Man who died after he was shot by Taser threatened his daughter-in-law’s life, police say
A 66-year-old man who died after police subdued him with a Taser during a fight Tuesday evening outside his Burbank home had threatened his daughter-in-law’s life prior to the incident, authorities said.
Burbank police showed up at Thomas Binkley’s house, located on the 500 block of North Mariposa Street, after the woman reported him for making criminal threats, Burbank Police Sgt. Claudio Losacco told reporters Wednesday.
Binkley verbally confronted the two responding officers — both of whom joined the force more than six years ago — outside the home before physically assaulting them.
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A fight ensued, during which one officer shot Binkley with a Taser at least once, causing him to fall to the ground.
As of Wednesday, police did not know for how many seconds the man was struck. The devices used in Burbank automatically stay on for five seconds after the trigger is depressed, unless it’s shut off or held down.
Around the same time, the man’s brother, identified as 65-year-old Steve Binkley, appeared in the doorway and threatened officers while brandishing a handgun, Losacco said. He refused officers’ orders to put the gun down.
Feeling threatened, the two officers backed away from Thomas Binkley — who was still breathing — to find cover and call for back-up.
Steve Binkley subsequently barricaded himself in his home for about 40 minutes, which police said delayed officers from giving aid to his brother. His elderly mother, as well as her caretaker, were also inside.
At some point during the barricade, officers formed a team, and using a shield, approached Thomas Binkley, who was down in the driveway, to move him away from the so-called “hot zone.”
It’s unclear how much time passed before the rescue, but police said the man stopped breathing before his extraction. Officers carried him across the street, where paramedics were staged.
After attempting to resuscitate the man, paramedics pronounced him dead. This marks the agency’s first ever Taser-related death.
After police reached Steve Binkley by phone, he voluntarily exited his home and was arrested without incident. He was booked on suspicion of resisting an executive officer by the use of force or violence and was being held at the Burbank jail in lieu of $25,000 bail.
Police recovered a handgun at his home while serving a search warrant Wednesday morning.
Internal affairs investigators were alerted to the incident, as were representatives of the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office, which is customary with in-custody deaths.
Audio of the incident was captured by recording devices carried by officers, though Burbank police have not decided whether they will release the clips.
Autopsy and toxicology reports are pending to determine Thomas Binkley’s cause of death.
Through mid-August of this year, Burbank police had logged seven incidents in which a Taser was deployed. During all of last year, officers used the weapon in the field a total of 10 times, according to the agency.
Under the department’s policy, officers involved in uses of force that result in death are placed on administrative leave for a minimum of three days, until the police chief authorizes their return.
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Alene Tchekmedyian, alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com
Twitter: @atchek
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