LOS ANGELES – A University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) student shot with a stun gun by a campus police officer plans on filing a brutality suit against the school.
Mostafa Tabatabainejad, 23, has hired civil rights attorney Stephen Yagman. He claims UCLA police used excessive force when they stunned him Nov. 14 with a Taser device after he refused to show his identification card. Tabatabainejad wouldn’t show his ID because he thought he was being singled out due to his Middle Eastern appearance.
The incident occurred at 11 p.m. in the library. There were several witnesses to the altercation, and one recorded the incident on a camera phone. The video later appeared on YouTube.
In a statement released by UCLA, Norman Abrams, interim chancellor for the school said, “It would be best if everyone, within and without the university, would withhold judgment pending review of the matter. I, too, have watched the videos, and I do not believe that one can make a fair judgment regarding the matter from the videos alone. I am encouraged that a number of witnesses have come forward and are participating in the investigation.”
According to the Los Angeles Times, the Southern California office of the council on American-Islamic Relations has called for an independent investigation. A midday rally by student activists is also scheduled for today.
