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Suspect Shocked Repeatedly With Tasers Police Department Stands Behind Effectiveness Of Devices Reported by Alan Frio POSTED: 8:06 pm CDT August 4, 2009 NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- There has been no shortage of controversy in Nashville when it comes to police using Tasers. Officers contend that it is a last resort to prevent a hands-on confrontation. However, in July a man in Nashville was shoc More..ked with a Taser multiple times and was not stopped by police. The suspect, Ronnie Irby, was an employee of a Krystal fast food restaurant until he was caught on camera allegedly stealing money from his employer on Murfreesboro Pike. Police were called, watched the surveillance video and approached the man. Police asked Irby, who was in the parking lot of the restaurant, to fall to the ground a number of times. However, he refused the officers' demands, police said. With Tasers drawn, police activated the camera on the Tasers, and an officer fired a Taser probe at Irby, who is 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighs 300 pounds, said police. The Taser temporarily stunned him, but then Irby got up as if nothing had happened, police said. A second Taser was fired by another officer, but Irby removed the probes and continued to evade police, police said. After a third Taser shock, police said, there was still no effect. Three shots may seem like a lot, but Metro police say how often an noncomplying suspect is shocked with a Taser is up to an officer. "You want to use the minimum number of Taser bursts necessary to affect an arrest," said police spokesman Don Aaron. Irby eventually walked inside the restaurant and the situation was quelled. "Thankfully, talking and diplomacy worked, and the officers did not have to go hands-on. They did not want to have to fight Mr. Irby," said Aaron. Metro police and other police departments across the country believe in the effectiveness of Tasers. But after seeing the video, some are questioning if it is as effective as some believe and if a Taser keeps an officer safe. "Forty-four times this year, the mere sight of the Taser by a suspect has resulted in the suspects' compliance with police officer commands," said Aaron. The Taser has been controversial in the past. The police department took them away from officers a few years ago because a man died from excited delirium after being shocked with a Taser. But last year, Metro started using them again because the department believes the benefits outweigh the risks