Albany officer appears to point Taser at pedestrian

ALBANY — City police are reviewing a recorded incident in which an officer appeared to point a Taser at a pedestrian late Friday night on North Pearl Street.

In a video that was taken around 11:37 p.m., three officers can be seen walking south down North Pearl Street past the department store B. Lodge & Co. as two people cross diagonally through the intersection about 25 feet away. One officer turns around and appears to point a device at the group, prompting one person to run away as another screams and drops to the ground. A bright light shines from the device in the officer’s hand, and an electric crackling sound is heard.

“Why did he try to Tase me?” the person on the ground yells, then gets up and runs north up North Pearl Street. The three officers continue walking in the opposite direction.

It’s unclear why the officer pulled out the device. It’s also unclear whether the pedestrians had any interactions with the officers beforehand.

Albany police spokeswoman Officer Megan Craft said police responded to a fight around 11:30 p.m. where “a large group was dispersed in the area of North Pearl Street and Pine Street” — just south of the corner where the encounter occurred.

Craft said the Taser seen in the video did not have a cartridge in it, and no probes were ejected.

At least one type of Taser can emit a “bright pulsing light and loud alert sound” as a warning without deploying the cartridges that deliver an electric shock, according to its manufacturer, Axon .

Craft said that any time a Taser is used or activated, it prompts an official review.

Another video, taken around 11:45 p.m., shows a crowd of people and stopped cars further north on North Pearl Street. People can be heard shouting as a fight appears to break out.

The incident happened a few blocks north of MVP Arena, which was hosting the state University at Albany Student Association’s Parkfest concert on Friday night, and just south of Empire Live, which was also hosting a show .