Police pepper-sprayed and Tasered 93-year-old disabled man, court hears

They did not speak to the staff or explain to Burgess why they were there, jurors heard.
Instead, Smith told him: “Do you want to put the knife down or you will be sprayed or Tasered. Those are the options.”

Instant escalation!

Footage from body-worn cameras played to the jury showed Smith then discharging the spray directly into Burgess’s face.
“Comments made by Mr Smith suggest he emptied all of the canister into Mr Burgess’s face,” Jarvis said.
Seconds later, Smith drew his baton and struck Burgess.
Comotto deployed her Taser and Burgess cried out in pain. The officers took the knife from him.

A 93 year old man with one leg holding a fucking cutlery knife!
They could probably just have taken the knife from him without issue.
At 93 years people are not very strong.

Jurors were told there was nobody within arm’s reach of Burgess at the time and it should have been clear he was not mobile.

So they had plenty option to stand back and talk to him too! But instead decided to go on a powertrip and escalate the situation immediately!
That's a decidedly an unnecessary violent attack, and a breach of their position. So this should be punished doubly. The idea that officers should be protected by the badge when acting like criminal bullies is insane.

He was taken to hospital after the incident and later contracted Covid. He died 22 days later.

What a sad way to end a life of 93 years. Maybe the officers can't be blamed for him catching COVID, but essentially his life ended the day those officers entered his room and attacked him.

I am also not sure the quality of the home is very good, calling the police on behavior that sounds like dementia?!

Of course the officers can't be blamed for him catching COVID
If you put someone in the hospital where they then contract a contagious disease and die, then yes, they can absolutely be blamed. Dude could've been sitting on his couch watching antiques roadshow right now if they hadn't assaulted him.
- I actually agree on that morally, But I think legally they probably can't be blamed.
  So I changed it to "maybe".
- If police get into a shootout with someone and police gunfire 100% without a doubt hits an innocent bystander, in some states at least the cops can legally pin that injury or death on the suspect, for the same logic.
Ok, I understand the officers likely used excessive force and this guy maybe had dementia or something but ...
Burgess [...] was seen poking a care worker in the stomach with a cutlery knife
Sorry, but I have a hard time feeling sorry for this old man.
- Are you being sarcastic? Do you know what a cutlery knife is?
  He was poking her with it, but nothing happened, because such a place a cutlery knife is obviously completely rounded and not sharp. He might as well have been poking her with a drinking straw.

It's just sadistic shit done by psychopaths to the vulnerable. They just like doing it.

This reminded me.of this incident in Australia where a 95 yr old.woman with dementia using a walker was holding a knife and they tasered and killed her

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-66229582

Or the time Portland police tased a 71 year old unarmed blind woman:
https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2004/04/city_pays_excessive_force_clai.html

They literally have knife proof vests. What pussy ass wankers.

It was a cutlery knife, you don't need anything to protect against that.
- wielded by a 93 year old man no less, but no i'm sure the officers feared for their lives...

I just think if you can't disarm a one-legged 93 year old without resorting to pepper spray and batons, it's likely you're bad at your job.

Lock the door, walk away. "When you're ready to put down the knife, we'll give you a sandwich."

Food denial is a text book human rights violation, especially for the elderly and ddisabled. Might as well suggest they rip out his fingernails and just get it over with.
The actual, proper response here is to let him have the knife. Anyone healthy adult who can be killed in a knife fight with a 93 year old man deserves death. Anyone who uses violence to address a 93 year old man (with OR without a knife) also deserves death.
The only proper sentence that should be considered for these crimes is an immediate summary execution.

Same police that do and defend this shit, then have the audacity to complain that the public doesnt respect them.

ACAB

US cops can't responsibly handle any weapons. They shouldn't be allowed these tools if they are going to misuse them.

The only solution is to defund them

This was in the UK, not the US. ACAB applies globally.
- Doesn't matter where you live....ACAB all day. Authoritarians don't just exist in the US.

Why is everyone always saying ACAB? Oh yeah, reasons like this.

To protect and serve the rich.