Video shows Benton Co. deputy using Taser, punching man suffering mental health crisis
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A video circulating online shows a Benton County deputy using a Taser on a man and punching him in the face while he's receiving medical treatment in an ambulance.
The deputy has received some backlash for his use of force. Video shared by Missouri Free Press shows the bodycam footage of the incident. You can watch it here (viewer discretion advised).
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Deputies were responding to a mental health crisis regarding a suicidal man.
The video shows the man trying to sit up as he starts to become agitated with EMS – at which point the deputy tells him to relax and tries to hold him down.
The man appears confused and can be heard asking "What's going on?"
The deputy pulls out a Taser as another deputy tells the man to put his hands behind his back.
The man asks, "Where am I?"
The other deputy tells him again to put his hands behind his back, at which point the man asks "Why?"
The deputy then uses a Taser on the man and yells "Do what you're f****** told."
The man asks again what's going on and says he doesn't understand what's happening.
As the man asks yet again what's going on, the deputy punches him in the face and starts to handcuff the man.
The other deputy can be heard saying, "This is why I don't go to suicidals."
The camera pans away, but one of the EMS workers can be heard saying "Don't make him pass out."
At one point, as the deputy is pressing a Taser against his stomach, the man tells deputies "Please shoot me please." The deputy then uses the Taser on him again and yells at the man to stop moving.
The deputy uses the Taser again briefly then says "oops."
The deputies then get out of the ambulance and start yelling at the man's family to leave, telling them he's going to jail. His family appears confused.
"He needs to go to the hospital," one of his family members says to the deputies. "He's in a psychosis; he needs help."
The deputies continue yelling at his family to leave, then tell them they should have taken him to the hospital instead of calling them.
One of the deputies then threatens to arrest one of the family members if she doesn't leave.
Benton County Sheriff Eric Knox shared the following statement regarding the incident:
The Benton County Sheriff's Office is aware of the continued public interest regarding the April 1, 2026, incident involving deputies of my office.
An internal administrative investigation into this matter has been completed. As a result of that investigation, one of those deputies is no longer employed with the Benton County Sheriff's Office, and another has been placed on administrative suspension.
In the interest of transparency and accountability, this incident has also been referred to the local prosecutor's office as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation for independent review. We will fully cooperate with those agencies as their processes move forward.
The conduct observed in this incident does not reflect the standards, training, or expectations of the Benton County Sheriff's Office. I hold our personnel to a high standard of professionalism and accountability; when these expectations are not upheld or are violated, appropriate action is taken.
Because this matter has been referred to outside agencies, we are limited in what additional details we can provide at this time. We are committed to respecting the integrity of those referrals and the due process rights of all involved.
We recognize the importance of public trust and remain dedicated to serving our community and all citizens with professionalism, integrity, and transparency. Additional information when made available to us will be released as it becomes appropriate to do so.
We appreciate the community's continued patience and support regarding this matter.
One of the man's family members who released the bodycam footage on Facebook shared the following message:
Det. Hope Hearn and Deputy Sebren,
Do you see the family in this video? Do you see the terrified look on their faces? How about the man in the ambulance? What do you see when you look at us?
That family you both screamed at to leave or we would get arrested left that gas station thinking our father/son was going to die. We are a Son, Daughter, Mother, if it was your parent how would you react? That man in that ambulance is a person, who has people who care about him. We called for help, that's what we are taught. We found our father gagging, saying his goodbyes. Eventually passed out, our previous 15 minutes before we came to that ambulance was hell and it just kept getting worse. Suicide threats should be taken seriously, he harmed himself. Instead you called him a drunk, said we don't make decisions for him by us just simply wanting to keep him alive. Would you talk to your family in that manner?
When we saw the ambulance we thought it was over, he was going to get help. We didn't know we sent him into an ambulance to be tazed, punched in the face or talked down to when he was incoherent and not understanding what was going on. I watched the video footage and almost threw up by how a human being could treat someone else like this.
Your bad day was our worst day.
This is just 9 minutes of hours of footage of how cruel these people can be.
Sheriff Knox Benton County MO Sheriff's Office – I understand not all your staff is this cruel, these two people you had employed under you are the face of the department wearing those uniforms. They act on behalf of your department, your standards. Those need to be changed.
FOX4 has reached out to the FBI and the Benton County Prosecutor's Office. We are awaiting their responses.
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