The new details - including Mercado's record of Taser use, his questionable statements in a deposition and the video - were produced in the Hernandez family's wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Miami Beach. Now, the video footage is among a trove of evidence that raises more questions about the police's actions that day. His death sparked public outrage, leading to mass protests, national headlines and eventually new rules for Tasers in Miami Beach. The family has long argued that the young artist never should have been hunted down for an offense as trivial as spray-painting an empty building. "If two people are behind you with pistols," says Reefa's father, Israel Hernandez, Sr., "wouldn't you run?" New video footage shows the scrawny teen hustling through an alleyway, tailed by two officers carrying what the family believes are drawn guns. Three years after Reefa's death, his family now believes they know why he ran from the cops. The early-morning pursuit ended with the 18-year-old artist known as Reefa slumped over on the street, his heart stopped cold after a Taser blast to the chest from Officer Jorge Mercado. Israel Hernandez sprinted through dark alleys, scrambled over fences and fell onto cars, leading cops on a frantic chase after being caught tagging an abandoned McDonald's in Miami Beach.
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