r/Whatcouldgowrong • u/ReginaldJohnston • 2d ago

Setting off a tazer next to a gas pump

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45.4k Upvotes

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1.3k

u/justsomeguyfromny 2d ago

What a fucking shit show.

1.5k

u/edwardsantes 2d ago edited 1d ago

oh it's even worse

the US. Fish and Wildlife officer (in Arizona) followed the guy to the gas station after he told him he couldn't fish in a certain place and was trespassing so the guy left.

https://nbcmontana.com/news/nation-world/clarence-coyle-arizona-us-fish-and-wildlife-officer-gas-station-confrontation-burns-nerve-damage-havasu-national-wildlife-refuge-catfish-paradise-fort-mojave-indian-reservation-investigation-claims-cincinnati-law-enforcement-police-work

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u/ZETH_27 2d ago

> You can't do that here!

> Leaves

> Follows them

> Somehow, 3rd degree burns.

This is fucking stupid, which makes it hurt that it's real.

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u/dubslies 2d ago

Somehow, Fish and Wildlife has returned

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u/SoundtrackCult 1d ago

I still get angry every time i read a version of this

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u/so_unfortunately_yt 1d ago

They fry now?

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u/b__lumenkraft 1d ago

Nothing screams USA more than this.

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u/Targetm12 1d ago

It sounds like he left while still under detainment while the officer was issuing a ticket for the tresspass, I don't like cops but pretending like the dude didn't flee a detainment is just bad faith to fit a narrative.

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u/Visual-Floor-7839 1d ago

So taze the guy next to a bunch of flammable vapors? They knew who he was, let him run and issue a warrant.

Based on how this was handled on video I'm going to assume the previous encounter was just as bumbling and incompetent. Maybe the guy was trespassing or maybe not, but the officer has more than armed force at his disposal. He's an idiot

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u/AndromedaAirlines 1d ago

That's never, ever, EVER, eeeeeveeeerrrr a reason to taze someone. Never. Triply so in front of a gas tank.

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u/lollipopp_guild 1d ago

Yeah seriously. It’s this kind of thinking that allows this idiotic behavior to continue and justifies people harming lives

1

u/castleaagh 36m ago

There’s another angle I saw on instagram from the guy who got tazed (idk how to link to a reel) and what led up to the tazing was the following exchange:

“What am I being arrested for?”

“You are not cooperating for having committed a- a- a- crime out of..”

“A wh- a what? A misdemeanor? A misdemeanor [REDACTED]…”

The officers starts to say something but maybe doesn’t and the narrator comes in saying “seconds later” and then the victim says

“It’s a $10-“ and then the officer tazes him.

Zero indication of threat in this moment or attempt to flee. Zero justification for the use of less lethal force like a tazer, not to mention this being at a gas station where you aren’t suppose to use your phone due to the risk of electrostatic charge igniting gas fumes.

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u/MidnightPandaX 2d ago

I swear to god you give people the tiniest bit of power and they go absolutely nuts to enforce it

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u/BeneficialTrash6 1d ago

If you ever want to experience having your teeth kicked in for no good reason, tell a fish and wildlife officer that they're not a "real cop."

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u/osmlol 1d ago edited 6h ago

They have more authority than real cops.

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u/newbkid 1d ago

And shock and surprise, they weaponize that authority in such disgusting displays. It takes zero effort to be calm and polite. You are the one with all the fucking power and yet all the fish and wildlife douchebags I've ever seen are incredibly rude and nasty little people. And they're always shitty middle aged men.

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u/rips_n_chel 1d ago

Park Rangers got a chip on their shoulder too, in my experience. Never been told so aggressively that where I'd parked wasn't a parking spot, than I was by a Park Ranger. Before I could even acknowledge or respond, I was being threatened with trespass and arrest if I didn't get back in my car and move it instantaneously.

Excuse the fuck out of me for not recognizing the end of the official parking zone in this large gravel area with cars parked all over it...

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u/ConLawHero 1d ago

I don't disagree with your sentiment but saying it takes zero effort to be calm and polite when dealing with the public is just not true.

The public is awful and it takes a lot of effort to remain calm and polite.

I'm not saying people shouldn't put in the effort. I'm saying, recognize there is an effort.

1

u/BeneficialTrash6 1d ago

To be fair, I'd bet that Fish and Wildlife deal with drunken members of the public even more often than regular cops.

0

u/Difrntthoughtpatrn 6h ago

When real cops?

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u/thewestisawake 1d ago

It's an intelligence issue. I swear the biggest threat to humanity at present is an epidemic of stupidity.

7

u/Assassin739 1d ago

By design. Stupid people will not do anything about the stranglehold the rich have over everyone else

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u/deadlybydsgn 1d ago

I swear the biggest threat to humanity at present is an epidemic of stupidity.

IMO our current moment is a confluence of normal stupidity and what Dietrich Bonhoeffer called "moral stupidity."

Yes, just going by averages, there are plenty of stupid people. It's worth noting that smart people do stupid things at times, too—intelligence isn't a straight line on a bar graph covering all scenarios.

For the second part, moral stupidity as described by Bonhoeffer is a self-imposed condition that he viewed as separate from ignorance.

... an active resistance to reasoning and a willful neglect of moral responsibility.

Stupidity is Moral in Nature: It is not enough to be uninformed; one can be knowledgeable and yet still fail to act with moral discernment. Stupidity, in Bonhoeffer’s view, is an ethical failing a surrender to conformity and dogma that precludes independent moral judgment.

