Man knocked 'unconscious and autistic son tasered by cops'

An elderly man's family have said he was knocked unconscious and his autistic son was tasered three times by Florida police during a traffic stop - but cops have refuted their version of events. 

Peruvian-born Orlando Diaz, 72, was pulled over for an expired license while driving in Bradenton on September 10.

His son Francisco Diaz, 30, was asked to help translate, but quickly became upset at how 'aggressive' the officer was, according to his mom Pamela Diaz Burgos, who was in the back seat.

She said Francisco attempted to 'intervene', which prompted the cop to 'slam' his father to the ground knocking him unconscious.

Dramatic footage shows the elderly man lying limp on the ground while Francisco is held down and repeatedly tasered.

However, Holmes Beach Police say Diaz has not held a valid driver's license for the last 19 years and 'faked' a medical emergency.

They also claim that Francisco punched and kicked officers during the altercation, which was not caught on film.

The video, filmed by an eyewitness, shows two cops on top of Francisco as they apply the taser.

Police Chief William Tokajer said the device was set to 'drive stun' mode in an attempt to get him to comply.

According to taser manufacturer Axion, drive stun mode 'is not designed to cause incapacitation and primarily becomes a pain compliance option'.

In the clip, Francisco could be heard yelling in pain while bystanders shouted at the police informing them he is autistic.

The camera pans to reveal Diaz lying motionless on the floor as a woman thought to be his wife is heard wailing in distress.

An officer shakes his shoulder to no response, prompting panicked bystanders to speculate whether he is breathing. 

The officer continues trying to rouse him and confirms that he is breathing and has a pulse.

One of the men watching states that he came around the corner to see police slamming Diaz to the ground.

'He might have hit his head,' the man says. 'They put him in cuffs and then started pointing the taser at everyone else.

'I said, "I've got eyes on you officer". I mean if he had of ran at the officer I would have got involved. It was only one officer at the time, I would have jumped in but I also don't agree with what happened here from what I seen.'

He also states that if the 'big dude', referencing Francisco, 'would have gone after the cop, I would have stepped in.' 

As the video ends an ambulance arrives and the man speculates why it wasn't called sooner.

A cop approaches the man filming and states he wants to seize the phone as evidence but he declines, stating it belongs to his colleague.

In the background, EMS workers can be seen treating Diaz on the floor.

Both men were booked into Manatee County Jail. Diaz was charged with a driving offense and resisting arrest without violence. He was released on September 11 after making $3,000 bail.

His son remains in jail on a $50,000 bond, charged with battery of an officer and resisting arrest with violence.

'The cop automatically started to get aggressive verbally,' his wife said in a GoFundMe. 'Me as a mother I kept yelling my son has autism. They didn't care. I just want justice for my son.'

She said her husband has since returned home and is 'recovering from his injuries'. 

But Chief Tokajer hit back at the family's narrative and stood by his officers' actions.

'I watched the police bodycam footage,' he said. 'They were not brutal, they didn't strike him, they did not kneel on him. My guys were professional.'

He explained that Diaz's vehicle was picked up by ALPR technology which flagged past driving offenses.

Tokajer added that the officer decided to arrest Diaz after noting that he has three citations from 2023 and 2024 which have gone ignored. 

'The dad started to struggle, the officer got hold of him and then the son came around, he is 220lbs - 240lbs for sure,' he said.  'At the time there was just one officer so he called for backup, back up arrived.'

Francisco's booking information states that he is 250lbs. 

Tokajer claimed Diaz then 'faked a medical episode' and Francisco began to lash out.

'My guys go to arrest the son, he swings at an officer. He kicked and punched an officer, he was fighting.

'We understand that autism, but it does not negate him hitting an officer. That is for a court to deal with if there are any mitigating circumstances. 

'The NAACP actually came in and reviewed our use of force and were shocked by how few incidents we have.'