Blind man Tasered by armed police who thought his walking stick was a gun

Armed police tasered a blind man after they mistook his walking stick for a gun.

Greater Manchester Police officers rushed to Levenshulme Station in Manchester after receiving a call that a middle-aged man had been seen holding a firearm.

But the "gun" was actually the blind man’s cane, which he had folded up while he waited for a train.

The man was hit with a 50,000 volt stun gun, after he failed to respond to police calls to drop the "weapon".

The man is believed to have collapsed before he was detained by officers.

Tasawar Dar, who owns a shop opposite the station, told the Manchester Evening News he had heard police detaining the man

“They shouted ‘lie down on the ground’ and there was the bark of a dog as well”, Mr Dar said.

Superintendent Steve Howard, of GMP's City of Manchester Team, said: "Officers responded quickly to the incident to ensure the safety of the community of Levenshulme.

Armed response officers attended and a Taser was deployed. A 43-year-old man was detained.

It has been established that there was no threat and inquiries are ongoing to fully understand the circumstances of the incident.

In line with standard procedure on occasions such as this, a referral has been made to GMP's Professional Standards Branch."

Sophie Khan, a solicitor who specialises in pursuing action against the police, told The Independent the Manchester incident demonstrated structural problems with misuse of Tasers by the police.

“Police policy guidance states officers should not use Tasers on vulnerable groups, such as children, pregnant women, and disabled people," she said. "And yet somehow blind men are being Tasered, and people with mental health problems on the streets are being Tasered.

“In practise, that policy is clearly not being followed, and so we have to ask ourselves whether there are enough safeguards in place to protect vulnerable individuals.”