Teen mom Tasered to rescue child: Vancouver police
26.09.2008 23:01
Health
- Source: cbc.ca
 Vancouver police Const. Jana McGuiness said using a Taser on a young mother was the last thing officers wanted to do.(CBC)A police officer shocked a mentally disturbed teenage mother with a Taser to save the life of her critically ill infant, the Vancouver police say. The incident happened on Monday at about noon when officers and social workers went to the 18-year-old father's home searching for the mother, 16, and child, police said in a statement issued late Thursday night. Misha Peterson and her child had recently been reported missing from a foster home. Social workers from the Ministry for Children and Family Development were concerned for the infant's health because the child was born with a life-threatening medical condition that required immediate attention, police said. 'You still could see the mark in her neck where she got Tasered twice. … You know, they could have hit the baby.'— Doreen Duncan, great-grandmother of the baby's father Police found Peterson and child at the home and negotiated with her for three hours, but the mother refused to give up the child, they said. Const. Jana McGuiness said using the stungun on Peterson was the last thing officers wanted to do. "This was an emotionally tense situation … at no time would one want to separate a mother from her child … it's the last thing anyone would want to do … and it was no doubt a traumatic incident for the mother," McGuiness said on Friday. But because the child needed immediate medical care and Peterson was holding the child in a way that caused officers to fear the baby could be smothered, an officer finally stepped in and stunned the woman with a Taser in her arm and upper back, McGuiness said.  Doreen Duncan, the great-grandmother of the infant's father, said she was shocked police would use a Taser on a girl holding a baby.(CBC)The shock caused the mother to release her grip on the baby, and an officer then took the infant, which was transported to hospital by ambulance. Peterson was apprehended under the Mental Health Act and taken to hospital. She was later released. Police reported no injuries to the child or mother, and said no charges are expected, but the child remains in government care. McGuinness said police would normally have publicly discussed the incident because it involves a juvenile mother and a baby with critical illness, but once Peterson went to the media, police felt they had to respond. The great-grandmother of the baby's father, Doreen Duncan, says she can't believe police would use a Taser on a girl holding a baby. "They said she was holding baby too tight. You still could see the mark in her neck where she got Tasered twice. What if they missed it? … You know, they could have hit baby. She had a baby in her arms," Duncan told CBC News on Friday morning. Story Tools: E-MAIL | PRINT | Text Size: SMLXL | REPORT TYPO | SEND YOUR FEEDBACKRelatedInternal LinksVIDEO: Susana da Silva reports on teen mother holding baby stunned by police Taser (Runs 2:55)IN DEPTH: Tasers FAQsRCMP relied too much on Taser manufacturer info: reportHealth HeadlinesCanada's fertility rate at 10-year high: StatsCanCanada's fertility rate reached a 10-year high in 2006, when women aged 30 to 34 had more babies than women aged 25 to 29 for the first time, Statistics Canada said Friday.Website reports cases of C. difficile in Ont. hospitals Ontario hospitals had 319 cases of C. difficile last month, the province's first hospital-generated report on the infections showed Friday.Adding mirror to stroke therapy speeds recovery: studyPeople who have a stroke seem to recover faster when they use a mirror to create the illusion that their paralyzed limb is moving alongside a healthy one, a Japanese researcher said Friday.Coffee products, baby cereals pulled in U.S., Hong Kong for melamine fearsU.S. and Hong Kong health authorities issued recalls Friday for more products, including coffee and baby crackers, because they may be contaminated with the industrial compound melamine.World leaders pledge nearly $3B to eradicate malariaWorld leaders and the heads of philanthropic organizations gathered at the United Nations Thursday to pledge nearly $3 billion US to fight malaria in a plan that aims to eradicate the disease by 2015. Health FeaturesHEALTHMultiple sclerosisHigh rates in Canada and around the worldIN DEPTHSafetyText messaging becomes a road hazardHEALTHPain pillsPros and cons of three popular pain relieversHEALTHExerciseFitness boot camps: Cross-training pulls in recruitsMEDICAL RESEARCHBrain banksCrucial for research, clamouring for donorsHEALTH & FITNESSPeter HadzipetrosZorba the obesePeople who read this also read …
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