US police use taser on deaf disabled man

Police used a Taser gun on a deaf, mentally disabled man for failing to leave a shop’s bathroom in the latest controversial use of the stun gun in the US, it emerged today.

Officers in Mobile, Alabama, deployed pepper spray under the cubicle door before forcing it open and administering the shock to Antonio Love, 37, who had failed to respond to the officer’s requests for him to leave.

The victim’s family have filed a formal complaint over the incident, which took place on Friday.

Police said they did not know Mr Love had a hearing impairment until he was out of the bathroom.

The officer used the Taser after the man failed to respond to repeated knocking on the door. The policeman’s conduct is now under investigation.

It is the latest controversial incident involving Tasers and comes as law enforcement agencies in the US unveil a new version of the gun that can fire three times without being reloaded.

Last month, an officer in Travis County, Texas, used the device on a 72-year-old woman after pulling her over for speeding.

In footage caught on camera, deputy constable Chris Bieze, can be heard warning Kathryn Winkfein with the Taser before the elderly woman responds: “I dare you.”

After refusing to be handcuffed, Ms Winkfein is shocked with the stun gun, resulting in her falling to ground and writhing in pain.

Critics of the use of Tasers point towards an alleged link between their use and heart attacks.

Amnesty International claims 351 people in the US have died after being shocked and in 50 of those cases, doctors have cited a link to the Taser and the cause of their deaths.