Police Officer Tasers Himself During Struggle With Suspect

RACINE -- A Racine Police officer accidentally fired his taser into his hand during a struggle to detain a suspect on disorderly conduct charges on Saturday.

Police responded to the area of Hamilton and Carlisle at about 8:30 p.m. Saturdaon on a report that a man, Johnny Walrup, was yelling at people in the area. When the officer began to approach Waldrup, he was reportedly arguing with a man - later identified as his own brother - but began to walk away when the officer was within 20 feet of them, his complaint said.

After making contact with Walrup's brother and holding him on suspicion of disorderly conduct, they noticed Johnny Walrup poking his head from the rear of a home on the 1200 block of Carlisle, his complaint said.

According to his criminal complaint, the two officers on-scene ran toward Walrup's location in an attempt to take him into custody on obstruction and disorderly conduct charges. Walrup tried closing the house door on the officers, using his body to barricade the door.

In an attempt ot gain entry into the home, one officer took out his taser in an attempt to stun him. According to the complaint, when the white flashlight on the taser was activated prior to firing, the officer saw a small child standing next to Walrup. The officer immediately stopped pointing his taser and ordered Walrup to tell his kids to go away for their safety.

Walrup refused the order and told officers he was going to keep his child close to him as if to prevent the officers from tasering him. The officer saw the child then move away from Walrup, at which point the officer attempted to taser Walrup's forearm during the continuing struggle by the officers to gain entry into the house, his complaint read.

The effect of the stun moved Walrup away from the door, and as the officers continued to struggle with him, a second taser attempt led to the officer firing it into his right palm, disabling his own right hand, the complaint said.

The fellow officer was able to taser Walrup a second time, with little reported effect. According to the complaint, with Waldrup still actively resisting and being non-compliant, the officer with the disabled hand delivered one baton strike to the back of Walrup's thighs, then one to his lower back.

Walrup then placed both of his hinds behind his back where he was handcuffed and taken into custody. Officers at the time did not know that Waldrup had been arguing with his own brother during the dispute until he was identified after he was taken into custody, the complaint said.

According to the complaint, the officers left the scene as soon as possible due to the number of people watching the disturbance increasing. A third man approached the officers staing he was a family member and was there to take care of Walrup's children. The officers did not obtain the man's name when they left the scene.

Walrup has been charged with two counts of obstructing an officer, and one count of disorderly conduct, and could face six years imprisonment on the felony obstruction charge. Walrup is being held in the Racine County Jail on a $400 cash bond. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for August 17 in Racine County Circuit Court.