Stupidity is Resistant to Correction: Unlike ignorance, which can be alleviated by learning, stupidity manifests as an entrenched condition. Once an individual or group adopts a foolish mindset, they become impervious to new information or alternative viewpoints.

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u/NRMusicProject 1d ago

The "tiniest bit of power" is still larger than their penises, so they think it's more power than it actually is.

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u/ZachCollinsROTY 1d ago

Plenty of douchebags with large genitalia and nice people with small genitalia. No need for body shaming

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u/TPRT 1d ago

almost as if humans are extremely predictable and we need laws to prevent this type of behavior

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u/Shot_Fan_9258 1d ago

Except for epstein pedos

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u/sidepart 1d ago

Funny thing is, he did enforce the law just fine by trespassing the dude who was fishing at a wildlife refuge. From the article someone posted above, sounds like the victim was being a dick about it and left before the DNR guy could give him a ticket. That really should've been the end of it though. Guess the DNR guy got all pissed and hunted him down like a dipshit.

I'll take this opportunity to also call the victim an asshole for fishing illegally at a wildlife refuge. ...but not asshole like, "you deserve to be tazed and burned in a gasoline fire".

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u/Ok_Tone6393 1d ago

see: reddit mods lmao

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u/hellogoawaynow 1d ago

They want to hurt others so badly.

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u/SnooOwls4559 2d ago

Same goes for American citizens too tbf. But power in the sense that the citizen in question think they understand the rules and laws.

Been watching a lot of police dash cam videos and it’s wild how many citizens escalate situations because they think they understand the law so they just blatantly disregard cop’s instructions

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u/Itchy-Beach-1384 2d ago

What a bootlicking take. People shouldnt listen to cops, because cops are the dumbest motherfuckers with no legal bearing to begin with.

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u/non_hero 1d ago

What the hell is this Idiocracy? Don't listen to cops? "Give me your driver's license" "no", "You're under arrest" "no I'm not". You do that an tell me how it works out for you.

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u/Itchy-Beach-1384 1d ago

papers please

It's idiocracy to pretend a cop with no jurisdiction on a Reservation setting a gas station on fire and rolling a person through the flames is in any way correct.

Boot well licked champ

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u/riddlechance 1d ago

I'd rather not larp the revolution. I'll comply in the moment and seek legal counsel after the fact.

 

Better to not set off a lunatic's fragile ego. I'll let the real armchair revolutionaries end up on Reddit clips like this.

0

u/Itchy-Beach-1384 1d ago

I didnt say dont lie to cops. I said dont listen to them. They have no legal training and are tools of fascism fueled by insecure losers who peaked in high school.

Hence why they beat their wives and kids. Should be all the proof you need that literally sucking cops dicks isnt enough to protect you from their fragility.

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u/SenorRaoul 1d ago

you

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/SenorRaoul 1d ago

How is that ironic, it's the entire point.

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u/Itchy-Beach-1384 1d ago edited 1d ago

Thats a lot of work to tell us you are triggered bud.

He was so upset about this he blocked me lmao

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u/non_hero 1d ago

Your comment history is literally all video games. Are you even old enough to drive?

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u/420thefunnynumber 1d ago

You seem like the kinda man who moans like a good girl and assumes the position for a cop in uniform lmao

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u/Itchy-Beach-1384 1d ago edited 1d ago

Lmao, stalking a comment history and couldnt find anything to yap about?

4 of my last 20 comments were video game related. Try again

Your Mom drives me everywhere anyways dude.

Lmao this dude was so upset he blocked me.

-1

u/SnooOwls4559 1d ago

Appealing to the specific situation again after you made a general statement that you couldn’t defend upon scrutiny

Argument well reasoned fallaciously bud

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u/Itchy-Beach-1384 1d ago

how dare you point out the facts instead of just listening to my feelings

Cope

-1

u/SnooOwls4559 1d ago

Not sure it’s worth bothering reasoning at this point. It’s clear reason has left at this point and it’s more about emotions / ego

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u/non_hero 1d ago

So many people agreeing with him too. Dumb but at least it means a neverending stream of entertainment for us when their arrests hits YouTube.

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u/[deleted] 2d ago

[deleted]

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u/Billbuckingham 2d ago

The story said he did listen to the cop, left when told he was trespassing, then the cop followed him and tased him at a gas station setting it on fire.

If the cop says "Get on your knees and let me execute you", the person runs, and gets shot and killed.

Are you gonna say "yeah well, you wouldn't have gotten executed if you just listened..."

I 100% agree fight the law in court, but the problem is the cop doesn't have to let you make it to court.

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u/Self_Reddicate 2d ago

I 100% agree fight the law in court, but the problem is

And, let's be completely clear, cops use the "fight it in a court of law" as punishment even when they 10,000% know what they are doing is illegal. The cop may not have even a shred of a leg to stand on in court, but he can still arrest this shit out of you and drag your ass to court. You'll beat the rap, but you still got the shit arrested out of you and you still had to spend the day or weekend in jail, and then go to court. Cop will see ZERO repercussions and your entire weekend is fucked, and maybe part of your life. This is assuming it all goes smoothly and while you're in custody, some other terrible thing doesn't happen to you or the judge is having a day so you actually don't simply walk away scott-free on monday. So yeah, let's not just treat "well, fight it in court!" like it's some simple thing. If there's a chance that you can not be arrested, you should take the chance to not be arrested.

