SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News ) - Who is at fault?
This may be the key question in a federal lawsuit expected to be filed soon.
Is it the Utah motorist who questioned the authority of the police or is it the police who repeatedly tasered him after a routine traffic stop?
Early one morning in May, on north Redwood Road, Bruce Harper was stopped by a Davis County Sheriff's Deputy.
Harper was pulled over because his front license plate wasn't hanging properly.
"Stay in your car, stay in your car."
This what the sheriff’s deputy yelled at Harper.
But Harper didn't stay in the car.
The officer then drew his gun and suddenly it was on.
In fact, more than sixty times, the officer told Harper to turn around.
And more than a dozen times, Harper asked the Davis County Sheriff's Deputy why he was being stopped.
At one point, Harper even asked, "Are you going to shoot me?
When interviewing Harper’s Attorney, Mark Flores, ABC 4 wondered,
"Why didn't he (Harper) do what the police officer wanted?
To which Flores said simply,
“He was afraid."
Soon other officers arrived on the scene.
Harper was tasered once with shooting electrodes.
Then, reportedly, according to testimony at his trial, Harper was tasered at least five or six more times with the taser held directly against him.
Mark Flores: "He was certain at that point he was going to die. That his heart was just going to explode and he was going to die."
Harper was charged with what his attorney calls “resisting arrest.”
But at trial a few weeks ago, a jury acquitted him of that charge.
His attorney now says he will file a federal lawsuit against those involved for allegedly violating Harper's civil rights.
Mark Flores: "I still find it unbelievable that someone can get pulled over for a crooked front license plate... and somehow ends up getting tasered six times."
Now despite repeated requests, Davis County officials declined our requests for any sort of comment.
And even though Harper was acquitted of the more serious charge, he was found guilty for failure to properly display his front license plate.
EXCLUSIVE RAW VIDEO: Bruce Harper traffic stop
