Bodycam shows suspect tased during a traffic stop for a partially obscured plate, attempted to flee

In a startling sequence of events captured on body-cam footage, Mathew Thomas Druett was tasered by police during a routine traffic stop gone awry in Canberra. The incident, which unfolded in the early hours of September 25, led to Druett's arrest after a failed attempt to flee from officers. Recently, he faced the ACT Supreme Court, receiving a nine-month suspended sentence and a mandate for good behavior over the next year.Show more

Druett's ordeal began when police stopped him for having partially obscured license plates. Upon discovering discrepancies between the plates and the vehicle, officers attempted to detain Druett, who then made a desperate bid to escape. The dramatic footage shows the car lurching forward after Druett was tasered in the chest, only coming to a halt when police managed to remove the keys from the ignition.

In court, Druett pleaded guilty to reckless driving near police and driving without a license. His lawyer, Sam Lynch, argued that Druett's actions were a result of poor judgment, exacerbated by the sudden and intense situation. The court learned of Druett's traumatic childhood and his efforts to rehabilitate himself while in remand, factors that played a crucial role in the decision to suspend his sentence.