Seems a little much for an alleged trespassing ticket…
An Arizona man is recovering from burns he suffered after catching on fire following a heated (no pun intended) argument with a U.S. Fish & Wildlife officer.
According to an interview with KPNX, Clarence “Chuck” Coyl says the incident started on July 16 when he and a friend went fishing at Catfish Paradise in the Havasu National Wildlife Refuge, located near the border between Arizona and Colorado.
But while trying to rip some lips, Coyl says they were approached by an officer from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who told them they were trespassing:
“He goes, ‘You guys are trespassing. You need to leave now.’ I said, ‘Okay, fine.’ And he got snotty all of a sudden, and he goes, ‘Well I’ll give you a ticket.’ And I said, ‘Give me a ticket for trespassing,’ and I got in my truck, because he said leave, so I got in my truck and left.”
Coyl left the reserve, but later encountered the same officer at a nearby gas station. After returning from inside the store, the man says he began pumping gas when the officer confronted him:
“I come out with two sodas in my hand, and my wallet, and he’s screaming at me, ‘Give me your ID. Give me your ID,’ and I’m looking at him and I’m going, ‘No, what for? You know, there’s no reason for me to give it unless you explain it to me.'”
Luckily for Coyl he pulled out his phone and caught the ensuing confrontation on video, which shows the officer angrily pointing his Taser at the man while demanding his ID. Coyl asks what he’s being arrested for, protesting that he’s being accused of a misdemeanor and calling the officer an a–hole.
Well apparently being called a name was all it took, because it’s then that the officer fires his Taser, causing Coyl to fall to the ground and drop his phone. But the video captures the fire start, and Coyl says he suffered first and second-degree burns, as well as nerve damage to his hand:
“I literally thought, oh, it’s going to burn to death and die. I really did.”
Fortunately the incident wasn’t worse than it was, and ultimately he wasn’t even given the ticket for trespassing that the officer was so determined to issue. Coyl says that while he hasn’t been charged with any crime, he does plan on taking legal action against the officer.
And I’m sure there will probably be people who say, “Well he should have just handed over his ID.” But come on, in what world is it reasonable to tase somebody over an alleged trespassing ticket, much less while you’re at a gas station surrounded by…well, flammable gas? Seems like this officer is way more of a threat to society than a guy who was allegedly trespassing while trying to fish.
For the record, fishing is allowed at Catfish Paradise. According to the Havasu National Wildlife Refuge website:
“Free public fishing dock on the north end of the lake near Topock — known for catfish (channel + flathead), carp, and largemouth bass. Quieter than the in-town docks. Open 24 hours.”
It’s not clear whether the officer was mistaken, or whether Coyl and his buddy were fishing somewhere other than where it’s allowed. But still, following somebody to a gas station and then tasing them – and catching them on fire – for allegedly fishing where they’re not supposed to is absolutely insane behavior.
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service says that the officer’s use of force is currently under review, and that they have no further comment at this time.
I would say I hope he gets a big settlement, but unfortunately it’s going to come from taxpayer dollars and not the maniac officer on a power trip.
