Police use Taser on 74-year-old

AUSTIN (KXAN) - A 74-year-old man is recovering at Brackenridge Hospital after being shocked with a Taser. The incident occurred on Sunday, just after 7 p.m. in Bertram. Burnet County Sheriff's Deputies had responded to a call of physical disturbance where a man attacked his wife. Bertram Police Chief David Caudle was also the scene.

"His wife was standing on the street with a blanket on," said Caudle. "The man is 74 years old, he suffers from Alzheimer's and he was standing on the front porch with a large butcher knife."

Caudle said that the deputies repeatedly told the man to drop the knife, but he did not respond. At that point, the deputy moved closer to him and ordered him to drop the knife one last time. Burnet County Sheriff W.T. Smith said that is when the man told deputies he was ready to die.

"Since he was armed with a knife, the deputy appropriately, fearing he might harm himself with the knife or one of the deputies, deployed the Taser," said Smith.

The man fell back and released the knife. He was helped up onto a chair, until EMS arrived. Sheriff Smith said the response is what their deputies are trained to do in these situations and Chief Caudle, who was also on the scene, said the deputies went by the book.

"People say, "Why don't you rush him and do this?" said Caudle. "But, you have a person that is 74 years old with a knife and you could break bones easy."

The Bertram man is at Brackenridge Hospital in Austin, being treated for fractured vertebrae. The wife did receive some lacerations and bruises in the physical disturbance, but the Bertram police department is not going to file charges against the Alzheimer's patient. Instead, Caudle said he will be transferred to another facility for care.
 

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