PUBLIC RECORDS — A former staff lawyer for the Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission, beset by personal problems and clashing with police for the third time this year, had his side of an incident that led him to be tased by two officers backed up by . . . a publicly released police surveillance video.
According to the report by Dave Collins for the Associated Press,
The video, which has no sound, shows Pawlowski slightly raising his
right arm when Hansen roughly drives him to the floor and two other
officers shoot Pawlowski with stun guns. Police then charged Pawlowski
with interfering with an officer.
According to Hansen's report, Pawlowski stepped back and took a threatening stance while he was being fingerprinted.
"Twice he pulled his hand away and I cautioned him to keep his
fingers flat on the scanner," Hansen wrote. "The third time he pulled
back his hand, stepped back, focused on me and took a stance as if to
attack me. I then grabbed Pawlowski around his neck and shoulders and
drove him to the floor."
The video, obtained by The Associated Press through a Freedom of
Information request, doesn't show Pawlowski taking time to focus on the
officer and going into a threatening stance. As soon has he pulls his
arm back, Hansen tackles him.
Police also used stun guns on Pawlowski in June after he allegedly
assaulted an officer and in January, when he was charged with fleeing a
car crash and fighting with police.
Pawlowski, 41, was fired from his state job after his January arrest
and resigned from the East Hartford, Conn., school board. His attorney,
Craig Raab, has said that Pawlowski has a serious but treatable mental
health condition, which he would not name.
