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University Vows Probe of Taser Incident

By TRAVIS REED,
AP
Posted: 2007-09-19 06:10:21
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (Sept. 18) -- The University of Florida asked state investigators Tuesday to review campus officers' use of a Taser during a forum with Sen. John Kerry, on a persistent questioner who is known for posting practical jokes online.

Photo Gallery: 'What Did I Do?'

Andrew Stanfill, Independent Florida Alligator / AP

University of Florida student Andrew Meyer struggles with university police as officers try to remove him from a question-and-answer session with Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., last month. He was Tasered and arrested.

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Video of Monday's takedown of the 21-year-old student was replayed extensively on TV and the Internet. University President Bernie Machen called the confrontation "regretful" and said two officers were placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the probe.

The student, Andrew Meyer, spent a night in jail before his release Tuesday morning on his recognizance. He had no comment when he left. His attorney, Robert Griscti, said he may speak with reporters later Tuesday but had no immediate comment.

Some Florida students reacted angrily to the arrest, planning protests and possible sit-ins against alleged police brutality.

University police said in a news release that officers had been summoned by the forum's sponsors to escort Meyer from the building. They added that Meyer was Tasered because he resisted when officers were attempting to place him in handcuffs.

Meyer, a senior telecommunications major from Weston, Fla., has a Web site that contains several comedy videos that he appears in. In one, he stands in a street with a sign that says "Harry Dies" after the latest Harry Potter book was released. In another, he acts like a drunk in a bar while trying to pick up a man dressed in drag. The man later appears as an attractive blonde as Meyer gets more intoxicated.

The site also has what is called a "disorganized diatribe" attributed to Meyer that criticizes the Iraq war, the news media for not covering the conflict enough and the American public for paying too much attention to celebrity news.

Another site had pictures of Meyer licking a woman's face and making a suggestive pose as he stood behind a fake cow. The site listed his activities as "getting wasted" and "being ridiculous."

Machen, asked if the university had any previous conflicts with Meyer, said some issues would come up in the investigation, but he declined to elaborate and would not say whether he thought the latest episode was a prank.

Various videos of the arrest had been viewed more than 400,000 times on YouTube as of Tuesday afternoon.

Monday's scuffle started when Meyer refused to leave the microphone after his allotted time was up, police said. He had asked Kerry about impeaching President Bush, why he didn't challenge the 2004 election results and whether he and Bush were members of the secret society Skull and Bones at Yale University.

Kerry, D-Mass., said Tuesday he regretted that a healthy discussion was interrupted, and said he never had a dialogue end that way in 37 years of public appearances.

"Whatever happened, the police had a reason, had made their decision that there was something they needed to do. Then it's a law enforcement issue, not mine," he told The Associated Press in Washington.

After Meyer repeatedly and loudly refused to walk away, officers came to escort him out. As two officers take Meyer by the arms, Kerry can be heard saying, "That's all right, let me answer his question."

Audience members applauded, though it was difficult to tell whether it was for the officers' action or Kerry's remark. The audience for the most part sat quietly and watched the fracas.

Meyer struggled for several seconds as up to four officers tried to remove him from the room. He screamed for help and tried to break away from officers with his arms flailing at them, then was forced to the ground and ordered to stop resisting.

As Kerry told the audience he will answer the student's "very important question," Meyer yelled at the officers to release him, crying out, "Don't Tase me, bro," just before he was shocked. He was led from the room, screaming, "What did I do?"

Meyer's grandmother, Lucy Meyer of Pembroke Pines, told The Miami Herald that he is a hardworking student with no prior run-ins with the law.

"He gets very, very overcome with passion for whatever he is feeling. Maybe the passion took over," she said. She did not return phone messages from The Associated Press.

About 100 students gathered Tuesday to organize protests. Benjamin Dictor, a liberal arts junior speaking for the group, called for the officers to be disciplined, Tasers to be banned on campus and the charges dropped.

