That must have been the question running through this Travis County, Texas, sheriffs deputy's mind. "Do I really, really want to do this and what does my dashboard cam see?"
Seriously, go here read the article and watch the video. (I wish I were more adept and could upload it here, but I can't, so deal.) The video is priceless, especially if you're the deputy's attorney.
How often do you get to see a sheriff's deputy Tase a 72-year-old woman during a traffic stop? The best part? I didn't know you could actually scream with 50,000 volts running through your body.
7 comments:
How dumb do you have to be to dare a cop to tase you when he's said he's going to arrest you? I mean, at that point, what's he supposed to do, tackle a 70-year old woman?
You know, I think granny had it coming. She tried to take advantage of her age, as if that would put her above the law. I think the officer did what he had to. She deserved it.
Snay - The funny thing is, he probably would have gotten into a world of trouble if he'd tackled her. Tasing her? No worries.
Titania - She looked like a long-time Texan, you'd think as old as she was she'd have known better. At least she has a story for her grandkids now. "Sonny, let me tell you about the time Granny dared a deputy to Tase her..."
Hah, awesomely cocky grandmother! Stupid, but hey... I guess they didn't have tasers back in her heyday...
Yeah! That's the cool thing about non-lethal weapons like tasers where, despite the bad press they sometimes get, they offer you an alternative much more pleasing than "Police officer tackles 72-year old woman" or "police officer shoots 72-year old woman." Really, I don't have much sympathy for her: how hard it is to say, "You're right, I was speeding, I'll slow down in the future?"
I guess we all want to believe that because someone is old they're also wise. This woman was simply a dumb ass.
My big problem with the way the officer acted is that at her age - this might be considered deadly force. What if she had a heart attack? Seems to me any cop worth his salt should be able to handcuff a 72 year old woman without a taser.
Seb - Maybe the next cop will go old school with a leather-covered sap?
Snay - All of those headlines would definitely be less desirable than the one they got.
speener - From my experience talking with cops as a reporter, they generally don't like touching anyone because you never know what can happen. For example: 21 feet seems like a pretty long distance, but if you're holding a knife and you're less than that distance away from a cop, prepare to be shot.
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