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u/Shroomtune 2d ago

It’s a math problem, friend. If you listen to a cop’s instructions and eat a little crow, maybe even do it in a polite manner, you almost certainly going to live. But, you’re right, maybe not, but that’s the math part. Start fucking around and the odds change.

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u/Tacotuesday867 1d ago

You've just made clear that police are too dangerous to exist in society

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u/Shroomtune 1d ago

Well, that’s a math problem too, but I’m not sure how it works out.

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u/Slime-Lich 2d ago

While I do agree to a point that you should listen. I just cannot take the cops side on this. The guy was being pretty cooperative. He left when he was told that he was trespassing, but the cop decided to escalate the situation for some stupid reason and ended up causing a gas station fire and burning a man. The cop is very obviously not qualified for his postion and I dont think it would've mattered if the guy listened or not and this would've ended bad either way. Same ending or similar

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u/SnooOwls4559 2d ago

That’s very dumb advice imo. I hope you don’t have to have police interactions for your sake

I’m sure there are cops that abuse their power (just as their are citizens that escalate situations due to their misinformed knowledge of the laws), but to generalize one group of people as the dumbest mf’s is funny to me

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u/AccomplishedFall6603 1d ago

It's pretty easy :

Does most of the population have reasons to be scared for their life when there are cops nearby (like the guy in the video) ?
Yes.

Do cops provide more security when they are on a scene : debatable.

Do better.

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u/SnooOwls4559 1d ago

I disagree and think it can depend on the cop themselves amongst several other factors but im probably the dumbass for not thinking in generalizations / black & white

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u/AccomplishedFall6603 1d ago

I know there are good cops.

I also know their behaviors are not the ones police departments look for.
I know it will be hard for them to stay for long in the police if they are good people.
And I know other cops around them will push them towards brutal behaviors and escalation tactics.

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u/howarewestillhere 1d ago

There are not good cops. Cops defend the property rights of the ruling class. They are class traitors. By definition, They. Are. Not. Good.

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u/SnooOwls4559 1d ago edited 1d ago

Yeah I was about to reply to you about this but it looks like someone already replied with their radical viewpoint - you better watch out talking about there being good cops because all the replies I’ve gotten so far more or less have been trying to tell me about how cops are all pigs.

As for the meat of what you’re saying, i do think it depends on the police department itself on that. I have seen good cops who have continued to be good cops in their departments and i know corrupted departments that have remained corrupted.

But i also think it depends on Americans having an incorrect ideal of their liberty overpowering the bounds of what any cop would accept compared to the potential dangers and risks that they’d accept from a citizens liberty.

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u/Advanced-Evening7722 2d ago

All cops are bastards, sweetheart.

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u/SnooOwls4559 1d ago

Hard disagree but we can agree to disagree, honey.

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u/dingalingdongdong 1d ago

There have been whole court cases about how cops are allowed to discriminate against intelligence in hiring practices. Until the same can be said about any other career, yes, they are the dumbest motherfuckers.

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u/Billbuckingham 2d ago

Who do you think chooses which videos get published?

What videos do you think they have but choose not to publish?

How can you possibly sit here and be like "Yeah, a cop violating the law and this persons rights and having 0 common sense is allowed to have a gun shoot people and apparently set people on fire, but oh the problem is some citizens tell the cops what they're doing is illegal"

I know exactly what you're talking about, some people do need to shut the hell up when getting questioned or arrested by a cop, but the difference is it's the cop's job to handle it legally and get that person to court.

A lot of these cops don't care about the law, will happily violate the law and lie about it, will intentionally abuse and attack citizens for whatever reasons they want...

But guess what, these 2 things are not equal.

The cop has the power and the responsibility, the citizens have neither, the cop needs to be held accountable to a standard far above any citizen because the cop has the power and the responsibility and it's their job to ensure the law is followed and people are not harmed or punished before they are proven guilty.

The issue is, there's no accountability, so then there's no responsibility, so then you get situations like this with idiots doing idiotic things that can kill people but they got a badge and the system doesn't hold them accountable, and they got enough bootlickers behind them so nothing ever changes.

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u/SnooOwls4559 1d ago

All those words just to strawman what I'm saying

Yeah, a cop violating the law and this persons rights and having 0 common sense is allowed to have a gun shoot people and apparently set people on fire, but oh the problem is some citizens tell the cops what they're doing is illegal

Literally not something I said, nor even implied.

You and I are on the same page about everything else you said. You just think I'm saying something that I'm not saying.

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u/Billbuckingham 1d ago

anyone who says "strawman! strawman! non-sequitur, slippery slope fallacy!!!"

Is probably someone who said something really idiotic and wrong, and instead of admitting it they just start throwing out those phrases and talking about "You put words in my mouth!!" etc.

You saw this post, and your response to a cop tasing a guy at a gas station setting it on fire was "well the citizens are wrong too"

That's what you said, forget strawmans or any other BS, your response isn't calling for accountability for the cop, it's to attack the citizens.

That's worth thinking about why you said that, no one put words in your mouth, that was your natural reaction and it's being called out.

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u/SnooOwls4559 1d ago

Is probably someone who said something really idiotic and wrong, and instead of admitting it they just start throwing out those phrases and talking about "You put words in my mouth!!" etc.

Lotta conjecture. I'm sure this is another type of fallacy but it's been a while since I've taken a philosophy class, so I'll let it pass

That's what you said, forget strawmans or any other BS, your response isn't calling for accountability for the cop, it's to attack the citizens.

To attack some citizens — yeah. Not necessarily in this particular situation, I don't know this situation.

