Police in Indiana are being sued for smashing the window of a woman's car and Tasering one of her passengers. The terrifying encounter was captured on camera and has since gone viral.
According to Slate, 47-year-old Lisa Mahone was pulled over in Hammond, Indiana on Sep. 24 for not wearing a seatbelt. She was accompanied by Jamal Jones, as well as her 7-year-old daughter and 14-year-old son. The Chicago Tribune reports that when Jones told the officer that he didn't have any form of photo identification at the time, the situation rapidly spiraled out of control:
Jones claims the officer drew his gun for no reason after Jones retrieved the ticket from his backpack and offered the ticket to the officer. But police say Jones refused to hand over the ticket. (Jones) refused to lower the window more than a small amount, then told the officer that 'he was not going to do (the officer’s) job' and for him to get a piece of paper, police said in their statement. The first officer then called for back-up after asking (Jones) several more times to provide his name.
As the back-up officer arrived, the first officer saw the passenger inside the vehicle drop his left hand behind the center console. . . Fearing for officer safety, the first officer ordered the passenger to show his hands and then repeatedly asked him to exit the vehicle, according to the statement… The lawsuit says Jones refused to leave the car because he feared the officers would harm him.
That's when an officer breaks the car window and uses the Taser on Jones. Mahone's daughter can be heard crying while her son records everything. The Tribune adds that Mahone was explaining to the officers that they were en route to Chicago's Stronger Hospital to visit her ailing mother, and the video depicts her relaying this information to the Hammond Police Department over the phone.
Jones was ultimately arrested for refusing to aid an officer and resisting arrest, while Mahone received a citation for not wearing her seatbelt. In a statement, the Hammond Police Department that Jones was Tasered because officers "were concerned when they kept seeing Jones and Mahone reach to the back seat."
[via Slate and Chicago Tribune]
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