WASHINGTON, Dec. 2, 2006 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- TASER International, Inc. (Nasdaq:TASR), a market leader in advanced electronic control devices released the following News Alert:
According to news reports from the Palatka Daily News out of Florida, a hearing-impaired Palatka woman was pulled from the Memorial Bridge Thursday after holding a knife to her throat and threatening to jump. Motorists called police after spotting Michelle Ricks, 21, climbing 2/3 of the way up the northbound side of the bridge towards Palatka. Emergency crews arrived to find Ricks with one leg over the railing and acting quite upset. Ricks reacted to police by putting her other leg over the railing and indicating she would jump. Officers recognized Ricks and called in Virgil White, a former sign-language interpreter at the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind, to assist.
Using sign language, Ricks threatened White by claiming she would stab him if he came any closer. Deputies then pulled Ricks to the pavement to prevent her from falling. During the rescue, a scuffle broke out and White was cut in the back of the leg by the knife. Deputies then deployed a TASER device to control Ricks and prevent further injury. Ricks was taken into custody and will be held for a 72-hour evaluation period. White was taken to Putnam Medical Center to receive treatment for the cut on his leg.
Sheriff Dean Kelly praised the restraint used by the deputies saying, "They did an absolutely wonderful job. They all showed a lot of patience, had a plan and the plan worked."
This information was compiled through publicly available media reports and distributed by Dittus Communications, Inc. of Washington, D.C.
TASER International, Inc. and Dittus Communications, Inc. disclaim any responsibility for the accuracy of the media reports that are the sole responsibility of the attributed media source.
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