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Tasered mom files notice to sue police
Posted: 08.14.2009 at 11:35 AM
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Audra Harmon  / courtesy NBC
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Updated 5:05 PM

SYRACUSE -- A mother who was Tasered in front of her children during a New York traffic stop has filed notice she'll sue the sheriff's department.

A police video captured by a dashboard camera shows Deputy Sean Andrews yanking Audra Harmon out of her minivan by the arm and knocking her down with two Taser shots last January.

Harmon was charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and going 50 mph in a 45 mph zone. Her lawyer says the district attorney's office dismissed the charges after watching the videotape.

Harmon claims Andrews was improperly trained in the use of the Taser. She claims it's not supposed to be used against people who pose no threat.

In a notice of claim filed Thursday with the Onondaga County clerk, Harmon accuses Andrews of wrongful conduct. She's seeking unspecified monetary damages.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)


Original Story

An incident in the Town of Salina is getting national attention. A Central New York woman was tasered during a traffic stop, and the whole thing was caught on tape.

Audra Harmon was tasered by an Onondaga County Sheriff's Deputy over this past winter. Now the release of the video has made her famous, including a visit to NBC’s “Today” show Friday morning.

“It felt like it was an electrical shock going through you and I had no control over anything” Harmon said about receiving the Taser shot.

Harmon was pulled over by Deputy Sean Andrews for allegedly talking on her cell phone and driving 50 miles per hour in a 45 MPH zone. Harmon said she was not, and she gave the deputy her driver’s license and vehicle registration.

As he walked backed toward his police cruiser, she got out of her car and started walking towards him. Harmon says she wanted to see the tape from a dashboard camera.

“I never moved from my vehicle. I just stepped out, as a matter of fact, he came toward me rather than I going to him. I don't remember if he said I was under arrest before or after the taser, a lot of it is still a blur” said Harmon.

Harmon claims the incident is an example of police brutality.

Onondaga County Sheriff Kevin Walsh says "An internal investigation of the incident involving Deputy Andrews... is and has been under review."

Watch the entire "Today" show interview in the video player below.

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