One more reason not to smoke

Great moments in journalism:

Man’s shirt erupts in flames after he is shot with Taser
DAYTONA BEACH — Dennis Crouch had already slashed himself. And when he refused to drop his knife, Daytona Beach police Officer Betsy Cassidy decided she had no choice.

“Taser! Taser!” Cassidy shouted as she sent a two-pronged wire, packing 50,000 volts, at Crouch’s chest. What happened next stunned everyone.

A Taser probe pierced the pocket of his khaki shirt — and ignited the butane lighter inside. Crouch’s pocket exploded in flames.

“The subject,” recounted Sgt. Al Tolley in a subsequent report, “immediately dropped the knife.”

Uh, yeah. I bet he did.

For any of you who might be looking into the profession, I’d encourage you to frame a copy of this piece and hang it on your wall. It’s pretty much the perfect story.

The rest of the South Florida Sun-Sentinal article is here.