Woman Hit by Police Taser Stun Dart Dies
A 29-year-old Lancaster woman who resisted arrest died after police shot her with a Taser stun dart in Pomona, authorities said.
Kimberly Lashon Watkins allegedly was driving under the influence of drugs when she crashed into a fast-food restaurant in Pomona on Saturday afternoon.
After dislodging her car from the wall, she headed into the parking lot of a Sizzler restaurant on North Garey Avenue and smashed into a parked car, forcing it against a wall, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Carrie Stuart said.
After a Pomona police officer arrived and tried to arrest Watkins, “she became agitated and resisted arrest,” Stuart said.
When backup personnel arrived, police decided to subdue Watkins with the Taser, which fires a dart that releases an electrical charge to temporarily disable suspects.
“It’s kind of a debilitating thing where the shock is supposed to catch you off guard,” Stuart said. “Something from the charge did not agree with her system.”
Watkins was taken to Pomona Valley Hospital, where her heart stopped.
An autopsy is pending.
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