On Monday a federal judge released the police dashcam video showing a now-former Independence, Mo., police officer using excessive force during the 2014 traffic-stop arrest of then-17-year-old Bryce Masters, the Kansas City Star reports.
The video of the Sept. 14, 2014, arrest shows then-Officer Timothy N. Runnels using a stun gun on Bryce for more than 20 seconds before dropping the handcuffed teen onto the pavement. Bryce ultimately went into cardiac arrest as a result of the use of force, which led to oxygen deprivation and brain damage.
According to the Kansas City Star, the teen, then a Truman High School senior, almost died.
Runnels was sentenced to four years in federal prison last week for violating the teen’s civil rights. The video was played during his sentencing hearing.
It was determined that Runnels made the traffic stop because of a Kansas City warrant associated with the license plate on the vehicle that the teen was driving. The warrant was later found to be a mistake.
A few minutes after deploying the stun gun, Runnels called for an ambulance but reportedly did not check on the teen. By the time the ambulance arrived, Masters was in cardiac arrest. He had to be put into a medically induced coma.
The brain damage the teen suffered could impact the rest of his life. He recently testified that he is often forgetful and has difficulty focusing.
Read more at the Kansas City Star.