A man sustained a neck injury, specifically a fractured vertebra, after an officer deployed a Taser at a shopping mall in California.
A video from July 19 captures the incident, showing the man sitting on a bench, having just been awakened. He can be seen arguing with a police officer and a security guard at the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto.
During the confrontation, the man eventually stands up and extends his hand towards the officer, who responds by instructing him to step back and questions if he prefers to be arrested.
“You’re going to get tased, dude. You’re going to get tased,” the officer cautions.
“Do it,” the man replies, before he moves more aggressively toward the officer near the New Balance store.
This prompts the officer to use his Taser, hitting the man in the chest. The result is immediate—the man stiffens and collapses to the ground.
As video footage shows, he lies face down with blood visible on his forehead for about three minutes before an officer finally handcuffs him. Emergency personnel subsequently transported him to a hospital, where the neck fracture was diagnosed.
The man faces charges, including resisting arrest, trespassing, and drug possession.
He later expressed regret for his actions during the encounter, as mentioned by City Manager Ed Shikada in an email to the City Council on August 14. Shikada also indicated that the city’s police auditor would assess the officer’s use of force. The Palo Alto Police Department made the video public on August 14.
This release was necessary due to Assembly Bill 748, which mandates that footage be available when officer-involved incidents result in injury.
Under California law, law enforcement must disclose audio and video recordings within 45 days of events where force results in “great bodily injury,” such as broken bones. This regulation has been in effect since July 2019.
Palo Alto police have shared other footage under similar circumstances in the past. For instance, in July 2025, they released video of an incident where officers removed a man from a stolen bicycle, injuring his wrist in the process. There was also footage published following a December 23, 2023, event where a rubber bullet caused a man to injure his finger; it was reported he had assaulted his wife and head-butted his son prior to resisting police intervention.
