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Police use Taser on pastor after traffic stop

  • Story Highlights
  • Police, pastor's son give differing accounts of Taser incident
  • They don't agree on whether Jose Moran is still hospitalized
  • Police say Moran interfered with a traffic stop
  • Police say church congregation surrounded officer
From Melanie Whitley
CNN
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(CNN) -- Police in Texas used a Taser on a 42-year-old pastor and pepper spray to disperse members of his church after police said the pastor interfered with a traffic stop.

Jose Moran was arrested early Wednesday morning after interfering with the duties of a public servant in the parking lot of a Webster, Texas, building that is being remodeled for the Iglesias Profetica Peniel Church, Webster police said in a written statement.

Moran's son, Omar, said his father had been trying to help. He added that his father has heart problems.

Moran approached an officer who was handling a traffic stop in the church's parking lot on Wednesday morning, police said.

Moran identified himself as the church's pastor and began yelling at the officer, police said.

The officer told Moran to leave several times, but Moran did not, police said. The officer then tried to arrest him. But Moran pushed the officer and ran into the church building, police said.

Moran's son said after his father asked the officer if he could help, the officer began yelling. The son said his father went back inside the church.

The officer followed him and kicked in the church door, he said. The pastor came outside, and a second officer used his Taser twice on the pastor, the younger Moran said.

The son's account differs from the police version of events. Police said Moran emerged from the church building with dozens of other people who subsequently surrounded the officer.

The officer used pepper spray to disperse the crowd, the statement said.

Police said Moran pushed a second officer, who had arrived for backup, when the officer was trying to arrest him. The officer used a Taser to subdue him, police said.

Omar Moran said his father remains hospitalized, although police said he had been treated and released.

Webster Police Chief Ray Smiley said the Taser was only used once on Moran, but that the tool causes two marks.

The driver who had been pulled over was issued two citations and released, police said.

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