The U.S. District Attorney’s Office released video of a traffic stop that sent Bryce Masters into cardiac arrest and eventually a coma.
It was shown during the sentencing of former Independence police officer Timothy Runnels.
Last Wednesday a judge sentenced Runnels to serve four years in prison.
The nearly 30-minute video 41 Action News obtained begins with Runnels initiating the traffic stop of the car Masters was driving in September 2014.
The video shows Runnels exiting out of his cruiser and walking up to the passenger side of Masters' vehicle. He taps on the window and requests Masters to roll it all the way down. The teenager insists he can hear Runnels through the passenger-side window. Runnels walks over the driver's side and opens Masters' door. Runnel tells Masters to get out. The 17-year-old asks the officer if he's under arrest.
"I'm going to pull you out, if you don't come out," Runnels said.
The officer then goes to pull one of Masters' leg out of the car. Both struggle.
"Fine. F--- it. Just Get out! Out right now!" Runnels said before deploying his Taser.
In-court testimony showed the former officer used a Taser on 17-year-old Masters for about 20 seconds. That's more than four times longer than officers are trained.
Masters went into cardiac arrest and became unresponsive.
The video depicts Runnels handcuffing Masters, picking him up then deliberately dropping the teen face-first into the pavement.
Masters suffered a severe brain injury.
Runnels did plead guilty for violating Masters' civil rights.
Following the sentencing, Masters' family said in a statement:
"We would like to thank the FBI, the Department of Justice, and the U.S. Attorney's office, specifically David Ketchmark, for the hard work, passion and dedication put forth on our son's case. We would like to thank our attorneys, especially Dan Haus, for supporting us from the beginning and advising us during an impossible time for our family. The fact that Bryce lived through this horrible incident is only because of the tremendous efforts of paramedics with American Medical Response and the outstanding staff at Centerpoint Medical Center.
"The past twenty months have been emotionally and physically exhausting. We hope that today's sentence will allow Bryce to begin to focus on his future. Aside from dealing with a traumatic brain injury, Bryce has battled the perception that he is somehow responsible for the crime committed against him. Bryce's only mistake in this situation was following his parents’ advice to ask questions, particularly to ask “why” if stopped by law enforcement. While we are pleased that Mr. Runnels was held accountable for his actions, no one really wins in this scenario. Two law enforcement families were devastated by these events and we all simply wish that day had never happened.
"We would also like to thank all of our family and friends who have stood behind us and supported Bryce.
"We will have no further comment at this time."
Judge Dean Whipple ordered Runnels to two years of supervised release after the four-year prison sentence.
You can watch part of the dash cam video below or here if you’re on a mobile device. WARNING: The video can be disturbing to some viewers.
-------
Follow 41 Action News on Twitter:
Like 41 Action News on Facebook:
Andres Gutierrez can be reached at andres.gutierrez@kshb.com
