Police Taser Handcuffed 14 year old girl
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
November 2, 2007
Area: Atlanta
SNELLVILLE, Georgia - A police officer was "forced" to use a Taser on a handcuffed 14-year-old girl who became unruly while trick-or-treating on Halloween night in Gwinnett County, police said Friday.
The off-duty officer was working a part-time job, patrolling Trotter's Ridge subdivision near Snellville, when he noticed the girl cursing while talking with her group of friends, said Cpl. Illana Spellman, spokeswoman for the Gwinnett County Police Department. The officer reportedly warned her to stop cursing because there were other children walking nearby.
The teenager then cursed the officer, Spellman said. The officer told the girl that he would charge her with disorderly conduct if she continued the tirade. As she started to walk off, Spellman said, the officer told her to stop and touched her arm.
That's when police say the girl turned and tried to punch the officer in the face. The officer used physical force to subdue and handcuff her with the help of another backup officer, but the girl continued to fight, Spellman said.
The officer warned her to stop or he would use a Taser to subdue her, but the girl kept struggling and punching the back of the patrol car with her fists, Spellman said.
"The officer stated she was extremely combative and he was unable to get her into the patrol car," Spellman said. "After several attempts to urge the girl to comply verbally, the officer tased her."
The teenager did not sustain any serious injuries.
She was charged with disorderly conduct and obstruction of a law enforcement officer and released to the custody of her parent.
The girl's foster mother, Ida Martin, declined to talk about the incident on Friday morning.
According to a police report, Martin told the arresting officer he did what he had to do to gain control. She reportedly said she didn't doubt her daughter had been using foul language and behaving violently toward him.
However, Martin said the officer should have tried talking to the girl more to calm her down instead of stunning her with the Taser, the report said.
The girls' parents had not filed any complaint against the officer, Spellman said Friday morning.
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