Police use stun gun on undercover agent

PENSACOLA, Fla., Oct. 30 (UPI) -- A police spokesman said officers used a stun gun on an undercover state agent in Pensacola, Fla., due to a case of mistaken identity.

Escambia County Sheriff's Office spokesman Glenn Austin said agent Ira McQueen of the Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco was shot with a stun gun by officers responding to a burglary call, the Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal said Thursday.

Austin said unbeknown to area authorities, the agent was conducting an undercover operation aimed at finding retailers who sell alcohol to minors.

"We had no idea that operation was going on," Austin said of Tuesday's incident. "We were called there for a robbery."

McQueen, who was dressed in civilian clothes at the time of the incident, was recovering Wednesday at his home from being hit with the stun gun.

A Department of Business and Professional Regulation spokeswoman told the News Journal the incident would be investigated to determine if McQueen and his partner followed procedure in their undercover assignment.