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Tampa Police: Thief Uses Officer's Taser On Her, Store Manager

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By JOSH POLTILOVE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 24, 2008

Updated: 06/24/2008 03:47 pm

Gilbert Morris

TAMPA A police officer used her Taser to stun a shoplifter, but he continued fighting and stunned her with the weapon, police say.

The man, 51-year-old Gilbert Morris, later stunned the store's manager and pointed the Taser at two more officers before being arrested, according to a police report.

Morris had stolen $229.27 in groceries from Sweetbay on Monday night when the manager initially confronted him, the report states.

Reached today, Morris said he stole groceries but that he isn't a violent person.

According to the police report:

Morris fought with the manager, and Officer April Levine was parked outside Sweetbay at the time.

Someone told her what was going on, and she tried to arrest Morris.

Morris began fighting her, and she used her Taser to stun him.

He continued resisting, and he "forced Officer Levine's weapon hand with the taser to … stun her left hand."

He then took the Taser from her.

The store manager tried to help the officer, and Morris applied the Taser to the manager's left leg.

Even after other officers came to the scene, Morris continued to resist. He pointed the Taser at them.

One of the officers took Morris to the ground.

Another officer "stunned the defendant in the back twice for two cycles of five seconds."

Morris then was handcuffed.

During a phone interview with The Tampa Tribune today from behind bars, Morris said there was a big struggle at the store and a lot of confusion and he's not sure what happened. He said he doesn't think he used the Taser on anyone except for possibly the store's manager. If he did that, he said, it was by accident.

Morris said he does drugs and drinks but that he isn't a bad person.

"Anybody that knows me will tell you that," he said. "I don't go around robbing or hurting people or nothing like that."

Morris said he shoplifted food and household goods from Sweetbay because he was hungry and didn't have anything to eat. He said he didn't try to seriously injure people at the store.

"The way they did, what they did was just jumbled things around on the report like I'm a real violent person," he said.

Police arrested him at 8:46 p.m. Monday at the store, 805 E. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

He told officers his name was Gilbert Thomas, the report states.

One of the officers suffered a lower back injury during the confrontation. He was treated at Memorial Hospital and was cleared for full duty.

Levine, meanwhile, "was exposed to the defendant's blood and was treated at Tampa General Hospital by the occupational nurse," according to the report. "Blood was drawn from the defendant at Tampa General Hospital, which was negative."

Charges against Morris include robbery, violently obstructing or opposing an officer, battery on a law enforcement officer, depriving an officer of a means of protection, obstructing or opposing an officer and giving a false name to a law enforcement officer. He also was charged with grand theft.

When told that Morris said today he isn't violent, police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said his actions showed that he "definitely was not docile" when he fought officers and injured them.

Levine started with the police department in August. This is the second time she has suffered an injury on the job, McElroy said. In April, Levine was bitten by a dog while on patrol.

"It's a dangerous job, and this is a risk that officers go up against every day when they're out there dealing with suspects," McElroy said.

Morris remained in Orient Road Jail today. A judge revoked his bail, which had been set at $16,500.

Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at jpoltilove@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7691.

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