[W01f]

[youtube]8xW_-bSxTyI[/youtube]

On the night of August 1, at a Whitehall, Ohio Walmart, Virginia Dodson could not remember why she was sitting alone in a car. Coming to grips with her enclosed environment, it dawned on her that she did not know how to unbuckle her seat belt either. Panic began to take hold.

Her solution was to scrounge up a steak knife and cut through the straps, eventually finding her way into the confusing world of the parking lot. It was not long before the police were called.

Virginia, an 84-year-old African American, has Alzheimer's disease. Like many other sufferers, the responsibility for her care fell to her adult child. Her daughter, however, was inside the store.

It was only a short matter of time before the police were called.

As she wandered the parking lot calling her daughter's name, she was approached by a white, female officer who clearly ordered her to drop the weapon. She did not.

What happened next was captured on video and uploaded that same night to YouTube by user "mainetaine187," who says on camera as the scene escalates, "We gotta get real footage of this shit, haha!"

A witness to the scene, one Tomya Beatty, quoted by the local NBC affiliate station, said: "She didn’t even ask her to drop the knife. The woman told her when the cop came charging at her. She said, 'I’m not going to cut you. I’m not going to cut you.' She was just calling her daughter’s name out."

While the video contradicts Beatty's statement that the officer said nothing about the knife, the use of force against an obviously frail woman is apparent. As the video progresses, a noisy scene develops around the officers as the confused old woman lays on the ground, bleeding.

Beatty, again quoted by NBC, said, "There was about to be a riot in front of Walmart..."

Another alleged witness, YouTube user "MisssBoo76," wrote that the woman was "swinging a knife at people, when the police arrived she wouldn't drop the knife so the police officer took her down, the lady also assulted [sic] a kid by hitting him which sparked the crowd of people outside anyway..."

During the video, a male police officer can be heard shouting at the crowd: "We're not gonna hurt her! Step back!" Moments later, an unseen male asks, "What would you do if someone slammed your mother to the ground?"

The narrator adds: "Officer Fullerton of the Whitehall Police Department." He picked up a phone and called someone, then continued: "Yeah, I'm out here... sitting here watching these police beat up an 80-year-old old lady, man. Yeah, you know this is going on the news tonight, bro. I got the news footage."

"Dotson’s daughter said her mother needed stitches to close the wounds and her hand may have been broken," added NBC4i.

Police declined to press charges against the woman, who was released back into her daughter's custody.

"What's got me is that since it's obvious the female officer (proving that its not a gender-based issue) was strong enough to take her down with ease, why not just grab the knife from her instead?" asked San Francisco Chronicle blogger zennie62.

He continued: "To me, police officers are supposed to be trained to be super people in judgment not just strength. Yes, I know that what they do is dangerous, but the job doesn't have to be a thankless one. Somewhere along the way, deep in our long term backslide in education spending and the decline of leisure time we produced a society of people impatient to study a situation then react in a non-violent way."

The man responsible for this even becoming news, YouTube user mainetaine187, opines, "I think excessive force was used."

But, he concludes, "U be the judge....."

Source

Hmm, she could have hurt someone. Good thing those cops were there to keep things safe and orderly! (Note the pool of blood at around 3:00, that bitch will think twice before she ate bananas on the bubblegum swing where am i?)

[Igor Antunov]

Well there is recorded evidence of excessive force, the police woman should receive a discharge and some jail time.

[Donna]

I swear we need two different types of law enforcement, one that deals with conscious, adult-male criminality and another that is only equipped to deal with drunkards, juvenille offenders and public disturbances. It seems the biggest problem with police are younger ones who excessively apply theory to situations.

[Godstud]

Well at least there's the possibility that she'll forget about it....

It doesn't look like the female officer used excessive force. It's probably how she was trained to take down a person with a dangerous weapon. It's unfortunate the lady was hurt when taken to the pavement but would the people have preferred the officer using a tazer gun? The police woman didn't karate chop her and only had a grasp on the oldwoman's weapon arm. It was hardly excessive given that the old woman had a weapon. Shooting her would have been excessive!

