Video Of Wisconsin Police Officer Tasing DoorDash Driver Arouses Debate

On the night of Wednesday, February 28, a traffic stop in Superior, Wisconsin ultimately led to a 22-year-old DoorDriver being tased by Superior Police before being issued two citations and then returned to his car.

Now, body-worn end dash-camera footage of the incident, which can be seen in its entirety below, has gone viral causing many outlets, including the Lackuster YouTube channel, to question whether that use of force was justified.

What Exactly Happened On February 28 in Superior, Wisconsin?

According to multiple sources, including the Duluth News Tribune, DoorDash driver Ian Cuypers was in Superior delivering two orders from Taco Bell. Cuypers says because he is unfamiliar with the area, he accidentally turned the wrong way onto John Avenue, a one-way street, and stopped.

That drew the attention of Officer Justin Taylor with the Superior Police Department, who then activated his squad lights behind Cuypers car.

Did Misinterpreted Actions Escalate The Situation?

Officer Taylor then observed Cuypers move inside the car in a way that, to him, seemed suspicious as the delivery driver made several motions toward the glove compartment while ducking down, which was interpreted as him hiding something or perhaps getting a weapon.

Cuypers told the Duluth News Tribune that those actions were simply him trying to find his insurance to present to police, which he assumed they'd be asking for.

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At 10:16 p.m., Officer Taylor called in that he was involved in a high-risk traffic stop, a situation that requires officers to gain control of the situation as quickly as possible.

Additional Officers Report To The Scene

Officer Taylor, who had recently finished his field training and had started working solo two days before, was joined at the scene by other officers including Taylor Garrd and her partner, who were nearby.

The driver says he was surprised and confused when he saw multiple officers at the scene. He was then ordered to exit his vehicle and walk backward toward the squad cars with his hands on his head.

He told the Duluth News Tribune that he felt like they were treating him like a criminal, but he believed that if he complied and followed their instructions, they would stop yelling at him and give him an explanation of what was happening.

However, the more he asked for an explanation, the more the officers believed he was demonstrating resistance as they also observed him dropping his hands several times, turning around, and failing to go down to his knee when ordered.

Cuypers would later counter that hearing orders from multiple officers created confusion and he didn't hear Officer Gaard’s warning that he would be Tased if he didn’t comply.

Ian Cuypers Is Tased By Superior Police And The Video Below Has Stirred Debate

The situation escalated to the point where the driver was tased, causing him great physical pain to the point that he thought he was going to die. Video of the entire incident has gone viral, leading people to debate whether that action was necessary.

The LackLuster YouTube channel was one outlet that released the video, while also adding their opinion on the situation, which you can see in its entirety below.

After being tased, Cuypers was taken from the scene to the Police Department and was ultimately charged with driving against traffic on a one-way street and resisting an officer. He was then driven back to his car and was free to leave.

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He says he plans to contest the two tickets. He's also being represented by the People's Law Office out of Chicago as he considers legal action. A GoFundMe page has been started to raise money for legal fees.

Superior police say they responded to 48,266 calls for service from September 1, 2021, to April 1, 2024. Of those, 3,636 incidents resulted in at least one arrest and just 48 resulted in police use of force.