Sean Williams sat on the curb, arms outstretched, listening to the at times conflicting commands of the officers threatening to shock him with a Taser.
The male officer, Philip Bernot, the one with the black and yellow Taser trained on Williams’ back, repeatedly told him “legs out!” and “straight out!”
The female officer, Shannon Mazzante, off-camera but just as insistent, also was yelling: “Put your legs straight out and cross them now!”
Their wording — and Williams’ exact movements — mattered immensely because by around 10:30 Thursday morning, their commands had escalated to threats:
Moments later, Williams, whose legs were not fully extended, shifted his legs.