Tulsa police officers taunted and laughed at a 70-year-old woman having a mental health crisis before violently arresting her, recently released bodycam footage shows.
The video has sparked outrage, but the Tulsa Police Department says its officers followed protocols when they kicked down a bathroom door and tackled LaDonna Paris in an incident last October. Paris had locked herself in the bathroom of a Habitat for Humanity store and refused to leave. She has late-onset bipolar disorder and was having a manic episode.
The Tulsa Police Department says Paris had an aerosol can and a lighter and was trying to set the bathroom on fire. It's what happened before police kicked down the door, though, that's drawing attention. The body camera footage shows a Tulsa police officer arcing her taser, asking Paris if she wants to get tased, and rattling the door to taunt the clearly distressed woman.
"This is gonna be so fun," the officer says as she and her partner wait for another officer to arrive and kick down the door.
The Tulsa Police Department says Paris had an aerosol can and a lighter and was trying to set the bathroom on fire. It's what happened before police kicked down the door, though, that's drawing attention. The body camera footage shows a Tulsa police officer arcing her taser, asking Paris if she wants to get tased, and rattling the door to taunt the clearly distressed woman.
"This is gonna be so fun," the officer says as she and her partner wait for another officer to arrive and kick down the door.
These cops have gone off the deep end. They need some severe discipline. ;)