“Even if officers on the scene perceive a disability, that is not a diagnosis,” Port Angeles deputy police chief Jason Viada said of the situation. There is no mention of his disability in the police records. There is no documentation of the police department employing any procedures or resources to better communicate with and handle someone with a developmental disability. A person with Down sydrome who is fleeing does not represent such a threat.” It’s supposed to be used when an officer is in harm’s way. “That inconsistency is troubling,” Hayden said after Barrett’s arraignment.

Corporal Rife’s narrative said that Barrett was continuing to flee when the taser was used. Officer Brown then drew his taser device, and as Barrett attempted to flee through a fence - kicking out a board of it in the process, according to the reports - Brown told Barrett that if he did not stop, he would be tased.įrom here, the two officers’ reports differ somewhat: Brown reported that Barrett fell, and as he got up he discharged his taser. As officers approached, Barrett left the truck and fled on foot, despite the officers’ warnings to stop.

The two officers - Luke Brown and Corporal Clay Rife - arrived on the scene at 10:45 a.m., according to their respective narrative reports obtained by the Sequim Gazette. “Telling that to dispatch instead of saying, ‘This person has a disability’ changed the entire tone of the response,” said Daniel Harris, a City of Port Angeles employee and member of the Clallam County Mosaic board of directors - a nonprofit that works with vulnerable and special-needs adults. Frustrated, he damaged some of the properties near Ennis Street and at some point pick up a short length of rebar, according to the official police narrative.Ī witnessed called 9-1-1 and, who according to narratives provided by the two responding officers also informed dispatch that Barrett had also gotten into his truck and told the witness he “doesn’t like cops.” According to his mother, Barrett became upset, leading to him walking south of the college into one of the bordering neighborhoods along Fifth Street.

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