Indianapolis police used Tasers to subdue suspects twice Thursday, a sign the stun guns might become a key weapon for officers.
No deaths have been linked to the M26 Taser -- which looks like a firearm but "shoots" 50,000 volts instead of bullets.
"We want to be very, very cautious, and very careful about how we put this out," said Lt. Dale True, commander of the SWAT team. "We want to do a true and fair evaluation for both the device and the citizens."
In the first investigation, a 41-year-old homeless man suffered a seizure sometime after being subdued with the device by an IPD officer around 9 p.m. Thursday, but there is no evidence the stun gun caused the medical problem.
Also Thursday, the Taser was used after a search warrant was served in a residence in the 1800 block of South Keystone Avenue at 10:43 p.m. The identity of the person who was stunned was not released, but police said that person was not seriously injured.
Nationwide, more than 1,900 police departments are using the Taser either experimentally or as part of their regular arsenal. The battery-powered weapon shoots two wires from a distance or can be applied directly, causing a five-second shock that essentially weakens the muscles.
Indianapolis police have been testing four Tasers for two years, but on a limited basis and only under supervised conditions. Police said Thursday's incidents were two of only four times a Taser has been used.
A Taser is considered an "intermediate" level weapon to subdue a suspect, on par with chemical spray, a baton or a police dog.
"There's no place we have ever been able to find where death resulted from the application of the Taser, so we're really comfortable with that," said Sgt. Ed Buns, of the Hamilton (Ohio) Police Department, where the 122-member force has used Tasers about 35 times in the past year.
Before Thursday, an Indianapolis SWAT team member used the stun gun to subdue a suicidal man who was stabbing himself in the leg, and on a robbery suspect hiding under a truck. There were no ill effects from the Taser's use in those cases.
Then, around 9 p.m. Thursday, members of the SWAT team were helping West District narcotics officers execute a search warrant in the 700 block of West 31st Street. Michael Jones ran toward a bathroom and then began struggling with an officer, said IPD spokesman Lt. Paul Ciesielski. He said Jones grabbed an officer's rifle and was scuffling with the officer when a member of the SWAT team applied a burst from his Taser.
Ciesielski said Jones recovered from the shock and was checked out by a medic accompanying the SWAT team, which then left the house for another assignment. Within a few minutes, however, officers noticed Jones was convulsing and apparently suffering from a seizure. He was taken to Wishard Memorial Hospital in stable condition.
Ciesielski said Jones' preliminary blood-alcohol level was 0.24, nearly three times the level deemed intoxicated, and witnesses said Jones also had been taking drugs before the officers arrived.
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