RIVERTON — A 9-year-old boy who police say was the victim of a Taser attack told investigators it felt like he was being tased for four seconds as nearby neighbors heard him scream in pain.
On Wednesday, Riverton police announced that April Shurtleff, 37, of Riverton, had been arrested for investigation of two counts of child abuse, two counts of aggravated assault, and two counts of making a threat of violence.
On Oct. 2, a 9-year-old boy and his 10-year-old friend were riding scooters in a church parking lot near 12920 S. 2700 West. While in the parking lot, a car pulled in, parked, and a woman who was driving was “holding her phone horizontally, possibly filming them,” according to a police affidavit.
The boys, feeling uncomfortable, left to go to a nearby park. They returned a short time later hoping the car would be gone, but it was still there, the affidavit states.
According to Kelly Wright-Green, the 9-year-old boy’s mother, that’s when her son went up to the car.
“My son is not shy, so he walked up to the car and said, ‘What are you doing, why are you taking pictures?’” she said.
That's when the woman rolled down her window, brandished her Taser and exclaimed, “I’m going to (expletive) tase you!” according to the affidavit.
The two boys began riding away on their scooters, but Shurtleff “began backing her vehicle out of the stall, and driving toward (the boy) at a high rate of speed,” the affidavit states.
Fearing he was going to be hit by the car, the boy left his scooter and began running. Shurtleff then got out of her car and ran after the boy, according to police.
“She eventually caught up to him, reached her arm from behind, and placed the Taser on (the boy’s) chest, activating the Taser for what (the boy) described as about four seconds. (The boy) began screaming and crying, and the female quickly got into her vehicle and drove away,” the affidavit says.
When police arrived, officers noted that the boy “was obviously distraught and crying in pain as he laid on the grass in front of the church.”
The boy had “visible burn marks” on his chest that appeared to be caused by a two-pronged Taser, which caused “not only physical harm, but serious emotional harm and trauma to both victims,” the affidavit states.
Shurtleff sped away on 2700 West, police said. Investigators obtained video from multiple home surveillance systems. On one recording, the boy’s screams can be heard followed by the squealing of tires.
After surveillance footage was released to the public, Shurtleff contacted police and claimed the vehicle was hers, but she denied owning a Taser or threatening the boys, according to the affidavit. Later, police said she changed her story and said she did own a Taser and showed it to the boys but did not use it. Detectives reported finding the Taser in the trunk of Shurtleff’s car and transported her to the Salt Lake County Jail.