72 year old woman tasered in Austin. Justified?? (Post: legal, activity)

[artsyguy]

I saw the footage and it's absolutely disgusting. The cop was instigating problems with her instead of calling for back up so they could handcuff her, get her to calm down on the side of the road, and then force her to sign the ticket, then move on and deal with real problems like the major drug and auto stealing problems there.

It's also disgusting how the people of Austin are calling in siding with the cop saying he had a right to protect himself and "who knows what she had in her car"? ....... That's why cops do a brief search of the car and stand away from the vehicle as prevention measures.

Originally Posted by CptnRn

Here is the video of the cop tazering her.

Public Reacts to Grandmother Tasing (http://www.myfoxaustin.com/dpp/news/local/060909_Public_Reacts_to_Grandmother_Tasing - broken link)

The first video is mostly commentary, watch the second one down the page of the exchange with the officer.

I have a hard time seeing how he was threatened or even seeing what she was doing as presenting any danger to him. She was a good 7 feet away from the roadway and 5 feet away from him when he tazered her the first time. She was not threatening him at all. Prior to that she had just trying to walk past him to get into her car, but had been standing quietly with her arms crossed for sometime when he pulled his weapon and started yelling at her. She backed away and he shot her. She felt threatened by him and afraid for her own safety and probably saw her car as her only safe refuge.

[love roses]

Originally Posted by artsyguy

It's Austin......so yeah this is your typical weird Austin circumstance......and the lack of understanding and sympathy for the 72 year old woman is typical for Austin........people there typically lack sensitivity, so this doesn't come as a shock or a surprise. lol.....seriously it makes me laugh at how callous and judgmental people are.

The lady's attitude was rude but so what. Get over it. Force her to sign the ticket and move on to bigger things like the major pot and drug problem that is there in Austin.

The problem is, they can't. They have PC protocols, so there isn't a lot they can do. I'm not from Austin, so I wouldn't blame it on Austin being callous. This could happen in Sinton, Nacogdoches, Tomball, Brenham...I'd still feel the same way. I never say "so what, someone was rude". That's probably why that lady acted like she did.

[mimimomx3]

Originally Posted by Huckleberry3911948

when is the last time you saw someone approve of the methods of an arrest by police of a violent offender. .

A violent offender? A 72 year old, slightly overweight, 5-4ish great grandmother? Keep smoking that brownshirt fascist pipe.

[mimimomx3]

Originally Posted by b. frank

Whoa! What would you have done to the cop?

Sue him, just like this lady did.

[statefan]

Originally Posted by artsyguy

I saw the footage and it's absolutely disgusting. The cop was instigating problems with her instead of calling for back up so they could handcuff her, get her to calm down on the side of the road, and then force her to sign the ticket, then move on and deal with real problems like the major drug and auto stealing problems there.

It's also disgusting how the people of Austin are calling in siding with the cop saying he had a right to protect himself and "who knows what she had in her car"? ....... That's why cops do a brief search of the car and stand away from the vehicle as prevention measures.

You are kidding right? I any book, this is resisting arrest! I don't care how old you are. If it were a 16 year old kid, this wouldn't even be an issue!

The cop did nothing wrong. She cursed him, pushed him and pulled away from him. He was trying to get her to sign the ticket! He tried to hand cuff her, she jerked away saying she was getting back in her car! He had every right to do what was needed to control this lady.

[love roses]

Originally Posted by artsyguy

lol so if you dare somebody <in the sarcastic manner that she did> it is suddenly a perfectly good reason to use a taser on somebody? The old lady was being sarcastic and then she said that she was a 72 year old woman to the cop.....

The lady could be disabled or other things going on for all we know

He didn't do it because she dared him, he did it because she wasn't listening. I think it was pretty ignorant of her to dare him to tase her and then further the dare by saying she was 72, like he should say "Oh, well, since you're 72 we'll let you do whatever you want to. We'll give you a little card to carry around in your purse so whenever you plow down a bunch of kids in a school zone, or hit some construction workers or slap around some people at a restaurant...then you can just whip that card out, say "Oh, but I'm 72 and go about your merry way".

If you're handicapped in some way then you should be especially aware of your condition and not act in ways that may endanger you.

[mimimomx3]

Originally Posted by rickibobbi72

Everyone no matter how old or young you are needs to be held accountable for their actions and respectful of the law. The women was acting inappropriately and should be treated just like everyone else. To me at her age she should have known better and have set a better example for her grandchildren.

HOWEVER....the law needs to be held accountable to US. Remember the words 'public servants'? It's wise to keep that in mind, otherwise it starts looking a lot like Nazi Germany.

[mimimomx3]

Originally Posted by statefan

You are kidding right? I any book, this is resisting arrest! I don't care how old you are. If it were a 16 year old kid, this wouldn't even be an issue!

The cop did nothing wrong. She cursed him, pushed him and pulled away from him. He was trying to get her to sign the ticket! He tried to hand cuff her, she jerked away saying she was getting back in her car! He had every right to do what was needed to control this lady.

What arrest? He was giving her a ticket and she refused to sign it, as is her right against self incrimination. For heaven's sake, he had her DL number and her plates number. It would have made a lot more sense to just issue her a warrant and serve her, with the back up this officer apparently needed , like SWAT.

[txgolfer130]

Originally Posted by love roses

I say she had it coming. A 72 yr. old should have enough life experience to know that you don't talk back to cops like that and get away with it.

And no one see's the problem w/ this rationale either? The constable was clearly the instigating party, procedure requires that he calls for back-up and or a supervisor. It appears that he might, be attempting to do so before the confrontation turns. Whichever is the case, it is clear the officer did not follow procedure and was the instigating factor of this altercation.

I would like to hear about his record, and whether in fact he is a "full-time" deputy or a volunteer. His temperament and actions do not jibe, and I would not be surprised to find he is a volunteer w/ TCSO.

[cr1039]

Originally Posted by love roses

From what I heard, he warned her he would taze her and she said "go ahead, I dare ya". He radioed in, and she tried to get in her car, he warned her a 2nd time, she ignored him, so he tazed her. When she said that she couldn't get her arms behind her back a few times, he went over and handcuffed her. He didn't kick her while she was down or anything. She didn't really appear frail to me either. Shortish, yeah, frail, no.

I say she had it coming. A 72 yr. old should have enough life experience to know that you don't talk back to cops like that and get away with it.

How was he to know she didn't have a gun or something in the truck? Old people are just as likely to be carrying one as anybody. My dad is nearly 65 and he carries a concealed handgun in his car. What would have happened had she made it to her truck and driven away; therefore causing a car chase to her home where who knows what would happen once she was there?

Agree, she was also nearly walking into traffic and besides, allowing her to drive in the condition she was in (combative, angry, etc) would have been dangerous.

She refused to sign her ticket, talked back etc. Her age has nothing to do with this situation.