Cruiser Cam Shows Taser Takedown

PELHAM, NH (CBS) -  A Pelham, New Hampshire police officer used a taser to subdue a suspected drunk driver.

Video from a camera mounted on a police cruiser shows the driver walking toward officers with his bare hands outstretched, yelling "Shoot me."

Police respond with a five second taser blast that stuns the suspect, Timothy Cathcart of Brookline, NH.  He falls to the pavement but refuses to comply with the officer's orders to lie face down.

He is handcuffed after the officer delivers a second taser burst.

35-year old Timothy Cathcart faces OUI and other charges stemming from the confrontation.  He's being held on $5000 bail.

His arrest came at the conclusion of a five minute police pursuit on Mammoth Road.  Police were responding to a call about a possible impaired driver who hit a stone wall and kept driving.

WBZ-TV's Peg Rusconi reports from Pelham, NH.

Pelham police Sgt. Anne Therriault said the taser allowed the officer to defuse a potentially dangerous situation.  "There's nothing in his hands but he's very aggressive in nature.  You don't know if he's trying suicide by cop, in saying shoot me, shoot me. With him approaching and charging at the officer, you need to revert to something else."

She added, Pelham police have carried tasers for years, but have rarely used them, for this reason."They're usually a deterrent as soon as people see them.  People don't want to get hit with the taser."