement officers on active duty should be required to stay in shape, no matter their age.
May 10th, 2010 at 9:54 pm
I don’t care if the Officer is overweight he should not have to chase the dumbass. If your going to do something stupid then you be ready to pay the consequence ! Who knows what some of these bozo’s are up to these days, why should the Officer risk ANY injury to himself, a spectator or a ball player ? If you stay in the stands, enjoyed a cold beverage and watch a little baseball you probably won’t be tased. Take that as a lesson learned.
May 11th, 2010 at 1:41 pm
I was at this game and think the police acted properly. Aside from disrupting the game, the last time I remember fans going on the field, a Chicago coach was beaten up by a father/son combo. Yeah, this kid had a towel and poor judgement; what if the next “fan” on the field really is a fanatic with a knife and intent to do harm? If you watch the video to the end yes, he goes down like a sack of potatos, but he walks off the field relatively quickly.
May 11th, 2010 at 9:35 pm
Are some of you kidding????? Some of you are acting like this was a two year old!! I think that the LEAST that should have happened to him was to be tased. He broke the law in a massively defiant manner in front of millions of people on purpose. They should count the seconds of the baseball game – and add up the salaries of the players and the ticket prices paid by 45,000 people and divide this cost and MAKE HIM PAY!!!! No wonder he would do this while most kids wouldn’t even think of it – (Mommy says say your sorry and everything’s okay)
May 11th, 2010 at 11:20 pm
A sports fan is not a fan if/when they interrupt a game.
Stupidity. He got what he deserved; game on.
May 12th, 2010 at 1:44 pm
Anyone have any *facts* about the percentage of police tackles that result in permanent injury or death vs. the percentage of tasings? If tasers are statistically more dangerous, then they should be reserved for cases where someone poses a threat of physical harm or is physically resisting arrest. Whether and how this particular person deserves to be punished for his harmless but disruptive act isn’t the point.
May 25th, 2010 at 9:49 pm
Supid things happen to stupid people. When has that ever changed? Why must we treat everyone with kid gloves no matter how idiotic they act?