AndrewBlakeSalt Lake City – A Utah man has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit after he was Tased when he was drunk and threatening his wife with a knife and then ignoring numerous commands by police to get on the ground. (Video below)
Fernando Coronado, 48, said he suffered a fractured skull and broken neck when he fell head first into the apartment wall after being tased, according to the Deseret News.
The video of the Aug. 3, 2016 incident shows an agitated Coronado repeatedly ignoring police commands to get on the ground.
“We’re here to help you,” police repeatedly tell Coronado. “Get on the ground.”
Instead, Coronado paces around the hallway surrounded by police.
Coronado was tased after he turned to confront an officer who had his stun gun pointed at him and ordered him to get on the ground. Instead, Coronado started walking toward the officer who tased him causing Coronado to fall head first into the wall of the apartment complex.
The charging document stated that Tabeththa Coronado told police her common-law husband threatened to kill her and had a knife and at one point put the knife against his own throat and threatened to kill himself.
Police were called and when they arrived Fernando Coronado barricaded himself in the apartment unit. He also made threats to kill any officers who tried to enter the apartment. Fernando Coronado also told police he was a sniper in the Marines.
After several hours of negotiations, Fernando Coronado finally exited the apartment complex.
He pleaded guilty to threatening to use of a dangerous weapon during an argument.
The plea agreement dropped charges of threat of domestic violence, domestic violence in the presence of a child, threat of violence and interfering with an arrest, according to the Deseret News.
However, on Jan. 25, Fernando Coronado said although he was drunk, he never threatened any officers or refused to come out.
“As far as anything that they might have thought was a threat, I told them don’t breach my door. Please don’t breach my door. Don’t come in here running with your guns all on me and everything that like that. There’s no need for it. I’m coming out. And I told them I’m coming out,” he said. “That’s the reason I went outside with just shorts on. I wanted them to see I have no weapons. I have nothing but the cellphone.”
Fernando Coronado said he was in the process of putting his heads on his head and going to his knees when he was tased.
It’s not clear if he understands how video works.
You can see the video of the incident below: