June 27, 2007 Orlando, Florida. Surveillance tape has been released that shows an Orlando police officer tasing a man as he was leaving Universal Studios. The victim has filed a lawsuit against Universal and the officer who was hired by the theme park. Steven Zapf said he was just walking to his car when the officers approached him in the parking garage of Universal Orlando. He said the tape proves the officer who tased him was too aggressive. Steven Zapf said he was leaving a Halloween event, when suddenly he was brought to the ground by 50,000 volts of electricity from a police taser while walking back to his car. Security officers detained the 30-year-old in Universal Orlando's parking garage October 29, 2006, after a report of a fight between a man and a woman. Zapf said that dispute didn't involve him. But just before the take down, Officer Anthony Miller came up on his bike asking Zapf for identification. The police report said Zapf swore at the officer. "He pulled his taser and goes, 'Get on the ground.' And I say, 'Why?' And then he shot me," Zapf explained. Officer Miller filed a trespass order against Zapf and he was charged with resisting an officer without violence. That was later dropped, but the trespass charge stands. The resulting ban means Zapf, who worked at Emeril's Restaurant at Universal, had to give up his job. Then there were new health problems. "High blood pressure, irregular heart beat. I can't walk up stairs without breathing heavy," he said. A lawsuit alleges Zapf never caused a verbal or physical threat to Miller and the officer's actions "constituted excessive force." Zapf's lawyer said Miller is the subject of two other lawsuits in which the city of Orlando is defending him and he remains on the security roster at Universal. "When it comes down to who's responsible, these private companies try to argue that it's us, the taxpayers, who deserve to pay the bills," said lawyer Tom Luka. In response to the lawsuit, Universal said it can't be held liable since Officer Miller was acting in a capacity as a public law enforcement officer. For its part, Orlando police won't comment on a pending lawsuit.
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Added: Feb 17, 2008 |
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Author: beck64 |
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