TX - Pregnant woman shocked with Taser outside Academy store, Houston, Harris County, 4 Jan 2019

[cybervampira]

Pregnant woman shocked with Taser outside Academy store

A woman who is more than eight months pregnant says a misunderstanding over a gift card led deputies to hit her with a Taser outside an Academy store.


Dramatic video given to ABC13 Eyewitness News shows Ashley Brown screaming and writhing about in pain last Friday outside the store on the North Freeway near West Road.

Harris County Sheriff's Office said Brown was arrested for shoplifting and resisting arrest, but she claims she didn't steal anything. She is now facing theft charges.

Deputies said Brown did not comply with orders and she fought back. That's when they said a female deputy deployed her Taser.

The deputy said she didn't initially know Brown was pregnant. Brown said she yelled that during the incident.

ABC13 Houston

 

[silverjug]

It does seem rather extreme for a case of alleged shoplifting.

 

[Forpsy]

Very extreme for a woman who is 8 months pregnant.

 

[Forpsy]

I'm not surprised they couldn't hear the baby's heartbeat. A shock of that magnitude can't be good. I hope she gets checked out by a OB.

 

[Gracie55]

I'm not surprised they couldn't hear the baby's heartbeat. A shock of that magnitude can't be good. I hope she gets checked out by a OB.

Man. That's awful. I hope the baby and mom are ok. I hope I never run afoul of someone with a taser. I'd break.

 

[killarney rose]

It all boils down to if you don't want to get tasered, don't create a scene, resist arrest, or shoplift while using being pregnant as an excuse to get you off. I'm sure the last thing on the officers mind was wondering if the out of control suspect was pregnant. I hope the innocent baby is ok.

 

[flute4peace]

It all boils down to if you don't want to get tasered, don't create a scene, resist arrest, or shoplift while using being pregnant as an excuse to get you off. I'm sure the last thing on the officers mind was wondering if the out of control suspect was pregnant. I hope the innocent baby is ok.

This. It was her choice to behave the way she did. The police don't just walk up and tase people who are standing and talking calmly. I hope part of her hospital visit includes a tox screen.

Prayers for the innocent child.

 

[BinaKnits]

This. It was her choice to behave the way she did. The police don't just walk up and tase people who are standing and talking calmly. I hope part of her hospital visit includes a tox screen.

Sometimes they do. Especially if they're POC.
Cop who used Taser on girl: 'This is why there’s no grocery stores in the black community'

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...was-unarmed-compliant/?utm_term=.81454360a1d2

 

[Forpsy]

Tasing an at term pregnant woman could kill the fetus. I can't explain it to you. Google it. Regardless of how a full grown woman is acting towards police, if they tase her and she is at or near term there is a much, much increased risk of stopping the fetus' heart. That is wrong. Period.

 

[killarney rose]

That officer didn't walk up there planning to taser a pregnant woman. If she was wearing a jacket or loose clothing while flailing around it wasn't obvious. It's time for suspects to be responsible for their choices and not blame the police when things go bad for them. No one forced her to go to Academy and shoplift then behave badly when she got caught.

 

[BinaKnits]

. No one forced her to go to Academy and shoplift then behave badly when she got caught.

We actually don't know that she did shoplift. According to the article. she claims there was a mixup with a gift card. She's been charged but that doesn't mean that she is guilty. I can guarantee you that if I were accused of shoplifting/theft I'd get pretty upset, too.

 

[killarney rose]

Oh I was accused of shoplifting once. I was completely innocent and furious. But what I didn't do was throw a fit. I calmly told them to search me. But that they'd better be sure I had concealed something because when they didn't find anything I was going to call my lawyer and sue them. Then I turned and walked out. No matter how angry you are it doesn't justify acting badly. Especially if you know you are pregnant and could place your baby in harms way.

 

[musicaljoke]

It all boils down to if you don't want to get tasered, don't create a scene, resist arrest, or shoplift while using being pregnant as an excuse to get you off. I'm sure the last thing on the officers mind was wondering if the out of control suspect was pregnant. I hope the innocent baby is ok.

Not at all. People can be reacting in ways that are not expected, over things that are misinterpreted. There is no need to taser a woman who is not endangering anyone. What police officer could not put this woman in handcuffs if the need arose? Tasering is extreme. Let's not allow it to become so commonplace, that people are tasered when ordinary policing could have safely managed the situation.

