He called a federal officer a name at a gas station. Seconds later, he was on fire
Video shows gas pump fire after officer uses stun gun
Cell phone video captures the moment a U.S. Fish and Wildlife officer uses a Taser on a man near a gas pump, igniting a fire on the Fort Mojave Indian Reservation. FOX 10's Justin Lum has the story.
FORT MOHAVE, Ariz. - A shocking encounter was caught on camera on July 16 when a Mohave Valley man was stunned with a Taser by an officer with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The incident ignited a fire right by the gas pump at Thalypo Convenience & Fireworks on the Fort Mojave Indian Reservation.
What they're saying:
Cell phone video from Clarence Coyl’s point of view captures the tense standoff between him and an officer with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
In the video, the officer states, "You’re gonna go to jail, all I’m asking for is your license right now to identify you …"
Coyl asks, "What am I being arrested for?"
The officer replies, "You are not cooperating for having committed a crime …"
Coyl responds, "What? A misdemeanor? A misdemeanor (expletive). It’s a $10 …" just before the stun gun is used.
Coyl’s phone falls over, recording the aftermath of flames. He can be heard screaming in pain.
"All I asked you was why I’m being arrested, and you wouldn’t explain it to me," Coyl can be heard saying.
Stills from the video Clarence Coyl captured of the incident.
The backstory:
Coyl says he and his friend drove through an open gate approaching Catfish Paradise at the Havasu National Wildlife Refuge. That’s when he noticed the officer.
"He goes, ‘You guys came through the gate, didn’t you? Leave now. Get out of here.’ I’m like, ‘OK’ and he got really snotty, and he says, ‘Well, I’ll give you a ticket,’ and I say, ‘Give me a ticket, you gotta trespass me first,’" Coyl said.
Coyl turned around and drove to the Thalypo gas station, which is located on Fort Mojave Indian Reservation land 20 minutes away. The officer also arrived there and confronted Coyl for his ID.
When asked what was going through his mind when the flames burst, Coyl said, "I thought I was gonna die. Believe it or not, I went into instinct to stop, drop and roll."
Coyl waited for paramedics and was later treated at the hospital. He says he was never arrested.
"And I spend five and a half hours there, not a single officer or anything followed up to write a report, question me or nothing … nobody showed up at the hospital at all for any of this," Coyl said.
Dig deeper:
FOX 10 reached out to U.S. Fish and Wildlife regarding the officer seen on video. The name on his uniform reads "P. Nielsen." Fish and Wildlife Service is a federal bureau within the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI).
A spokesperson released a brief statement saying, "A taser was deployed during this incident. Consistent with DOI policy, all such deployments undergo review, and we are unable to comment further while that process is ongoing."
The department’s policy for electronic control devices says unless there is clearly an articulate compelling reason to do so, an officer should not use ECDs when it can result in direct or secondary injuries, including when a subject is near flammable or explosive materials.
The Fort Mojave Indian Tribe also stated they have no comment.
Meanwhile, Coyl says he has first and second-degree burns on his hands and severe nerve damage. But mentally, he feels that going to get gas is a traumatic experience.
"I start shaking really bad, and I start having flashbacks, and I’ve been having really bad nightmares over this," Coyl said.
Map of the area where the incident happened
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from Clarence Coyl, cell phone video, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, department policy documents for electronic control devices, and the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe.