Trib: Attorney pursues stun gun incident at USF game

[USFishin]

Attorney pursues stun gun incident at USF game

By KEITH MORELLI | The Tampa Tribune

A Tampa attorney representing a Syracuse University fan who was kicked out of the Saturday's football game against the University of South Florida vowed to pursue the case for his client, who was zapped with a stun gun before being arrested on misdemeanor charges.

Cooper Stroman, 23, who attends Flagler College, was charged with trespassing and opposing an officer without violence. He was released from jail later Saturday after posting $1,000 bail. Stroman had paid $75 to get into the game with a bunch of friends from Syracuse.

Attorney John Lauro said he was looking for witnesses. The ones he had spoken to said there were no confrontations going on in the stadium that would have resulted in Stroman and several friends being kicked out. Nor were there any scuffles on their way out of Raymond James Stadium.

"They were in the middle of a section with a bunch of USF students having a great appropriate time," Lauro said. Stroman "was interacting with other students and nobody was complaining about anybody else.

"For whatever reason the police descended on them and told them they going to have to leave," Lauro said. Police escorted the Syracuse fans from the stadium, he said.

"In the course of bringing them out of the stadium," the attorney said, "Cooper was forced to the ground and Tasered several times by an unidentified police officer."

He said his concern is the policy of Tampa police in the use of stun guns and how much discretion is given to an officer who uses one on an individual.

"We're going to fully air this," he said. "This is not going to go away."

Lauro said he has asked the governor to appoint a special counsel to look at the incident.

Tampa police said Stroman was disruptive and refused to comply with orders of the officers. He was combative and was drawing a large crowd, so the officer pulled out her stun gun, placed it against Stroman's stomach and gave him a jolt, police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said.

Officers were alerted to a disturbance in the crowd by a Florida Highway Patrol lieutenant on the field, McElroy said. Officers had gotten complaints from other fans about the group of six or eight Syracuse fans, of which Stroman was one, she said.

"Mr. Stroman was very combative, belligerent; he was yelling profanities at officers and the crowd," McElroy said. "When he attempted to punch a fan, that's when it turned into a physical struggle with the officer."

She said the officer followed all use-of-force protocols.

"The bottom line is that this individual, Stroman, instead of responding to the officer's commands to stop fighting, to lie down, to put his hands behind back, he chose to fight the officer," McElroy said.

A co-defendant, Kristopher Galaway, 27, also was arrested. Police charged Galaway with battery on a police officer, a felony, and trespassing and obstructing an officer without violence. He was released from jail Sunday after posting $3,000 bail.

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[theman123]

Any idea if thesse were the guys from 112?

[theman123]

Any idea if thesse were the guys from 112?

It was.  They had no right to be thrown out.

[Bull Martin]

Any idea if thesse were the guys from 112?

It was.  They had no right to be thrown out.

They were cheering for Syracuse.  I fail to see a problem here.

[theman123]

Any idea if thesse were the guys from 112?

It was.  They had no right to be thrown out.

They were cheering for Syracuse.  I fail to see a problem here.

Exactly.  I would hope a group of USF fans would never get thrown out for acting like this at another stadium.  I'm pretty sure they were quite talkative to the USF fans around as well.

[nobull.Bulls]

Tazer 1 Syracuse 0

At least somebody beat them saturday

[Danm1983]

Any idea if these were the guys from 112?

It was.  They had no right to be thrown out.

They were cheering for Syracuse.  I fail to see a problem here.

Exactly.  I would hope a group of USF fans would never get thrown out for acting like this at another stadium.  I'm pretty sure they were quite talkative to the USF fans around as well.

We talked to those guys quite a bit. The one guy was pretty level-headed, and the others were too - they were just very vocal New Yorkers. The FHP on the field and the TSA guy posted in front of us had no issues other than some profanities early on that they were warned about, and after that they were fine.

It wasn't until 2 guys from 111 started mouthing off to them, and then came and sat behind them in the 3rd quarter, that thing went sour. The SU guys were enjoying the game and being a little rowdy, but weren't blocking anyone's view and weren't cursing at that point. Once the two USF guys came over and started messing with them, the smack talk got construed as "idiot fans" by people in rows up (who need to mind their own business), and obviously they're going to throw out the visiting fans first, unless it's blatant that a USF fan is acting out.

[IncrediBULL]

Cops have protocol.  They cannot just willy, nilly, pull out a gun or taser and use it on a suspect.  They will be disciplined and or lose their jobs.

Most people do not get (a) kicked out of a stadium and ( tased if they didn't do anything wrong.  By the statements, it sounds like the FHP saw and ID'ed this guy as being a problem.  Then a cop talked to him and he apparently didn't follow directions.  Then they warned him and he kept at it.  Then they did what they had to do to remove him from the situation.

Open and closed case.  Let the courts deal with it and let him try to sue someone, that is what the courts are there for.  Big assumption on the facts, but it sounds like a spoiled college kid, afraid to tell his parents he screwed up.  So now we supposedly have a stadium police force, who in a wonton manner, attack innocent fans at USF football games?  Sounds like an interesting theory.

I have been a season tix holder since day one.  I have not been harassed by police ever, nor has anyone in my section been harassed or tased that I have ever seen.   I've seen a few drunks get escorted out, I've seen a few loudmouths get warned about language, and once saw an argument almost turn to fists, but nothing more than that. 

From the statements, it appears the kid screwed up.  Needs to move on.

[ajusf16]

I would not be surprised one bit if the LEO's over reacted, they have the holier than though attitude

FTP

[bullwark]

I was there also as they were sitting next to me and they should have not been thrown out or tazed.  In my opinion, TSA and LEOs overeacted and instead of difussing any possible situation instead they instigated a situation.  But the root of the problem is why they sell tickets to the opposing fans in that section?  I always have at least two fans cheering for the other team sitting to my right every game.  Last year, we tried to buy those seats to incorporate into the block of seats we already pay for and we were unable to purchase them.  If these kids were sitting in the visitor's section this is not a problem.