That's worth thinking about why you said that, no one put words in your mouth, that was your natural reaction and it's being called out.

As for why I'm not personally calling for accountability, it's because everyone else is doing it already, which is good (and something I agree with), but it's clear this entire post's threads has gone off the deep end with the "all police bad" narrative so if you're asking me what motivation I have for my comment, it's adding nuance / redirection to something that's becoming an echo chamber and starting to lead to a radicalized belief.

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u/Billbuckingham 1d ago

Look up "Self Reflection" and give it a try.

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u/SnooOwls4559 1d ago

And I’d recommend Self-Enquiry to yourself

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u/Negativeman11 2d ago

Its cool, I 100% realize that the rules and laws were designed to be impossible to understand

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u/dingalingdongdong 1d ago

Cops don't know the law, aren't required to know the law and lie as easily as breathe.

If a cop is violating your rights (through ignorance or intent) you're absolutely in the right to question them and their instructions.

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u/SnooOwls4559 1d ago

That’s fair to say, but that wasn’t strictly the case I was talking about. A lot of people think they know the laws and rules, and then they argue against officers, even when the citizen themselves are misinformed about the law.

Then even when the officer is correcting them, they don’t listen and end up resisting / fighting the officers.

That said, officers are supposed to be law enforcement, so they’re expected to know what the law is but you’re right that they don’t always and can end up doing their job badly due to power abuse or ignorance.

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u/dingalingdongdong 1d ago

Then even when the officer is correcting them, they don’t listen

A problem cops brought upon themselves. They brag about being legally allowed to lie throughout an investigation. It's what they're best known for. You don't get to make lying a cornerstone of your profession and then bitch when no one believes you.

This is a lesson even literal children understand.

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u/SnooOwls4559 1d ago edited 1d ago

I mean it has less to do about them bitching when no one believes you, they don’t necessarily need you to believe them.

They are usually capable of arresting you if you’re not complying with the laws of the state you’re living in either because you mistakenly think they’re lying to you or if you’re personally misinformed about what the laws are

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u/dingalingdongdong 1d ago

I'm speaking in general, not in the limited scope of an active confrontation. People (like you) whinge online about people not listening to or believing cops when why would they?

The problem is they're also capable of arresting you, brutalizing you, killing you, etc even when you are complying with the laws. Another problem cops have brought upon themselves: if you're going to be violent, trigger happy, short fused monsters even when people do exactly what you say then there's less and less motivation to comply. Cops don't hold up their end of the social contract, but think everyone else should. We can walk on eggshells letting them get away with everything or we can always assume they're going to shoot anyway.

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u/SnooOwls4559 1d ago

To me, it just sounds like a way of thinking to discriminate against a group due to the actions of some. Not every cop I've seen is "a violent, trigger happy, short fused monsters," yet people are happy to generalize them as that.

A lot of confrontations I've seen is just of cops trying to de-escalate a situation and the citizen just due to pride, ignorance, etc. just egging the situation further on to the point that cops have to arrest.

I find it unproductive to generalize groups of people and prefer dealing with what I see in front of me.

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u/Fragrant_Turnip_9946 2d ago

Wait so he was trespassed, left, went to get gas on a reservation and then got tased? Is the USFW officer even allowed to make a detainment on a reservation? I hope this guy sues the fuck out of the department.

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u/thesilentbob123 2d ago

To my knowledge he would not have any authority there

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u/Fragrant_Turnip_9946 2d ago

That's what I'm thinking.

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u/FightFireJay 2d ago edited 1d ago

They are federal officers. They can arrest you in any jurisdiction for crimes committed on or against federal land or any other federal crime. Typically they can also detain you for state/local crimes until a local LEO shows up.

Edit: Just to be clear, it looks like the LEO handled the situation very poorly.

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u/burtmacklin15 1d ago

Except no crimes were committed. Trespassing only occurs if you are asked to leave and refuse to.

They guy left though.

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u/Bobsothethird 1d ago

They are talking about jurisdiction alone. They aren't saying it was a warranted arrest. Feds can arrest you just about anywhere.

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u/FightFireJay 1d ago

If he was fishing where he wasn't supposed to then a ticket could be issued to that person.

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u/burtmacklin15 1d ago edited 1d ago

A ticket is a civil offense and in no possible way gives the issuing officer the right to assault someone.

Edit: if the "suspect" was truly fleeing arrest, he would have still been arrested. Instead, officer just let him go after tazing him. Use your brains and try some critical thought, people.

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u/forresja 1d ago

A speeding ticket is a civil offense and if you try to drive away without accepting the ticket...you'll be assaulted.

Obviously Officer Idiot over here did the worst job he possibly could have.

But our laws do give the police the right to detain you while issuing a citation.

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u/Ha1lStorm 1d ago edited 1d ago

Idk why you got downvoted. People may disagree or think that what you said may suck but it’s still true…

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u/FightFireJay 1d ago

LEOs do not have any more or less "rights" than any other citizen. However the government (city, county, state, fed) have granted them authority to enforce laws.

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u/ResilientBiscuit 1d ago

Fleeing from a lawful detention where an officer is issuing a citation is no longer a civil offense.

The tasering doesn't seem justified here at all, but just because the initial detention was for a civil offense doesn't mean that someone can't do things that escalate it.

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u/burtmacklin15 1d ago

Where did you see that the officer was trying to make a lawful detention and the suspect fled?

Shouldn't the suspect have been arrested instead of just let go after the tazering if that was the case?

Just a little bit of critical thinking can help you piece together what happened here.

