Teen describes near-fatal encounter with Independence police officer

The teen’s face hit the pavement with a sickening thud.

Bryce Masters, then 17, couldn’t break his fall. His arms were handcuffed behind his back and he was already in cardiac arrest from the Taser prongs embedded in his chest.

Only the quick work of paramedics and doctors kept Masters alive after the incident, which led to a former Independence officer’s federal conviction on a charge of violating the teen’s constitutional rights.

On Thursday, for the first time since that September 2014 encounter, Masters faced former officer Timothy Runnels and described the effects of the brain damage — caused by a lack of oxygen —he probably will contend with for the rest of his life.

“People tell me I’m different,” Masters said. “I feel different.”

Masters appeared in U.S. District Court in Kansas City during a sentencing hearing for Runnels.

After several hours of sometimes emotional testimony, District Judge Dean Whipple took the case under advisement and said he would announce a sentence Wednesday.

For Masters, every day since the incident has been a struggle, he told the judge.

He has lost many of his childhood memories, and his inability to focus and retain information has derailed his plans to attend college.

“I get in the car to go somewhere and then I’ll forget where I was going,” he said. “I’ve missed job interviews because I forgot them.”

He has trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep, and when he does, he often awakens from nightmares in cold sweat.

Each day is the same.

“I feel physically and mentally weak every day when I get out of bed,” he said.

His father, Matt Masters, who is a Kansas City police officer, also spoke Thursday.

“Bryce was clinically dead,” his father said. “We cried and prayed that God would bring him back to us.”

He described the agony of watching his son being kept alive by a ventilator in the hospital and the family being told by doctors that the boy would probably be a vegetable for the rest of his life.

“We’ve been in a continual state of sadness since that day,” Matt Masters said. “He wants his life back.”

Bryce Masters has lost most of the friends he once had, often becomes overwhelmed and withdraws.

Matt Masters said his once charming, curious and self-assured son is often irritable, frustrated and anxious.

“He looks fine. He looks normal. But he’s not,” Masters said.

The September 2014 incident at East Southside Boulevard and Main Street in Independence began when Runnels stopped a car driven by Bryce Masters because Runnels believed there was a warrant associated with the license plate.

A police dashcam video of the incident played Thursday in court.

It showed how Masters refused multiple orders from Runnels to get out of the car.

On the video, Masters said, “I haven’t done anything, Officer,” and repeatedly asked if he were under arrest.

Runnels warned that he was going to use his Taser and tried to pull Masters out.

Only after Runnels deployed the Taser did Masters get out of the car and lay facedown on the street. Runnels said “I told you,” and the Taser continued to discharge while the officer stood over the prone teen for about 20 seconds before the officer disengaged the stun gun and handcuffed Masters.

Runnels then lifted a limp Masters by the arms, dragged him to the side of the street and dropped him to the pavement.

Runnels said, “I don’t play games.” After a few minutes he called for an ambulance, but he did not check on Masters, the video showed. About five minutes passed before an ambulance arrived and someone can be heard on the video saying, “He’s turning blue.”

Matt Masters said Thursday that family members arrived at the scene while paramedics were working on his son.

“His 8-year-old sister watched as they did chest compressions,” he said.

Runnels on Thursday apologized to Bryce Masters and his family.

“I’m deeply remorseful,” he said. “At no point did I intend to hurt him. But I did.”

This story was originally published May 26, 2016 at 4:25 PM with the headline "Teen describes near-fatal encounter with Independence police officer."