News / Society

US black man dies days after being tased by officers

Tuesday, 04 September 2018 3:25 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 04 September 2018 10:30 PM ]

Police repeatedly tase a black man who later died in hospital.

An African-American man has died in the US state of Oklahoman after being repeatedly tasered by police officers attempting to arrest him.

Joshua Harvey, 25, died three days after his arrest on August 24 in the city of Tulsa.

Footage released by Tulsa Police Department showed 4 police officers in pursuit of an unarmed man dressed in black boxing shorts, who was shirtless and shoe-less.

The video shows officers first encounter Harvey in the street. Tulsa police said they had responded to a call about a man screaming and taking off his clothes in the street.

When police arrived at the scene, Harvey ran to a nearby bank. Harvey yanks on the handle of a bank’s glass door, which shatters. He then runs into the bank and the officers begin to rush toward the building.

"Let's tase him,” a police officer is heard telling his colleagues.

Two officers then fire their Tasers at Harvey’s back, knocking him to the ground. Harvey tries to get up while the officers continually order him to roll over and put his hands behind his back. At the same time, officers continue to taser Harvey.

“He was tased again and went down again the officers attempted to get him into custody but his strength was matching the strength of the 4 officers,” the police stated.

Then, the officers call an ambulance and send the suspect to St. John Medical Center for treatment. Harvey later died in the hospital. The cause of death has not been determined. Authorities are still waiting for the autopsy report to determine the exact cause of death.

Reports of police brutality toward black suspects are realities of the US society on an almost daily basis.

Black Lives Matter protesters stage a demonstration over the fatal police shooting of an unarmed black man in Sacramento, California, on March 30, 2018. (Getty Images)

To address this issue, the African-American community has launched the Black Lives Matter (BLM) social movement.

The international movement, which is now in the fifth year from its inception in 2013, has organized thousands of protests and demonstrations in support of equal civil rights for black people.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk

Black Lives Matter