Lancaster police tasing incident under investigation

LANCASTER, Pa. (WPVI) -- An investigation is now underway in Lancaster after a police tasing incident that went viral.

Lancaster police says officers were called around 10 a.m. Thursday and told a man was confronting people with a bat.

Video posted to Facebook captured Officer Philip Bernot telling 27-year-old Sean Williams to sit on a sidewalk and stick his legs out. Bernot then uses his stun gun on Williams while the man is sitting, facing away from the officer.

Police say Williams refused to comply with the officer's commands. Williams tells WGAL-TV he followed all directions and doesn't know why he was shocked.

In a Facebook post, the Lancaster's mayor, Danene Sorace, expressed criticism over the way the officer handled the situation.

And on Friday, the Lancaster County District Attorney tweeted about the incident, saying: "We have been in contact with Lancaster city police, and are closely monitoring the situation. We understand the police are in the process of conducting a thorough investigation. We will take appropriate actions when the investigation is complete, based on all the facts."

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Information from The Associated Press was used in this post.

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