Police used a Taser on a teenage boy multiple times on the night of June 4 at the end of Forest Park’s Summerfest, after the boy reportedly resisted four arresting officers who apprehended him for his alleged involvement in a “scuffle” with several other juveniles in the 400 block of Ferdinand.
The documenting officer stated he was forced to deploy three electrical Taser cycles on a 120-pound Oak Park boy because four officers were unable to control him.
It is not clear how many times the boy received electrical shocks, nor does the report articulate who the boy was fighting with or how many people were involved in the fight. (A section of the report states that an officer was drawn to the teen after he saw 20-25 people flocking to a scuffle where the boy was. Later in the report, when the arrested teen was being interview by police, the officer wrote that there was a crowd of 100 to 200 people surrounding the arrestee).
Police reported that the boy was fighting with several other juveniles, though only one other person was apprehended for his involvement. Officers also reported the teen was inciting a large crowd by yelling obscenities at surrounding persons, which is why he was apprehended. But according to the report, the four officers could not contain him, so a Taser was used. The boy received the third and final Taser cycle while he was on the ground, kicking his feet and allegedly continuing to resist. Ê
The teen and his friend, 18-year-old Oak Parker Tevin Easton were taken into custody for their involvement in the “scuffle.” Easton was arrested because he allegedly tried to prevent officers from apprehending his friend.Ê
During interviews at the station, both Easton and his friend told police that the teen was upset by an alleged physical confrontation with a Forest Park police officer before the “scuffle” broke out. Easton said an officer “pushed” his friend, and the teen said he was upset because he was hit by an officer’s bicycle. He also said he didn’t think police were justified in deploying the Taser on him.
The teen was charged with four counts of resisting arrest, and a single count of mob action. Easton was charged with two counts of obstruction of justice and a single count of mob action. Details regarding the alleged mob incident are unclear at this point.
According to the police report, the boy had one puncture mark on his rib cage from the Taser probes.