The cameraman just kept screaming, "The police beat up an 80 year old woman and busted up the back of her head!" What is this supposed to do exactly? If I was a cop there I would have tazered the cameraman and arrested him for causing a disturbance!

The onlookers were antagonistic, stupid and did nothing to help the situation. Even one offering to administer first aid might have calmed the situation but the cameraman and others were ready to start a riot. Typical Walmart shoppers I suppose...

[Goldberk]

why respond immediately with force, why not instead make the area safe and attempt deescalation?

[Captain Sam]

Well there is recorded evidence of excessive force, the police woman should receive a discharge and some jail time.

Are you trolling?
The police officer did her job, she did it by the book. She can't be discharged and then receive jail time for doing her job and enforcing the law.

[danholo]

Well there is recorded evidence of excessive force, the police woman should receive a discharge and some jail time.

Where's the recorded evidence? That video is blurry and shows the officer taking the woman down, and restraining her.

I swear we need two different types of law enforcement, one that deals with conscious, adult-male criminality and another that is only equipped to deal with drunkards, juvenille offenders and public disturbances. It seems the biggest problem with police are younger ones who excessively apply theory to situations.

Exactly, but smart cops are non-existent.

[JRS1]

Disgaceful, the copper should be sacked and taken to court. There should have been a riot in Wal-Mart, the old bill should pay when they act like this. I might even be convinced it was racist.

"put the knife down my lovely" is how she should have handled it, the fucking moron.

[Oxymoron]

Very stupid and unprofesional of this asshole.

[Godstud]

That old black woman was just looking for a stomping. That poor innocent police woman did what she had to. The video was too blurry for us to see the old bat lunged with deadly intent at the police woman, who, with lightning quick reflexes due to extensive hand to hand training, was able to take down the forgetful villain!

It's true. The video was blurry and we missed the actual takedown or just got a glimpse of it. We probably didn't hear the everything, as I could barely hear much on it, with clarity, anyways. The police woman could have very well asked in a lower voice to drop the knife. This is just sensationalism.

[QatzelOk]

A lot of elderly people are on myriad medications, and often carry sundry items like nail clips and scissors - both potential weapons in the hands of a drugged-out zombie.

That policeman is lucky to be alive.

[W01f]

It doesn't look like the female officer used excessive force.

Have you ever met an 80 year old woman with alzhiemer's before? You could restrain them with your pinky finger.

[Truth-a-naut]

You could restrain them with your pinky finger.

Ahahaha... no. They acquire some sort of retard strength. I had to deal with my 83 year old grandmother who was in the later stages. She'd freak the hell out and scratch and claw (her own feces happened to be under her fingernails as she loved to play with the "sausages"). You had to have orderlies hold her down just to feed her.

[Zyx]

You had to have orderlies hold her down just to feed her.

Just like you would a child, what is your point?

It's not at all humane to slam someone onto the ground, let alone someone not posing a threat to anyone.

She was lost and out of her mind, that doesn't mean one should just slam her on the ground.

Very pathetic, but it's to be expected by officers.

Interestingly, after the Gates scandal, Colbert showed an incident of "police brutality:" a white grandmother was tasered for daring an officer to hold up to his threat.

Officers are scum, many times racially motivated but always scum.

[Truth-a-naut]

Just like you would a child, what is your point?

That you can't restrain them with your pinky finger. You know, in response to that quoted portion of my post.

Ah, nevermind... it's Kummato. Having trouble reading there?

[W01f]

It was an exaggeration, but the point is that they're senile and their bodies are literally falling apart. They have very little strength, and it wouldn't be hard to simply grab her arm and stop her from hurting anyone that way. There's absolutely no reason to be pulling out the karate moves in such a situation.

I also had to deal with a grandma with azlheimer's, and all I remember is that she was extremely fragile and weak.

[Zyx]

Having trouble reading there?

Are you kidding.

"Pinky restraint" is an expression. Did you slam your grandmother down to restrain her and would it have all been reasonable to? If not then you've problems reading.