Marin County Pays $1.9M To Settle Stun Gun Suit
NOVATO (CBS / AP) -- Marin County has agreed to pay $1.9 million to settle a lawsuit alleging sheriff's deputies used excessive force when they repeatedly shocked a 66-year-old man with a stun gun at his home.
County Counsel Patrick Faulkner announced the settlement with Peter McFarland on Tuesday. In a statement to the Marin Independent Journal, Faulkner said the incident was not consistent with department policy.
Video from a camera attached to the stun gun shows McFarland on his couch on June 30, 2009 ignoring a deputy's order to put his hands behind his back.
Deputies had apparently been called to the home by paramedics after McFarland fell and allegedly made a reference to shooting himself in the head.
In the video, a deputy says he must place McFarland on a psychiatric hold. McFarland is shot with the stun gun after standing up.
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