Hercules city council takes up Taser lawsuit with police

article

Jack Bruce is grabbed by a Hercules police officer on April 1, 2024. Photo: Bodycamera video 

HERCULES, Calif. - The Hercules City Council on Tuesday is going to discuss the case of a young man who was stunned three times with a Taser by police officers, despite them suspecting that he was having a medical seizure, after KTVU published and aired a story showing what the encounter looked like on body camera. 

Councilman Alex Walker-Griffin confirmed to KTVU that the item was put on the agenda, albeit in closed session, because of the publicity surrounding what happened to Jack Bruce, 21, who was shocked repeatedly in April 2024, after he had his first epileptic seizure and rolled down an embankment on Refugio Valley Road after visiting his grandmother. 

The body camera video, released by his attorneys who filed a federal lawsuit last week, shows the officers yelling at a dazed Bruce and swearing at him to get out of the car, despite there being no crime in progress – which use-of-force experts say goes against proper police training.

WARNING DISTURBING VIDEO: Body camera video shows Hercules officers using Taser on Jack Bruce

"I'm frustrated, and disappointed and mad," Walker-Griffin said ahead of the meeting. "Their actions are unjustifiable."

Hercules police did not respond to KTVU's request for comment last week, but after the story ran, Chief Joseph Vasquez issued two sentences that said the city does not comment on pending litigation and takes "any allegation of excessive use of force seriously."

Bruce told KTVU that he had filed a use-of-force complaint with the police department before he filed his lawsuit, and it was ignored, as he was told the officers' actions fell within policy. 

The 25-page suit filed in U.S. District Court in Northern California alleges excessive force, battery, false arrest, negligence, defamation and violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The Hercules City Council does not have much power over the police department.

And Bruce and his family, including his father, John, who was a Richmond police officer for 27 years, do not want the officers fired – they want better training.

But Walker-Griffin said he still wants to figure out how to make those responsible accountable for their actions.

The police chief will be at the council meeting, and Walker-Griffin said he plans to have an open and frank discussion with him. 

Jack's mom, Darla Bruce, said her friends are "horrified at what they saw. We are receiving so much support." 

She also wanted to thank Walker-Griffin for being the only council person to speak out on her family's behalf.

KTVU also reached out to all the councilmembers and only Walker-Griffin responded. 

"I think it's great," Darla Bruce said. "It's really brave." 

While Mayor Dante Hall did not speak directly to KTVU, he posted a letter on the city's Facebook page late Monday night, addressing the community's questions about the officers' use of force. 

Without giving any specifics, Dante wrote, "The City has procedures in place to review these types of incidents after they occur, and such procedures were followed here." 

He added he was prohibited by law from releasing any more information. 

A woman named Datta Sudarshana responded to the mayor's post by writing, "very disappointed."