Officer's Taser turned against him

NEENAH - On what appeared to be a routine call Wednesday afternoon, Neenah police say a fellow officer ended up on the wrong side of one of his own weapons.

Neenah Police Chief, Kevin Wilkonson, says an officer, whose name is not being released, responded to a call of a 16-year-old who had become violent, punching walls and carrying a hatchet. When the officer tried talking to the teen, he got physical with the officer.

Wilkinson says the teen was much larger than his officer and was able to pin the officer against the wall.

"The young man lunged at him," said Wilkinson. "At some point, punching and grabbing. We do know he was trying to grab both the handgun and the Taser. The officer was able to protect the handgun, but the Taser was removed from the holster."

The weapon is able to produce 50,000 volts from several yards away. That is, with all the pieces are intact.

"Electronic control devices have a cartridge that attaches to the end. During the struggle that flew off," said Wilkinson. "The weapon still can be used as a contact device. But the cartridge with the probes had flown off... The young man was pulling the trigger on the device, but did not fully activate it."

Wilkinson attributes training and quick response by a second officer for the incident not becoming more serious.

"The level of force that is authorized raises significantly once a person arms himself, even if it is an electronic control device."




Wilkinson said the teen was arrested without injury. The officer suffered minor injuries but is not expected to miss any time from work.



Because the suspect is a minor, his name is not being released.

Police are recommending he be charged as an adult. FOX 11's calls to the District Attorneys office, to see what specific charges are being considered, were not returned.