Handcuff, Taser Don't Stop Suspected Vandal

After creating a ruckus on the Santa Monica Pier, a Los Angeles man was Tasered by police just before storming a bar at . He was taken into custody and remained hospitalized Tuesday for an unrelated medical condition, the Santa Monica Police Department reported.

At about 10 p.m. Sunday, officers responded to report of man causing a disturbance at the police substation at the pier. They found him there "yelling incoherently" and "jumping from side to side," according to department spokesman Sgt. Richard Lewis.

"The suspect was also sweating profusely and breathing very heavy," Lewis said. He "was agitated and scaring people as they tried to pass by him."

Before they arrived, police said the man had smashed a newspaper rack into the glass doors of the police substation at the pier, breaking the metal stand.

The report continues:

When officers contacted him, he failed to listen to their commands and continued jumping in front of various people scarring them.  Upon the arrival of additional officers, the suspect pulled away from one of the officers as he began quickly walking towards Bubba Gump Restaurant.  Due to the suspect's aggressive behavior officers deployed an X26 Taser just before the suspect could enter the packed restaurant.  The Taser had no effect and the suspect ran into the restaurant and behind the bar.

Once behind the bar, the man began swiping bottles of alcohol off the shelves. Officers wrangled him to the ground and put handcuffs on one of his wrists, but he broke away before being taken into custody again, according to Lewis.

He remained in the hospital Tuesday "due to medical issues he was suffering prior to the altercation with officers" and had not been cleared for booking, but Lewis said the man would be jailed on suspicion of resisting officers, vandalism, being under the influence of a controlled substance and violation of rules pertaining to his early release from jail on separate charges.

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