Maui Man Dies A Week After Police Used A Taser To Stop Him From Running Off
The incident in Haiku was captured on the officer’s body cam.
A 53-year-old Wailuku man died Thursday, a week after a Maui police officer used his Taser to detain the man as he was responding to a report of a stolen truck, police said Thursday.
The Maui Police Department has launched an internal investigation into the incident. The officer who deployed the Taser has been placed on administrative leave, according to an MPD news release.
The police officer who fired the Taser had been responding to a report of a stolen Ford F-150 pickup truck on April 11. The officer located the truck outside a Kahiapo Place residence in Haiku and ordered the driver, Televise Sau, to exit the vehicle, according to police.
Police say Sau ignored the officer’s commands, accelerated the truck toward the residence, jumped out of the vehicle and fled on foot. The officer chased Sau to a nearby residence and deployed the Taser after Sau refused to comply with his commands, according to police.
The officer called medics and Sau was transferred from the scene to Maui Memorial Medical Center, where he was treated during the week between the Taser incident and his death, police said. Maui Police Department Spokesperson Alana Pico said Sau died in the hospital.
鈥淯ntil the autopsy is complete there is no definitive answer as to what was really the cause of death,鈥 Pico said.
On Thursday, MPD released body-camera footage that shows the officer repeatedly shouting “stop right now!” as Sau jumps out of the truck and starts running toward a residence. The officer, who has not been publicly named, then immediately calls dispatchers to request medical assistance.
“Tasers provide our officers with a critical less lethal option to use in containing or subduing a subject in dangerous situations in order to protect the safety of the public and our officer,” SHOPO President Robert Cavaco said in a statement. “Ensuring our officers have access to multiple less lethal options helps save lives and prevent injuries.”
Civil Beat鈥檚 coverage of Maui County is supported in part by a grant from the Nuestro Futuro Foundation.