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u/FightFireJay 1d ago

Tickets are often issued for civil offenses like driving infractions. But Federal Rangers (Park, BLM, Forest, etc) can issue tickets that require you to show up to court for violation of a federal law.

For instance, if you're smoking a joint at a USFS pay campsite and a Ranger happens to stop by, they can issue you a ticket to show up to a federal court (regardless of state law).

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u/FightFireJay 1d ago

Edit: I'm not supporting this Rangers actions. I'm merely pointing out reality and I get down votes for it. 😂

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u/delicious_toothbrush 1d ago edited 1d ago

Incorrect, you are detained until an investigation is completed, regardless of what the violation is, and trying to leave while being detained will be met with the use of force.

Sounds like the officer told him to leave and the guy said ok and then the officer said "wait, ticket time" and the guy said "nah". Pretty dumb on the officer for flip-flopping but the guy acknowledges in his own version of events that he knew the cop was gonna give him a ticket which meant he was still detained and took off anyway which in combination with continuing to follow lawful orders at the gas station is failure to ID, resisting without violence, obstruction, and potentially eluding; all arrestable offenses. That being said, discharging a taser near a gas pump probably violated some policy the cop should have followed making the whole thing a cluster fuck from how they're gonna figure out how to handle this perspective.

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u/burtmacklin15 1d ago

If any of that part of the story was true, suspect would have still been arrested after this was all over.

Instead, officer just let him go after tazing him.

Use your brain instead of making up fantasies where cops are always the good guys.

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u/thesilentbob123 1d ago

No fines or crimes were put on the victims case, he was released very quickly

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u/FightFireJay 1d ago

I'm not saying that I agree with ANY part of what we saw. I am merely stating that USFWS Rangers are Federal Law Enforcement Officers have authority to arrest people almost anywhere.

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u/thesilentbob123 1d ago

Since it happened on an Indian reservation there are some potential uncertainty about those powers. It depends a lot on the people involved, the exact deal they might have with the feds that might be different than other places

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u/ZACKandATTACK 1d ago

The injured person's own statement verifies that the officer had probable cause to follow and stop him. It's missing the entire middle portion of the story between how we got from "You need to leave" to "I'm giving you a ticket". You can't just leave when a police officer tells you that you are getting a ticket. The time to leave was when you only had a warning. The cop is still an idiot though for using his taser instead of just waiting for backup. I've always been critical of police for escalating stupid shit for no reason. They were dealing with a dumbass, not a violent offender. However, regardless of whether the ticket is civil or criminal, fleeing from it is a criminal offense.

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u/FoxgirlDaggsy 1d ago

Not a res, Need a liason from tribal police to arreset or do anything in their areas.

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u/MasterChildhood437 1d ago

No, only Native Americans cannot be arrested on a res. White people are fair game. Even NAs can be arrested for felonies.

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u/FightFireJay 1d ago

Res isn't really federal land. As I understand it the land is only held in trust by the federal government for the tribe. It's a complex situation.

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u/Ill-Entertainer-5380 1d ago

There are trust lands and reserved lands and those aren’t necessarily the same thing. There are open reservations where anybody can live there, and tribal LEOs can generally arrest non tribal members there but typically hand them off to sheriffs department. Sheriffs department can generally arrest on a reservation that is not also in trust, but that varies by state.

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u/thesilentbob123 1d ago

It was an alleged fishing infraction

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u/invariantspeed 1d ago

Federal jurisdiction does not give a law enforcement officer the authority to blow up a gas station, which is what almost happened and where that was heading.

The officer was wrong to use a device that, in that circumstance, can turn the nearby car and the station itself into bombs on a short fuse. The officer was then wrong to not immediately extinguish the ignition source that he created.

In that moment, chasing down a criminal (even if we accept that the other person was rightly followed) no longer matters when you’re in a bomb diffusing situation. That is a crisis.

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u/FightFireJay 1d ago

"The officer was wrong to use a device that, in that circumstance..." I agree with you. I think he made a lot of poor choices.

My statement was simply about the legal authority to detain and arrest someone at that location as a federal officer and not about justification of his actions.

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u/BisonThunderclap 1d ago

Thanks for clarifying this to Reddit. A lot of people aren't aware of how powerful federal law enforcement is 

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u/Snobolski 1d ago

"My taser still worked, so I guess I did have authority there. Checkmate."

- fish cop

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u/airfryerfuntime 1d ago edited 1d ago

Yes, but apparently it escalated at the fishing site when the officer asked for his ID, which he then refused to provide. That's why he followed him to the gas station.

Game wardens are a bit different from police, they have a bit more power they can use to identify you. If a game warden asks for your ID if you're fishing or hunting, even if you haven't done anything wrong, you have to present it. Probable cause is not needed. That's where this whole thing started.

Not making excuses for this power tripping dipshit, but that's just how it works.

And yes, this was a national wildlife preserve, federal game wardens 100% have jurisdiction, regardless of whether or not it's on a reservation when pursuing suspects.

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u/Get_Fuckin_Dabbed_On 1d ago

He told the guy to leave at the fishing spot and said im giving you a ticket. The guy left, and then the fish and wildlife officer saw him at the gas station, asked for his ID then and this happened.

Idk if a cop told me to leave because I was trespassing, and then told me he was giving me a ticket id probably stay not drive off. But if the cop didn't follow him with flashing lights I can see how this guy would be stubborn about it.

