An internal investigation has found that excessive force was used by a Sandoval County Sheriff's deputy who shocked a 16-year-old girl with a Taser at a drinking party last May.
But the then-deputy, Adam Crosby, said in an interview Wednesday that he did nothing wrong and that he was protecting his life and the life of another deputy when he shocked the teen. Crosby resigned after the incident.
Sheriff Doug Wood told the Journal on Wednesday that Crosby was not in immediate danger.
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"Our job is to protect the public and for the deputy to protect (himself or herself), but there was no immediate threat to the deputy," Wood said.
The investigation found that Crosby failed to control himself, and it adds that Crosby's use of a Taser was done without proper justification and that the teen was in the process of complying with orders given to her by Crosby.
According to the investigation findings, Crosby was in violation of two standard operating procedures: general conduct by sheriff's personnel and use of force. The policy states in part that "members shall use only that force that appears reasonably necessary and only to the degree sufficient to overcome resistance to effectively bring an incident under control, while protecting the lives of the member or another."
Video captured by another deputy on scene, and provided to the Journal by the sheriff's office on Wednesday, shows Crosby instructing the girl to place her purse on the ground, and it appears to be kicked away by Crosby's foot. She can be heard saying, "oh, (expletive) no," and bends over to grab her purse. She then places it on her shoulder and places her hands behind her back.
At that time, it appears that Crosby deploys his Taser and a prong enters her abdominal area. She reacts by trying to pull away in the opposite direction.
Crosby said he moved the purse with his foot for his and another deputy's protection, thinking weapons could be inside. Crosby said he deployed the Taser when she went for her purse.
"I did nothing wrong," Crosby said. "I reacted to her actions."
He said he opted to shock the teen instead of taking her down to the ground to prevent onlookers from possibly attacking him. He said using his Taser created crowd control and it calmed the onlookers down.
Wood said Crosby resigned the day after the internal investigation began.
Crosby said he put in his two weeks' notice at that time, but not because of the investigation. He said he wanted to pursue a better-paying job.
The investigation looked into what happened after deputies responded to a May 15 drinking party held on the outskirts of Rio Rancho off Southern Boulevard. It was attended by a large group of juveniles.
Prior to the Taser being used, the teen is seen in the video being followed by Crosby, who is asking her to stop. But it is unclear in the video whether the girl realized Crosby was speaking to her because her back is turned to him and there are several other people around.
There are parts of the video that are dark and Crosby claimed Wednesday that the teen did turn around and look at him. He also claimed she blurted out obscene language.
Later in the video, Crosby asks why she didn't stop and she replies, "I'm (expletive) drunk." Tests done later to determine her blood-alcohol concentration showed she was twice the state's presumed level of intoxication for driving, Wood said previously.
Crosby said Wednesday that the teen drew attention to herself when she kept walking as other partygoers complied with officers and stopped. He said his intention was not to use a Taser on her or to arrest her, but rather to identify her as well as other minors drinking at the party in order to cite them.
Crosby can be heard saying in the video, "somebody's about to get Tased," before the girl gets into the backseat of a parked car. Crosby said he made the statement to "keep people in line."
The girl was shocked at least twice during the incident through the one Taser prong that entered her abdomen, according to the investigative report.
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PARTY HEAT- RESISTANCE IS HOSTILEby wwefanlash76,934 views
Little did you know cops are trained to do exactly what he did. Her little quick movement to her purse and and stepping in towards him, that equals either an immediate takedown or the taser. Nowadays, the cops are turning into everyone's "daddies." They're the ones who have to punish the hooligans because parents want to be the kid's friends, and not... parents. In the real world, the paddle gets you more respect than a new cell phone gift. Just don't leave a mark.
doylema 1 hour ago
well.....thats what you get for being a 16 year old little whore,and going to drinking parties!Perhaps thats why there is a DRINKING AGE LIMIT! and no....this DOES NOT execute a right for the cop to tase her,but I DO find it hilarious that she was still givin him a run for his money,EVEN after he was tasing her!ROFLMAO!
mattsrepair10 1 day ago
did the camera man get tazed because he was shaking like crazy
xXBubbaKushxX1 1 day ago
I'M PRETTY SURE HE DID NOT NEED TO FUCKING TAZE SOMEONE HER SIZE.
JoryRFerrell 1 day ago
Stupid bitch but that was uncalled for. Just an Useless piggy cop who likes to abuse,
why kick her purse?
alexandar666 2 days ago
I'm pretty sure you can't say f no to the cops and run during an investigatory encounter.
engelhardtdavid 2 days ago 2
why doesnt any one beat the shit out of that ass hole! Stand up for yourselves america... FUCK!
notslaves 2 days ago
you can tell the cop wanted to use it
osklda 2 days ago
Seemed at bit OTT to me, does she look dangerous to you?!
mattouli 3 days ago
Nicely done policeman:) dumb whore...
hanbanana67 4 days ago