Meyer was arrested on charges of resisting an officer and disturbing the peace, according to Alachua County jail records, but the State Attorney's Office had yet to make the formal charging decision. Police recommended charges of resisting arrest with violence, a felony, and disturbing the peace and interfering with school administrative functions, a misdemeanor.

Associated Press writer Andrew Miga in Washington contributed to this report.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2007-09-18 06:36:09
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Recent Comments

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25029 comments

CoatingsStanBucz 07:48:03 AM Oct 11 2007

vikingmedic- I applaud your statement. Obviously there are many today who were raised to disrespect parents and authority. This is not confidence, self respect, assertiveness, or any other forward progression of action, it is shear drama and attention getting behaviour that gave him the attention he was asking for. He should be asked if he wants another dose. He is fortunate enough to live in the US where we restrain out of controls and not torture, imprison, or kill them as many other countries do. They have much less tolerance for this. Speak up but don't act out foolishly. Repeat statement:

Dude, you went to college and you can't figure out why you are being arrested? Let me fill you in. You were being ejected from the auditorium. You could have walked away and gone to your dorm and spewed your idealistic sheltered wonder bread boy bile on your blog and that would have been it. But then you resisted. And then you tried to flee. And then you were subdued. And so you continued t

LokalAngel366 07:59:07 PM Oct 09 2007

Does anyone recall the Stanley Milgram experiment where normal everyday people 'torture' someone through high voltage shock to the point of 'death' so they can 'teach them a lesson.'
http://home.swbell.net/revscat/perilsOfObedience.html

?Each person has the right to resist an unlawful arrest. In such a case, the person attempting the arrest stands in the position of a wrongdoer and may be resisted by the use of force, as in self- defense.? (State v. Mobley, 240 N.C. 476, 83 S.E. 2d 100).

?An illegal arrest is an assault and battery. The person so attempted to be restrained of his liberty has the same right to use force in defending himself as he would in repelling any other assault and battery.? (State v. Robinson, 145 ME. 77, 72 ATL. 260).

http://www.constitution.org/uslaw/defunlaw.htm

miggrunner 06:39:03 AM Oct 01 2007

what people need to do is watch c-span! her and the dems want to raise the tobaco tax from .39 cents to $1.00 dollar!!! think about that for a sec folks. your smokes will be a dollor or more than they are now. and this was tacked on to their healthcare plan?!? can you not see how much they want to strip away our rights????? people look don't take my word for it please pleae for the love of everything decent take a look at what is going on in congress!! check out c-span check out the dem voting records and you will see who is really taking away our civil liberties. i beg you look in to it now before its really to late!

usforjustice 12:27:33 PM Sep 25 2007

Check out what's really going on within the criminal justice system at: www.justiceforus.org

hdhdrider 12:05:46 AM Sep 25 2007

he should have been tazed for listening to John Kerry

Italianjrrb 11:59:45 PM Sep 24 2007

I say he didnt deserve anything, he did no wrong on anypart. that was police brut force, are gov needs to be reevaluated pronto... gov is crooked in to many ways, he should get an over expceptional plea, i would sue.

DrJohnVanArsdall 11:48:36 PM Sep 24 2007

He derserved to be tasered. He asked for it.What a jerk. Poor child only wants attention. Put him in jail, there will be plenty of more boys to give all the attention he wants and needs.

corbinmm 11:12:51 PM Sep 24 2007

Sex with The Bradys song at www.myspace.com/tencarplie

Its HILARIOUS!!!!!!

corbinmm 11:12:48 PM Sep 24 2007

Sex with The Bradys song at www.myspace.com/tencarplie

Its HILARIOUS!!!!!!

Godenginez 11:07:00 PM Sep 24 2007

They tase our own American student intead of the terroist athe front gate in N.Y.C
Sounds like a plea bargain !

The hysterica beast weeps a begs the black man !!!!!!!!!

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