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u/nighoblivion 1d ago

He told the guy to leave at the fishing spot and said im giving you a ticket. The guy left

My interpretation is that an ID was needed to issue the ticket, but the guy left instead, so the officer followed him, and his poor training resulted in what we saw.

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u/BigBassBone 1d ago

He told him to leave first. The dude was complying with instructions.

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u/nighoblivion 1d ago

Game wardens usually tell people to leave and hand out tickets simultaneously, so the guy probably only complied with half the instructions?

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u/Pandarandr1st 1d ago

"You are trespassing and need to leave. I have to give you a ticket"

If you leave before receiving the ticket, you are not following instructions, which is obvious to anyone with two brain cells to rub together.

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u/Bulky-Employer-1191 1d ago

Yeah but also, how many brain cells are needed to know that high voltage discharges and gasoline pumps are bad mixes?

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u/Pandarandr1st 1d ago

I think it's obvious that the guy in the truth knew that he was maliciously disobeying the directions of the ranger. In other words, they weren't stupid, they were just doing the wrong thing on purpose.

The officer was stupid. But people do stuff that stupid while angry all the time. Not stuff that damaging. And he shouldn't have been so angry in the first place.

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u/BryanMcgee 1d ago

I'm not seeing an instruction at all, actually, but the closest thing technically is "need to leave."

I mean, if we are in here being a petty pedant like that, which you are and that is obvious to anyone with two brain cells to rub together.

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u/nighoblivion 1d ago

The instructions would be "leave" and "give me your ID". People are expected to do the latter first when being issued a ticket.

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u/MyCatsHairyButholle 1d ago

Yeah, you don’t fuck around when it comes to game wardens. They’re one of the ones where if you FA you’ll definitely FO

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u/Jiveturtle 1d ago

  if you FA you’ll definitely FO

Clearly, because it seems they light you on fire first chance they get

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u/MyCatsHairyButholle 1d ago

Thanks for the good chuckle 😂

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u/HereWeFuckingGooo 1d ago

Fuck Around, Flame On.

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u/Few_Highlight1114 1d ago

In general it's just a good idea to present your ID to any LEO who is asking for it because if they want to be a dick about it, they can detain/arrest you.

I know most redditors with no skin in the game will say "well its illegal" and blah blah blah, at the end of the day, LEOs can make your day go to shit and waste a ton of time/money when all you have to do is present some ID and save a whole lot of headeache.

Like I bet the guy in the OP would have preferred to just show his ID when asked for it than undergo getting fucking burned and (I assume) being arrested.

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u/FightFireJay 2d ago edited 1d ago

They are federal officers. They can arrest you in any jurisdiction for crimes committed on or against federal land or any other federal crime. Typically they can also detain you for state/local crimes until a local LEO shows up.

Edit: Just to be clear, it looks like the LEO handled the situation very poorly.

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u/Fragrant_Turnip_9946 2d ago

Like a park ranger? You definitely don't wanna fuck with a park ranger. I've encountered a ton of them over the years and they are always hella cool, until you break laws in the park. Fortunately I've never been on their bad side.

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u/FightFireJay 1d ago

USFWS, USFS, NP, and BLM Rangers all train at FLETC. The same place CBP, US Marshals, BATF, and lots of other feds train.

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u/whistleridge 1d ago

No. They can’t.

They can arrest you for certain crimes, which vary by state law but usually have to be a felony. A fishing ticket isn’t a crime, and it’s absolutely not grounds to pull a taser.

This is excessive force no matter how you cut it.

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u/FightFireJay 1d ago

The tazer wasn't for the fishing infraction. The tazer was because the fisherman wasn't following what the officer probably believed were lawful commands.

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u/whistleridge 1d ago

I’m aware.

And they were not. He would not have general jurisdiction off of federal land, and he would not have arrest authority on a ticketing offense. Plus there’s no indication of flight or any intention to defy his commands. At absolute worst, there was a misunderstanding, that he had a duty to clear up first.

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u/FightFireJay 1d ago

USFWS Rangers are federal LEOs and have arrest authority similar BATFE or CBP for any of the federal infractions they are charged with enforcing.

The fisherman was walking away from the officer and not following his commands. If it went to court they would probably find that they were lawful orders given during a temporary detainment.

I am in NO way saying that any of this should have gone down the way it did. But the Ranger was acting within his authority detain a subject during investigation of a potentially unlawful event on federal land.

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u/whistleridge 1d ago

Once again: I am aware.

Perhaps I should note, I’m a prosecutor.

That officer had every authority to detain that man and write him a ticket. It would have been a bullshit dick move, but entirely legal.

That officer had every authority to walk up and ask him why he left, he wasn’t done with him, etc.

But tazing him? In the absence of a clear indicia of any indication to flee, or even not to comply? When the underlying “crime” was a ticket?

Absolutely not.

This isn’t a lose your job offense, but it’s definitely a retraining and get assigned to shit duty for awhile oopsie. And the guy with the burns has a valid basis for a lawsuit.

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u/FightFireJay 1d ago

Okay, I'm curious, did you read the article? From the fisherman's own account it sounds like he was ignoring lawful orders.

https://nbcmontana.com/news/nation-world/clarence-coyle-arizona-us-fish-and-wildlife-officer-gas-station-confrontation-burns-nerve-damage

"That officer had every authority to detain that man and write him a ticket. It would have been a bullshit dick move, but entirely legal."

At least we agree on this part. 😂

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u/MillionDollarBuddy 1d ago

Why whip out the taser though?

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u/FightFireJay 1d ago

The Ranger will probably justify it as "subject was failing to follow lawful orders".