 

[Forpsy]

Not at all. People can be reacting in ways that are not expected, over things that are misinterpreted. There is no need to taser a woman who is not endangering anyone. What police officer could not put this woman in handcuffs if the need arose? Tasering is extreme. Let's not allow it to become so commonplace, that people are tasered when ordinary policing could have safely managed the situation.

Especially when they would, in addition, be tasing an all but newborn baby.
That is wrong no matter what she MAY have done.

 

[Forpsy]

We actually don't know that she did shoplift. According to the article. she claims there was a mixup with a gift card. She's been charged but that doesn't mean that she is guilty. I can guarantee you that if I were accused of shoplifting/theft I'd get pretty upset, too.

Even if she was guilty of shoplifting, tasing is extreme. Would you want your ten year old tased for stealing gummy bears? It's wrong.

 

[IceIce9]

Oh I was accused of shoplifting once. I was completely innocent and furious. But what I didn't do was throw a fit. I calmly told them to search me. But that they'd better be sure I had concealed something because when they didn't find anything I was going to call my lawyer and sue them. Then I turned and walked out. No matter how angry you are it doesn't justify acting badly. Especially if you know you are pregnant and could place your baby in harms way.

Exactly this.

I was looking at a piece of property with a real estate agent a few years ago, 7 acres of woods and field that sat back from the road. A police office came up the driveway with no lights or siren, jumped out of his car WITH HIS GUN DRAWN and told us to put our hands up. Then he said, “Keep your hands where I can see them, lie down, and then DON’T MOVE!!!!”

Guess what we did? Exactly what the officer said to do. After a minute of us obeying his orders he asked what we were doing, the real estate agent told him he was an agent showing the property to me. He asked the officer for permission to get his business card out of his wallet, then handed it to the officer. End of incident.

I have never been arrested, we were of course not doing anything wrong. I knew enough to comply with the officer. If we had run or resisted we might have been tased, or worse.

 

[Forpsy]

We actually don't know that she did shoplift. According to the article. she claims there was a mixup with a gift card. She's been charged but that doesn't mean that she is guilty. I can guarantee you that if I were accused of shoplifting/theft I'd get pretty upset, too.

Especially if they then reached over and tased your newborn baby. Tasing an at term fetus is the same thing as tasing a newborn infant. How thick is skin?

 

[LadyL]

I hope her & the baby are ok but I also hope she doesn't get a payday out of this.

 

[musicaljoke]

Exactly this.

I was looking at a piece of property with a real estate agent a few years ago, 7 acres of woods and field that sat back from the road. A police office came up the driveway with no lights or siren, jumped out of his car WITH HIS GUN DRAWN and told us to put our hands up. Then he said, “Keep your hands where I can see them, lie down, and then DON’T MOVE!!!!”

Police aggression becomes normalized when ordinary citizens, going about their daily affairs, where no one is at risk of injury to themselves or anyone else, are accosted by police in inappropriate manners and the wrongful police behaviour is brushed over, or excused. The fact that it happens often, does not make it acceptable.

Perhaps you didn't run away, and you were willing and able to lie on the ground, but like you suggest, the next person might not be able to comprehend the situation, or may not be able to respond in ways that the police expect, and that person may end up dead.

In these parts, an officer who pulls his gun in a situation such as you describe would find himself confined to his desk. He would have violated the most basic rules governing the use of force by the police. "No matter the situation, officers should issue verbal commands first. Pulling out a gun should be a last resort".

He Paid for His Mentos. Then an Officer Pulled a Gun on Him.

 

[Forpsy]

Police aggression becomes normalized when ordinary citizens, going about their daily affairs, where no one is at risk of injury to themselves or anyone else, are accosted by police in inappropriate manners and the wrongful police behaviour is brushed over, or excused. The fact that it happens often, does not make it acceptable.

Perhaps you didn't run away, and you were willing and able to lie on the ground, but like you suggest, the next person might not be able to comprehend the situation, or may not be able to respond in ways that the police expect, and that person may end up dead.

In these parts, an officer who pulls his gun in a situation such as you describe would find himself confined to his desk. He would have violated the most basic rules governing the use of force by the police. "No matter the situation, officers should issue verbal commands first. Pulling out a gun should be a last resort".

He Paid for His Mentos. Then an Officer Pulled a Gun on Him.

I would think this especially important for a visibly pregnant woman. This isn't just distressing, for that baby it is/was life threatening.