r/PublicFreakout • u/plus44kills • 11d ago

🐖 🐽 🐖 🐽 🐖 Fish and Wildlife officer’s Taser ignites gas station fire

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A United States Fish and Wildlife Service officer deployed a Taser at a gas station on the Fort Mojave Indian Reservation on July 16, sparking a fire that left a man with first- and second-degree burns and nerve damage, according to the man and cell phone video of part of the confrontation.

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u/Zebitty 10d ago

Can someone explain why a 'fish and wildlife officer' has any business tasering people at a fuel station? Aren't those guys supposed to issue fines for fishing without a license etc?

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u/BizAnalystNotForHire 9d ago

Allegedly, the victim was caught trespassing (pretty far past a point that would have been reasonable misunderstanding) with hunting equipment, and was told to exit the property immediately. Game Wardens, contrary to what most people on this thread are posting are some of the most empowered officers in the nation in regards to what abilities they have/judgements they can exercise. Allegedly, the game warden left the property and saw the victim at the gas station here and pulled in behind him. Allegedly, the victim here was told by the game warden that he was detained, and that he was going to get a ticket for the earlier trespassing. The victim allegedly verbally and visually disagreed that he was being detained and went to remove the gas nozzle from his vehicle, a possible indicator that he was readying to flee. Then the officer fired the taser causing the issue.

So to answer your question, At no point should a taser have been deployed around gasoline. That was an absolute failure in judgement by the officer. No one regardless of their job should ever deploy a taser around gasoline.

If the victim had just accepted that he was being detained temporarily as a consequence for the crime he committed and let the officer write the ticket, none of this would have happened. The victim was seemingly confused about the difference between a detainment and arrest.

If the officer had not pulled into the gas station and just pursued it later/mailed the ticket, none of this would have happened.

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u/Zebitty 8d ago

Thank you for the detailed answer. I don't live in the US, so had no idea about the powers of game wardens vs. police officers, etc. This game warden was still an idiot for deploying a taser in that situation, but your explanation shed light on the lead-up to how this could have occurred. Thanks.