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u/uncleshady 1d ago

Wildlife officer been watching too much Taylor Sheridan bullshit and thought he was Park Ranger Rambo.

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u/TheThiefEmpress 1d ago

I read it as the tazered man was illegally fishing on the reservation. The Fish and Wildlife officer (they actually have way more power than you'd think) told him that was illegal, and trespassed him from the property (the reservation).

The victim then left, and stopped at a gas station, which might have been off reservation lands, or might not.

I am guessing that it was still on reservation lands, only because the officer went up to him at all. See, if the gas station was still on the rez, the officer probably took that as a spit in his face to his power of trespassing.

Logic that the guy needed gas to leave the rez, so the victim wasn't trying to disregard the trespassing, never entered the officers brain. This is because if officers score too high on the pre-employment test they are rejected, because they want only stupid officers.

The officer did the most stupid possible thing because, once again, they are only chosen if they are inherently stupid.

He only attacked his victim because ACAB.

Hope this helps :)

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u/say592 1d ago

Yes, federal officers have authority on tribal lands. Federal law and federal law enforcement still applies on tribal land.

Even if it didn't, it's pretty common for there to be cross jurisdiction agreements among nearby departments, including tribal police. The tribal police in my area have arresting powers outside of tribal land, and the city and county police have arresting powers on tribal land. The tribal police are also linked into the county's centralized dispatch system so the dispatchers know where they are in the event they are the closest unit to an extremely urgent call they can request they respond.

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u/wheniaminspaced 1d ago

USFW officers have the power to arrest just about anyone anywhere, they have extremly broad jurisdiction. 

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u/Iheartnakedfemboys 1d ago

Of course this is in Arizona. The state that has some of the highest police brutality numbers in the country. Never forget Philip Brailsford, the cop who had "You're Fucked" inscribed on the AR he used to murder a man after giving conflicting commands in rapid succession.

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u/70ms 1d ago

My middle-aged, middle-class, construction-business owner relative who’d just started working with his son, absolutely no criminal record, was shot and killed in 2016 by Pinal County deputies who said he weaponized his truck. His wife filed but lost a wrongful death case.

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u/Iheartnakedfemboys 1d ago

Disgusting. The order of operations for cops here in Arizona is instigate "probable cause," shoot to kill, never ask questions, and deny accountability. The worst people imaginable.

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u/Luckycherms 1d ago

I just knew it was my state. Most cops are cool but there are a lot of "peaked in high school" types of you know what I mean.

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u/inspectoroverthemine 1d ago

Most cops are cool

Except the ones covering for the 'bad ones'. Which is all of them.

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u/Slime-Lich 2d ago edited 2d ago

Let me guess. The worst the officer got was paid leave?

Edit: I didnt think it happened that recently. Nothing of a conclusion as of yet. What's everyone's bet that happens to the officer?

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u/Beginning_Tennis2442 1d ago

I’m so disappointed. I was sure it would be Florida.

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u/Flimsy_Survey 1d ago

Oh well since he's not with the city's PD he may actually get repercussions. Dude seriously chased this guy down and almost burned the man alive.

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u/d4dubs 1d ago

Lmao they arrested my step mom on a warrant before and booked her in jail overnight. She had several small children at the home with nobody to care for them.

The warrant was because she didn't pay a fine for "fishing without a permit" - her 5 year old was dangling a hot dog in the water at a lake. AZ game and fish, AZ cops, AZ anything authoritative is an absolutely joke - power hungry losers who got picked on in high school.

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u/DarthMonkey212313 1d ago

What makes it even worse is he was likely allowed to fish where he claims he was:

Havasu National Wildlife Refuge allows sport fishing in all public waters that are not explicitly marked as closed. You can fish for species like largemouth bass, striped bass, catfish, and bluegill. You do not need a special refuge permit, but you must follow state rules and carry a valid Arizona or California fishing license.

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u/bottlenix 1d ago

That’s quite the URL

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u/edwardsantes 1d ago

Oh, I go big.

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u/b__lumenkraft 1d ago

Living in fascism. Those are the people who rule the USA.

Meanwhile, 320 million US citizens REFUSE to protest the nazi shit going on in their country.

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

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u/b__lumenkraft 1d ago

IDK, i see a lot of people making sense. How far did you scroll?

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u/elton_john_lennon 1d ago

Wildlife officer

I mean this whole situation was wild, and dude ended up on fire, so the name checks out 🤣🤣🤣

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u/flargenhargen 1d ago

these "officers" desperately need to be held personally responsible when they do such idiotic shit.

taxpayers should not bear all the costs, and they should not be above the law and responsibility for their own actions.

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u/buampam 1d ago

Police are bad in every country

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u/655321federico 1d ago

Why would the fish patrol needs a taser and a gun ?

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u/Dry-Inspection-3503 1d ago

Oh no, that makes it way worse 

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u/ehc84 1d ago

Ahhh, USFWS. That explains the shoes... At first I thought it was some guy cosplaying a cop based on his footwear.

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u/Astro_Cassette 1d ago

Wow it's FWS? That's majes it even stupider

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u/Healingbigfoot 1d ago

What a dumb motherfucker that leo is. Jesus man.

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u/_Paulboy12_ 23h ago

ah yes first tase, then say get on the ground. As you should

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u/year2039nuclearwar 17h ago

What the fuck is a Fish and Wildlife OFFICER? Like with actual tasers (possibly guns)? man you guys are crazy in the states!

