Video footage shows Clarence "Chuck" Coyl screaming and briefly catching fire after a U.S. Fish and Wildlife officer allegedly deployed a Taser near a gas pump on July 18. Coyl and a bystander's videos — one shared by attorney Ben Crump — show flames erupting beneath a pickup and the man in visible pain. Coyl says he suffered first- and second-degree burns and nerve damage to two fingers and plans legal action; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service confirmed a Taser was deployed and is reviewing the incident.
Video Shows Arizona Man Briefly Set Ablaze After Officer Allegedly Fires Taser Near Gas Pump
Cell phone video captured flames that allegedly burned Chuck Coyl; and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service officer involved in the interaction.Credit: Chuck Coyl
An Arizona man says he suffered serious burns and nerve damage after a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officer allegedly discharged a Taser while the two stood inches from a gas pump on July 18. Clarence "Chuck" Coyl recorded part of the encounter at a gas station on the Fort Mojave Indian Reservation; a separate bystander video shared by civil rights attorney Ben Crump has also circulated online.
What the videos show
The footage Coyl shared with AZ Family captures an officer pointing a Taser toward the person holding the camera. In that recording Coyl asks, "What am I being arrested for?" The officer replies, "You are not cooperating for having committed a ... crime." Coyl responds in disbelief, "A misdemeanor? A misdemeanor? It's a ten-dollar—" before the sound of the Taser crackling is heard and the camera drops.
A different clip, apparently taken by a bystander and circulated by Crump, shows an officer standing between a pickup truck and a gas pump and firing a Taser at a man in a tight space. Flames erupt beneath the truck; the man screams and collapses, then moves out from behind the vehicle as the officer orders him to the ground and then returns toward the flames.
Injuries and official response
Coyl told 12 News he sustained first- and second-degree burns and nerve damage to two fingers. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service confirmed to local outlets that one of its officers deployed a Taser during the incident and said it "thoroughly review[s] every Taser deployment." The agency told 12 News it had no additional comment at the time but reaffirmed its commitment to public safety and to allowing visitors to enjoy refuge lands safely.
Background and legal status
According to Coyl and reporting from AZ Family and 12 News, the gas-station encounter followed an earlier dispute at the nearby Havasu National Wildlife Refuge, where Coyl and a friend say they were told they could not fish. Coyl believes the officer at the gas station was the same person who confronted them at the refuge. Coyl has not been charged related to the trespassing allegation and told 12 News he plans to pursue legal action against the officer.
Sources: Video shared by Clarence Coyl and a bystander clip circulated by Ben Crump; reporting from AZ Family, 12 News and PEOPLE.
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