DoorDash driver Tased during Superior traffic stop

Apr. 8—SUPERIOR — An evening traffic stop Feb. 28 resulted in the use of a Taser and two citations for the motorist, a 22-year-old DoorDash driver.

Body-worn and dash-camera footage of the incident has been circulating online and was used in a video on the LackLuster YouTube channel. The driver, Ian Cuypers, said he is considering legal action.

The 10:16 p.m. incident was called in as a high-risk traffic stop by Officer Justin Taylor with the Superior Police Department.

"There's a lot of furtive movement. I'll take a second, hold the plate," Taylor told the communications center after exiting his squad.

In his report, Taylor said the driver's movements led him to believe the driver may have been reaching for a weapon or attempting to conceal something. He requested additional officers.

"I watched the video and it wasn't just a matter of reaching over — it was a full body movement across the seat," said Superior Police Chief Paul Winterscheidt.

In a high-risk traffic stop, officers want to gain control of the situation as quickly as possible, he said.

"(Officers) have no way of knowing whether there's a threat in that vehicle or not. They can only base their threat assessment on the given information," Winterscheidt said. "It's tough because our officers aren't mind readers. They can't tell the future. They can only make a decision in the moment based on the information that's in front of them."

Cuypers, originally from Denver, had been staying in Duluth for six months at the time of the incident.

"I was delivering DoorDash. It was actually two orders from Taco Bell," said Cuypers, who turned the wrong way onto John Avenue, a one-way street, and came to a stop.

When squad lights were activated behind him, Cuypers said he expected a typical traffic stop.

"I handled it by the book, like, I just pulled over right away, started looking for my insurance like I always do, like I've done tens of times, and then they told me to put my hands up, which has never happened before," he said.

He was ordered to put his hands out the window, then open the car door and exit the vehicle. By this point, officers Taylor Gaard, Jason Moen and Dylan Crist and Sgt. Matthew Brown had joined Taylor.

Cuypers said he started panicking when he realized his door was locked and they were shouting at him to get out.

"And then even when I got out of the car, I thought, you know, if I comply as well as I can, maybe they'll stop yelling at me and give me some sort of explanation," Cuypers said. "but they just kept treating me like I was a criminal."

He was ordered to walk backward toward the squad cars with his hands on his head. Winterscheidt said Cuypers continued to demonstrate resistance, dropping his hands several times, turning around and failing to go down to his knee when ordered.

"And ultimately, it was that continued resistance that necessitated the Taser," said the police chief. "They deployed the Taser to prevent the situation from escalating."

Resistance often happens when a suspect knows they're likely to be placed in custody, he said.

Cuypers said that hearing orders from multiple officers was confusing and that he didn't hear Gaard's warning that he would be Tased if he didn't comply.

He plans to contest the two tickets he received: one for driving against traffic on a one-way street and the other for resisting an officer. Cuypers, who started a

GoFundMe site

to raise money for lawyer fees, said he is being represented by People's Law Office, based in Chicago. In an official statement, he said the level of force officers used was unnecessary and unacceptable.

"We trust law enforcement to protect and serve with respect for all individuals' rights and dignity," Cuypers said. "Their actions must reflect the high standards we hold them to. When they fall short, it's imperative that we speak up and demand change."

Winterscheidt said the police department works hard to build trust with the community. In the past two and a half years, roughly 1% of police calls have resulted in police use of force, according to information provided by the department.

Superior police responded to 48,266 calls for service from Sept. 1, 2021, to April 1, 2024. Of those, 3,636 incidents resulted in at least one arrest and 48 resulted in police use of force.

Superior officers go through a 17- to 19-week state academy program followed by 16 weeks in the department's field training program. Taylor had finished his field training and started working solo two days before Cuypers' arrest, Winterscheidt said. Moen was in training with Gaard, a field training officer, when they responded.

The chief said training is something the department has invested in heavily. He has full confidence in the department's officers.

"I support the work that they do, and they do a good job," Winterscheidt said.