Portsmouth officer fires Taser twice at driver who had diabetic fit as he crashed into cars

• Unidentified man struck cars in parking lot of BJ's Wholesale Club in Portsmouth, New Hampshire
• Officer thought he was 'going for weapon' and used Taser
• It was determined driver had low blood sugar and conduct stemmed from medical condition

By Myriah Towner For Dailymail.com and Associated Press

Published: 10:13 EST, 4 February 2015 | Updated: 15:01 EST, 4 February 2015

An officer in Portsmouth, New Hampshire feared he was in danger when he twice used a Taser gun on a 78-year-old diabetic driver who crashed into several cars and refused orders to stop.

The man struck cars in the parking lot of BJ's Wholesale Club, including the officer's cruiser on Sunday morning.

Responding officer Andre Wassouf fired the stun gun after the driver made a movement as if he was 'going for a weapon'.

The driver was handcuffed but later released and not charged with a crime after it was determined he had low blood sugar and his conduct stemmed from a medical condition. There was also minor damage to the cars.

An officer in Portsmouth, New Hampshire feared he was in danger when he used a stun gun on a 78-year-old diabetic driver who crashed into several cars at BJ's Wholesale Club on Woodbury Avenue (above file photo)

The 215-lb man, who suffered from from a diabetic fit, struck cars in the parking lot of store, including the officer's cruiser on Sunday morning (file photo)

Police had received a call at 11.37am about a man who had crashed into two cars in the parking lot of the warehouse club chain on Woodbury Avenue, according to Seacoast Online.

When Officer Wassouf attended the scene, the man, with his window raised down, started driving away.

The driver then ignored Wassouf's order to stop the car, before striking an empty parked vehicle and eventually reversing into the police cruiser, breaking a headlight.

As Wassouf thought the car was in park, he tried to pull the 215-lb man from the vehicle but failed as it kept moving in the neutral position.

The driver was shot twice with the Taser after the responding officer thought he was going for a weapon (file photo)

The man did not obey several commands to stop, and when he reached for something on the passenger's seat, the officer thought he was going for a weapon and used the stun device on him twice.

'This allowed the officer to finally take control of the situation and get the driver into handcuffs,' Corey MacDonald, deputy Portsmouth police chief.

Fire Chief Steve Achilles said firefighters observed that the driver was 'weak' after being shocked and determined he was diabetic and his blood sugar was low.

The condition the man suffered from can mimic alcohol abuse or a behavioral problem, he added.

Achilles also said it is not uncommon for diabetics in that condition to be combative or angry which makes responses by emergency officials challenging.

The driver was given intravenous treatment, and his condition rapidly improved. He was taken by ambulance to Portsmouth Regional Hospital as a precaution.

'Upon initial review, though the incident is regrettable for all involved, the officer appears to have used reasonable non-lethal force to end a potentially dangerous situation,' MacDonald said.

'Our police officers are not paramedics. They are charged with bringing dangerous situations under control. This driver could just as easily have been under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or engaging in willful criminal conduct.'

The incident, like all use-of-force episodes, will be subject to review by a police committee.