No discipline for cop who Tasered, injured fleeing man

Seattle police policy explicitly forbids cops from using Tasers on fleeing people, but the OPA was convinced by Officer Gabriel Ladd's speculative rationale

A Seattle police officer Tasered a man who was fleeing, causing him to fall and break his nose, according to a report released earlier this month. The Office of Police Accountability determined that this was within policy, although the department forbids using Tasers against fleeing people, absent “other factors.”

In March, Officer Gabriel Ladd was dispatched to recover a stolen vehicle and identified a man who matched the description of the vehicle’s driver. The man ran when Ladd tried to detain him. He fired his Taser, and the man fell.

The man got up and attempted to flee a second time. Ladd fired his Taser again, and the man hit the ground face-first, breaking his nose. Due to the injury, the OPA and the Force Investigation Team were called out.

Ladd told the FIT interviewer that he was concerned the suspect would run to a house nearby where there was “criminal activity,” a “violent” homeless encampment along I-5, or reach a vehicle, where he could get a weapon.

The OPA was convinced that this satisfied the vaguely defined “other factors” requirement of the Taser policy. However, it’s a notable break from how OPA has handled similar cases in the past.

For example, when a K9 officer argued that he released his dog— the same level of force as a Taser—to prevent a couple from entering a property (likely their apartment) and possibly taking hostages. Like Ladd, he also leaned on the fact that it was supposedly a high-crime area. The OPA found that these justifications were “speculative,” and the officer was suspended.

At the same time, the OPA pointed out that the department never clarified the exceptions in its Taser policy regarding fleeing suspects. In February, the OPA suggested refining the policy after an officer fired his Taser at a fleeing man from 40 feet away.

Among other things, the OPA recommended more guidance on what “other factors” would make it acceptable to use a Taser on people running away. At the time this case was decided, the department still had not implemented a new policy.

The OPA determined that Ladd’s actions were “lawful and proper.” Gabriel Ladd made $185,247 in 2024.