Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Florida Cop Fired After Bodycam Video Shows Him Tasing Elderly Man In Wheelchair Four Times

Florida Cop Fired After Bodycam Video Shows Him Tasing Elderly Man In Wheelchair Four Times
WPTV News - FL Palm Beaches and Treasure Coast/YouTube

A St. Petersburg, Florida police officer has been fired following an incident where he tased a suspect four times.

According to Yahoo News, St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway announced Officer Matthew Cavinder was fired following an internal investigation into the June 20, 2021 incident.


Cavinder and his partner were responding to a trespassing complaint at a Chevron gas station, where they found 64-year-old Timothy Grant panhandling from a wheelchair.

WPTV shared the bodycam footage on YouTube.

WARNING: the following footage may be considered disturbing to some audiences

youtu.be

The officers ran Grant's name and found five existing warrants.

In the bodycam footage, Grant can be heard explaining the warrants to the officers. The officers struggled to physically remove Grant from the wheelchair.

They eventually got him onto the ground and flipped him him over onto his stomach. Then, instead of simply arresting Grant, Cavinder pulled out his taser and tased the man four times.

Fox 13 News televised a press conference addressing Cavinder's firing.

Chief Holloway explained what took place.

"Instead of using both of his hands, he went right to his Taser and he started Tasering Mr. Grant."
"What he did was place the Taser up against his body. He pulled the trigger and that does cause an electrical shock to go through the body."

He explained the field report did not match the footage.

"He wrote a report, and he said that Mr. Grant was resisting with violence.You all saw that tape. Mr. Grant was not resisting with violence."

Chief Holloway expressed disappointment in Cavinder's actions.

"I think I looked at that video over 20 times... I still cannot explain to you why that officer went to his Taser."
According to Chief Holloway, the department trains their officers for eight months before sending them out.
"We train officers every year. Everybody at this police department is trained on de-escalation."

It was ultimately determined Cavinder panicked and did not utilize the de-escalation tactics he was taught.

"When we interviewed the officer…at first he said it was the stress level when he got there. He heard that one of the warrants was resisting arrest with violence."
"All we can assume is he was thinking that Mr. Grant was going to fight him…again not thinking about de-escalation. He has been trained to de-escalate first."

The Chief revealed Cavinder's supervisor was the one to recommend the investigation.

"The victim didn't complain. The people at the scene didn't complain. It was the supervisor."
"I want to commend my supervisor for seeing something wrong and taking care of it."

Cavinder joined the police force in 2020. He had not been previously disciplined, and officials said he will likely not be charged with any crime.

The incident report will be forwarded to the state to determine whether or not Cavinder can keep his state law enforcement certification.

Commenters were not impressed with the officer's actions.

Viva the Cat/YouTube

Eagle1349/YouTube

Nick Gurdik/YouTube

Grant is currently in custody for his five previous warrants.

For the incident with Cavinder, Holloway said Grant's charge was reduced to resisting arrest without violence.

More from Trending

Dwayne Wade at statue unveiling; Dwayne Wade at press conference
@barstoolsports/X, Miami Heat

Dwyane Wade Responds After Fans Mock Newly Unveiled Statue For Looking Nothing Like Him

NBA star Dwayne Wade had a chill response to all the memes mocking a statue raised in his honor, which many social media users thought looked nothing like him.

The controversial bronze statue, co-created by sculpture artist Omri Amrany, was erected on October 27, 2024, outside the entrance to the Kaseya Center, the home of the Miami Heat NBA basketball team.

Keep Reading Show less
Screenshot of Harris Faulkner during her fact check of Donald Trump
Fox News

Fox Host Issues Brutal On-Air Fact Check After Trump Repeats Debunked Election Lie

Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner had social media users cackling after she issued an awkward disclaimer that debunked former President Donald Trump's lies that the 2020 election was stolen.

Her fact-check came after the network aired Trump's remarks at his Mar-a-Lago estate. Trump gave a speech in which he mentioned his appearance at New York City's Madison Square Garden for a rally that's been largely compared to a Nazi rally Adolf Hitler's followers held in 1939.

Keep Reading Show less
Halle Baile; Halle Berry
Jamie McCarthy/WireImage/GettyImages, Jason Mendez/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images

Halle Bailey Unveiled Her Iconic Halle Berry Halloween Costume—And Berry Just Responded

Academy Award-winning Monster's Ball actor Halle Berry just responded to The Little Mermaid star Halle Bailey's Halloween costume that was a nostalgic nod to one of Berry's famous roles.

On Wednesday morning before Halloween, Bailey posted a photo of her in a light orange swimsuit with a white sash around her waist with a sheathed knife attached to her left hip.

Keep Reading Show less
Trump-supporting biker with tweet reaction
Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images; @BluedotinFL863/X

MAGA Supporter Wearing 'Born To Ride' Motorcycle Vest Roasted For Exactly The Reason You Think

Leather vests with slogans are kind of a staple for motorcycle culture, but when one MAGA-loving biker added Donald Trump into the mix on his biker vest?

Well, let's just say it's going viral for all the wrong reasons.

Keep Reading Show less