Violent Suspect Required the Use of Stun Gun

Syracuse police were put to the test when Kenneth Benedict led them on a high speed chase then refused to comply when they tried to take him into custody.

It all started when local police officers Jeremy Decker and Joseph Hilliker attempted to stop Benedict when a computer check revealed that he was “driving a car with a suspended registration for not having valid auto insurance.” Rather than stopping, Benedict revved up and led them on a chase that reached speeds up to 80 miles an hour. At one point he slowed to 45 miles an hour, swerving back and forth across the road, while waving at the pursuing officers.

Eventually, Benedict turned into his own driveway, stopped, then started backing toward the cruiser which stayed on his bumper all the way. With service handguns drawn, the officers approached the car and ordered the man to get out of the vehicle. When Benedict refused Hilliker smashed the driver’s side window so Decker could unlock the door.

When the suspect reached for his pocket, Decker told him to stop or he would shoot him with the stun gun. Benedict did not stop. Decker shot him in the left chest area. The shock appeared to have little effect, because, using both hands, Benedict shoved Decker in the chest. When Benedict continued refusing to exit the car, officers stunned him three more times. When he finally got out of the car, forty-seven-year old refused to hit the deck and put hands behind his back.

Next, Benedict readied himself to charge, so Hilliker used his baton on the man’s left leg while Decker forced him to the ground, face down. Then, the suspect rolled over and tried to wrest Decker’s firearm from its holster, whereupon Decker “punched him three times on the right side of his face and Hilliker used his baton to strike him several times on his leg.”

Finally, officers arrested Benedict. The woman, who was in the passenger seat, was not charged.

Some date, huh?