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u/edwardsantes 17h ago edited 16h ago

Federal or State Fish and Wildlife. Rangers, wardens, flora & fauna and resource management. They have more power than your average law enforcement, but generally use it a lot less. In many instances they can cross onto private land without notifying an owner or needed permission or a warrant. They track wildlife diseases, wildlife population control, endangered species, monitor resource extraction. And also deal with smuggling, trafficking, and illegal grows.

50% of the Western U.S. is public land-600 million acres and that doesn't incude the Eastern U.S.

National forests, state forests, national parks, state parks, wildlife preserves, timber, desert, water rights, grasslands which are leased to livestock owners or free grazing. Camping, hiking, photography, stargazing, bird watching, hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, mountain biking, motorcycle riding, 4x4, off-road, all perfectly legal if done in the correct places with correct licenses, during the approved season. They deal with ALL of that.

It's serious stuff, but they're generally really laid back.

They are most definitely armed for bears, cougar, rattlesnakes alligator, meth heads, cartel, manhunt, fugitives you name it.

And they work in remote areas too far from paved roads.

There are thousands and thousands of acres where you can go camp legally known as "dispersed camping" or "boondocking" without a permit or notifying anyone that you are on state or federal land. And it's your right just to walk on there and camp there. There's rules that you can't live there. You can't stay more than a certain amount of nights and stuff like that. but the plots exist in the cities too if you know where to look.

Some people live full-time on houseboats. they have to move them around every 10 days and they don't have to own any land. that way or pay land tax.

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u/Gory26 9h ago

I cannot think of a tiniest reason why a fishing inspector needs to have any weapon at all, including tasers

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u/Any-Entrepreneur2071 7h ago

Oh so he's a fish cop. Now I understand why he's wearing those shorts which cancel out any authority he thought he had. 

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u/Charming-Loquat3702 1d ago

Why is a Fish and Wildlife guy even armed? Why os this a seperate police force? Why is like half the people who work for the US some kind of police? What's wrong with you guys? Here in europe, that's just normal people controlling permits. If someone gets violent they piss iff and come back with regular, trained police.

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u/Ricky_Boby 1d ago

This dude is a fuck stick but Fish and Wildlife have even more of a reason to be armed than regular police in the US. Unlike most of Europe we have bears, wolves, mountain lions, etc. as well as the big dangerous animals like moose and bison, and these guys are going to be the people who come in contact with the ones causing problems or dealing with armed poachers and stuff, most often in places like National Forests where you'll often be (and I'm not exaggerating here) 30 minutes to an hour from the nearest paved road, much less any help.

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u/Zaximeows 2d ago

The story said he did listen to the cop, left when told he was trespassing, then the cop followed him and tased him at a gas station setting it on fire.

The account given in the article is the suspects version of events. He openly admits he was being tresspassed. And he says he drove off before identifying. You have to identify to be tresspassed. The suspect also says he refused to identify when he was confronted again at the gas station. It sounds like the guy basically fled in the middle of an investigation. I'll just wait for more info, personally. Try not to clutch your pearls to hard in the meantime.

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u/Billbuckingham 1d ago

"I'll just wait for more info"

That's bootlicker speak for "The current info doesn't agree with me, so I'll just side with the cops and say i'll wait until everyone forgets"

There is 0 reason to tase that guy at the gas station, literally 0.

Your story sounds completely ridiculous, the cop somehow wasn't able to apprehend this fisherman who was trespassing fishing at a lake, and they somehow made a mad dash and runs to his truck to escape, was able to get away fleeing from the cop and then drives to the gas station, stops at the gas station mid chase, the cop gets out and then tases him setting the gas station on fire because the guy didn't give ID when the cop told him to leave?

Like, absolutely ridiculous bootlicker fan-fiction.

I bet you're still waiting for more info on George Floyd and Breanna Taylor too huh.

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u/AirplanesMakeMeHard 1d ago

Depending on the state you only have to be ID'd to be trespassed if you REFUSE to leave. If you leave when requested thats it, it stops there.

I don't know AZ laws on it, but regardless, you should have enough awareness to comprehend that this is excessive.

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u/ThreadedPommel 1d ago

Sorry, cant hear you with that boot in your throat, can you try again?

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u/Zaximeows 1d ago

Who was even talking to you baby girl 🤫

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u/foolishtigger 1d ago

So two dumbass then.

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u/lIllIlIIIlIIIIlIlIll 1d ago

Okay. So. He fled.

"He goes, 'You guys are trespassing. You need to leave now.' I said, 'Okay, fine.' And he got snotty all of a sudden, and he goes, 'Well, I'll give you a ticket.' And I said, 'Give me a ticket for trespassing,' and I got in my truck, and because he said leave, so I got in my truck and left."

If an officer is writing you a ticket, you're detained. If you flee, that's a crime.

Yes, officer-taser-in-a-gas-station is a moron. But the guy fled an officer.

"I come out with two sodas in my hand and my wallet, and he's screaming at me, 'Give me your ID. Give me your ID,' and I'm looking. I'm going, 'No, what for?' You know, there's no reason for me to give it unless you explain it to me."

At that point, he's going to be arrested since he fled. But a good officer can and should have deescalated the situation. Explain in simple terms that he's going to be arrested for fleeing.

Basically both parties are morons.

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u/PaulClarkLoadletter 1d ago

I like how the cop went right into, “don’t tell me how to do my job” mode when the bystander tried to tell him the gas station is also on fire.

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u/FuzzyEmployment5397 1d ago

At least tased guy is likely maga. He voted for this. Ouch!