Brooke Fantelli, a transgender woman from Romano, San Diego, claims she was tasered in the stomach and the crotch by rangers after they found out she was born a man.
Brooke Fantelli, 43, was stunned by the taser gun by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) while she was participating in a photo shoot in the desert near El Centro late last month.
During the disturbing incident, which was captured on cell phone, Brooke Fantelli can be seen standing with her hands up talking to police before they taser her in the stomach.
Brooke Fantelli is then seen rolling around in agony on the ground before the rangers taser her for a second time in the crotch.
Speaking to News10 about the incident, Brooke Fantelli said: “There’s no way to put it, it’s just plain out brutal, plain out brutal.”
Brooke Fantelli said the BLM ranger ordered her to lie down in the dirt but she refused, though she did tell him she would not resist being arrested.
“You can see I’m obviously not threatening him as my hands are in the air.”
She said the ranger allegedly first accused some in her group of taking nude pictures in the desert and demanded everyone’s IDs.
Brooke Fantelli said once the ranger saw her license – which still has her registered as a man – everything changed.
The 43-year-old told News10: “He actually looked me straight in the eye and says, <<You used to be a guy>>, and I said, <<Yes, I did>>. There was no way around it. I could see it in his eyes. He wanted to tase me.
“I wasn’t giving him any problem. He’s got another officer there with him. All he had to do was put the handcuffs on.’’
The rangers eventually arrested Brooke Fantelli for public intoxication.
The BLM issued a statement to 10News which said their ranger acted appropriately.
The statement also said: “When deploying Tasers, rangers target the subject’s lower center mass, legs or back if possible. It appears the ranger targeted appropriately in this case.”
Brooke Fantelli is allegedly filing a civil lawsuit.
According to LGBT Weekly Brooke Fantelli was previously known as Rodd Fantelli, and was a well known off-road race driver who won numerous races.
Brooke Fantelli owns Fantelli Racing Products in Ramona, a custom off-road fabrication shop with 20 years of fabrication and racing history – she’s still a well known figure in the off-road racing community.
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