Public outrage at Hercules police who used Taser on man suffering from epileptic seizure

HERCULES, Calif. - The city of Hercules held a special meeting on Wednesday to respond to the backlash from the public over a situation where police officers were seen on body camera video using a Taser on a young man suffering an epileptic seizure while he was driving home from his grandmother's home.

"Tonight is about us listening to you," Hercules City Manager Dante Hall told a standing-room-only audience.

Added City Councilman Alex Walker-Griffin: "This is the No. 1 topic that the community has been talking about . Let's make sure the community feels heard."

Even Police Chief Joseph Vasquez spoke.

"That trust has been fractured, and we need to build to get that trust back," Vasquez said in his first comments since the issue was first made public.

In April 2024, police body cam video shows an officer repeatedly tasing then-22- year-old Jack Bruce, who had a seizure and then drove down an embankment, even though that officer can be heard saying he was aware of the young man's medical condition.

Bruce's family filed a lawsuit in February alleging excessive force, and the family's attorneys released the body camera video to KTVU at that time.  

Until then, the public had no idea about what had happened to Bruce.

City leaders said the town hall meeting was a way for them to  listen, learn, and gather feedback from the community.

Hercules police Tase Jack Bruce who suffered from an epileptic seizure on April 1, 2024. Photo: Bodycamera video 

And many community members were mad.

"The disrespect, the violent way he was treated and acknowledging that he had this seizure," said one woman who spoke at the meeting.

Vasquez said state law prohibits him from disclosing whether the three officers involved faced any disciplinary action so far.

But an independent investigation is underway.

There is no timeline for when it will be completed.

It will ultimately be up to Vasquez to decide what, if any action, will be taken regarding the officers. Until the lawsuit was filed, the police department had told Bruce's family that their actions fell within policy. The lawsuit states that using a Taser on a person suffering a medical issue goes against standard POST training.

Sarah Creeley, a Hercules school teacher and resident, said she really hopes there will be some accountability for what happened.

"There is a sense that people are not going to accept that kind of behavior from our police," she said.

"It's important to find out exactly what happened and finding the truth," Darlene Almeida said. "Hearing the truth is the best thing we can do."

Bruce's parents attended the meeting but did not speak. Bruce himself did not. He had previously told KTVU that he did not want anyone else to experience what happened to him.

Amber lee is a reporter with ktvu. Email amber at amber.Lee@fox.Com or text/leave message at 510-599-3922. Follow her on facebook @amberktvu,  instagram @amberktvu  or twitter @amberktvu

KTVU reporter Lisa Fernandez contributed to this report.