One story said he had a blue tractor, maybe he drove for Werner or Martin.
If anyone knew him my condolences. Go to this link if you want to see a picture of this cat. [LINK POSTED BY MEMBER] Only Members Can View This Truck Forum Link.

Man accused of rape dies after being Tasered

By [LINK POSTED BY MEMBER] Only Members Can View This Truck Forum Link.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 12/10/07 A truck driver died Monday after being shot once with a Taser by Walton County deputies.
Police confronted Leroy Patterson Jr. about 5:30 a.m. — 30 minutes after a woman accused him of raping her inside a tractor-trailer where he apparently resided. Walton County Sheriff Joe Chapman said when deputies arrived at the scene Patterson, 41, refused to open the doors to his truck.
After letting them inside, Patterson reversed course, Chapman said, shoving the officers outside of the vehicle.
He proceeded to discard evidence, including some sheets, the sheriff said.
After seeing him reach under his seat, the deputies warned Patterson he would be Tasered unless he presented his hands.
"They even put the red dot from the Taser on him, but he did not cooperate," said Chapman, who insisted standard procedures were followed.
After deploying two "barbs" from the Taser, the suspect became violent, pulling them out of his skin, the sheriff said. A scuffle ensued, and a deputy was shot once by his own Taser. Patterson finally was subdued and handcuffed.
While still at the scene, the suspect began breathing erratically and seemed to be having a seizure, Chapman said. He was pronounced dead at the Walton County Hospital about an hour after the confrontation with deputies.
Chapman said Patterson was on probation in Gwinnett County for a narcotics charge, among other previous offenses.
The deputy who discharged the Taser, a veteran of more than 20 years, was placed on paid leave pending a review by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, as is routine in such cases, Chapman said.
"It's unfortunate," the sheriff said. "It was a bad situation turned worse by the actions of the suspect."
An autopsy is scheduled Tuesday.

"Chapman said Patterson was on probation in Gwinnett County for a narcotics charge, among other previous offenses."'


He was on probation for a narcotics chrage and was driving a Tractor Trailer????

Why offer "condolences"/
If that report is true, he was a first-class ###### and probably got what he deserved.

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You shouldn't be killed because a cop got over zealous. Why fire more than one charge? One is almost always sufficient to take a man down. WAY too many people are being killed by tasers these days.

Whatever happened to innocent until PROVEN guilty???? Do you know how many women file false rape charges every year? It's incredible and repulsive to those of us who would NEVER do such a thing (file false charges to "get back" at someone or for any other frivolous reason).

If you don't let a person up VERY QUICKLY after the are tasered, they can't breathe properly and can die.

The most important thing to do after you fire a taser and handcuff your subject is to GET HIM UP so he can breathe properly. It's very dangerous not to let the person up as they can die from not being able to breathe, which is what they figured happened in Vancouver and many other places lately. Aren't these officers trained? You don't SIT on a man's BACK after he's handcuffed. Let him up. Let him breathe. If he's still fighting, take care of it but don't SIT ON HIM after he's tasered.

BOTTOM LINE:
HE RESISTED, HE DISOBEYED a LAWFUL order to show his hands, HE was COMBATIVE.
Police are FULLY with-in the law to TAZE and restrain for not complying.
If HE DIES, HE is the one responsible, HE should have OBEYED the cop(s) in the first place.
I get so tired of the liberal bleeding-hearts who think we should reward criminals with a "hug" and a cup of hot chocolate.
I will just about guarantee that an autopsy will show drugs in his system.
Why?
Every single case in the US where someone has died as the result of being tazed, the DEAD GUY (and GAL) had been using drugs prior to getting zapped. There has NOT been a single case (in the U.S.) of a person NOT USING drugs dying as the result of having their electrical interrupted.

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RoadKill I was just showing proper respect. I agree with you. I also agree with the other dude, How in the hell did he get a driving job, on probation for drug possession? Everybody on probation or that has recent DUI's is going to try to find out what company he worked for! LOL I was just treading lightly on the my condolences, out of respect for THE PERSON that may have knew him, not for him.

Truthfully?
I would have said the same thing if the guy was my best friend.

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Read my response above

That is for the Courts to decide, NOT for the Cop to determine. Sometimes, a Cop questioning a "suspect" will determine that the "accuser" is being less than honest, and may NOT arrest the suspect, but WILL send his report to the District Attorney to determine if charges will be filed.

No where in that story does it say the Cops "sat" on the suspect. And since their training is far more inclusive than the "TAZE" training you received, I suspect they know far more about it than you do.
Far more cops DIE from the suspects using the Cop's gun than do suspects who die from being TAZED.
I say: Taze them all, let god sort them out.

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Have you ever been arrested? Especially if you are innocent?

I was because of a mean ex of my hubby's. Yup, I had all the charges dismissed/found not guilty, actually, but it was a horrible thing being arrested, fingerprinted, etc., when you KNOW you are NOT guilty and someone is outright lying about you and making things up. It makes you FURIOUS! and makes you think and react in ways you'd never dream of when you're calm and thinking about a particular situation that does not involve yourself.

If you've NEVER been arrested, IMHO, you have no right to judge how others react. You've never been there, guilty or not.

There have been people in Canada killed by being tasered who did NOT have ANY drugs in their system and the whole system is undergoing a ton of retraining and rethinking while they debate this whole taser thing. Don't judge if you aren't aware of the particulars of the situation in question. INNOCENT until proven GUILTY.

People have died because of tazers, but many more have been saved.

The cops reported to a rape, this guy throws one officer out of the truck and starts to remove evidence of the rape. He put's his hand under his seat. He refuses to listen to police. Right there most departments and officers would be forced to pull their weapon instead of a taser. This guy died because he was idiot, not because the officers over reacted. The guy probably died of a heart attack because he fought the police, it probably didn't have anything to do with taking a ride on the taser.

I just hope this guys family can get refunds on his Christmas gifts.