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Man Tasered, Arrested for not providing evidence of salad purchase at Chuck E Cheese

by Open-Publishing - Wednesday 2 March 2005
8 comments

Edito Police - Repression USA

Dad Accused Of Chuck E. Cheese Salad Theft Zapped By Police Aurora Police Say Proper Procedures Followed

AURORA, Colo. — Aurora police have reviewed a weekend incident in which a man accused of stealing salad from a Chuck E. Cheese salad bar was hit with a stun gun twice by officers and said that proper procedures were followed.

The incident began at 4:05 p.m. Sunday when officers were called to the restaurant on a report of a larceny in progress.

Police talked to the Chuck E. Cheese manager, who told them that a customer had refused to show proof that he had paid for food. The manager said the man was seen "loading" his plate at the salad bar.

The officers confronted Danon Gale, 29, who was at the restaurant with his children, aged 3 and 7. Patrons said the popular kids pizza parlor was packed with children and families at the time.

According to police, Gale was asked to step outside to discuss the incident.

"According to witnesses (Gale) refused to cooperate with police and a struggle ensued," said Larry Martinez, a police spokesman. He said that Gale became argumentative and shoved one of the officers, a fact disputed by another patron.

"One of the officers kept poking the gentleman in the chest," Felicia Mayo told the Rocky Mountain News.

She was there with her 7-year-old son. She told the newspaper that Gale told the officer "You don’t have to do that." She said Gale never put his hands on the officer who was confronting him

The argument escalated until Gale was shoved into the lap of Mayo’s sister, who was sitting two booths away, holding a 10-month-old baby. That’s when police pulled out a Taser stun gun to subdue him.

"They beat this man in front of all these kids then Tased him in my sister’s lap," Mayo told the newspaper. "They had no regard for the effect this would have on the kids. This is Chuck E. Cheese, you know."

Gale’s two children were "screaming and hollering and crying" as Gale was hit two times with the stun gun.

Police arrested Gale as his children and other customers watched. They took him outside, leaving his children inside the restaurant.

Gale was arrested for investigation of disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and trespassing.

His two children were picked up by a relative.

The manager of the restaurant declined comment and Gale said he couldn’t talk about it, after hiring an attorney.

An Aurora Police spokesman said that the sergeant on the scene wrote a report on the incident and forwarded it to his commander who determined that proper police procedures were followed relating to the use of the Taser gun .

Forum posts

  • Welcome to our POLICE STATE!

    • Let me guess Danon was a Black Man? Only blacks are treated like that, if anyone has a link to a story where a white man had this type of thing happen to him please post it.

  • when the police officer asked him to step outside to discuss the incident and he refused thats when danon escalated the situation, just follow this one simple rule, when a police officer asks you to do something just listen to him.

    • gimme a break- these police officers were out of control. They tasered this man in the lap of someone holding a 10 month old baby... for what? Maybe 50c worth of salad for the restaurant. Cops are on some strange drugs or something, they have lost the ability to think at all. I miss the good old days when they served and protected.

    • So your saying if a police officer goes to a call and finds the person in question then asks him to step outside he refuses to do so then the police officers should say ok your right lets just leave. I think your idea of protect and serve would not work very well. Just remember do what a police officer tells you to do and you won’t get tased.

    • The police were seen poking Mr. Gale in the chest. Mr Gale was pushed down into the booth (by the cops) then they tazered him (before he could get up and retaliate?).

      Knowing that tazers have killed 80+ nationwide- why should anyone receive that kind of shock, and potentially death, over a $3 salad?

      No wonder they removed the ’to serve and protect’ motto from most police cars. They don’t want the police to even remember that’s how it is supposed to be.

    • haha well taking salad that’s unpaid for and something like domestic violence are totally different. Officers should treat each case individualy, and in this case, they stepped over the line.

    • "just follow this one simple rule, when a police officer asks you to do something just listen to him."

      You are prime evidence that the police state in america has taken root in the fertile ground nourished with the diarhea of cowards.

      RESIST!