Deputy Tasers woman, 72, during traffic stop

Assoc. Press ^ | 06/10/2009

[Responsibility2nd]

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- She dared a deputy constable to shock her with a Taser.

So, he did.

Video released by a Travis County Constable's Office shows Deputy Chris Bieze confronting 72-year-old Kathryn Winkfein after stopping her for speeding on May 11 just outside Austin.

Video from a camera mounted in the deputy's car shows Winkfein cursing and challenging the deputy and even daring him to use the Taser on her.

"You're going to shove me? You're going to shove a 72-year-old woman?" she yelled.

Winkfein told KTBC-TV in Austin that she did nothing to provoke the use of the Taser.

But Precinct 3 Sgt. Maj. Gary Griffin said Bieze used the Taser only after Winkfein became combative.

[Responsibility2nd]

Even Grannie deserves a good tasin' once in awhile.

[skeeter]

It seems grannie could be subdued without the aid of a taser, but what do I know.

[DogBarkTree]

I saw the tape. The old bag deserved it.

[prismsinc]

I saw it. The cop was 3 times her size. He didn’t need to use the taser. He could’ve contained her without it. Looked to me like he needed an excuse to use it.

Not saying she didn’t have it comin.

[umgud]

It seems grannie could be subdued without the aid of a taser, but what do I know.

I agree, but it would have been a wrestling match for which he'd be demonized for also.

This old biddy was a real piece of work.

[Responsibility2nd]

Grandmother Tasered at Traffic Stop Updated: Tuesday, 02 Jun 2009, 12:26 PM CDT Published : Friday, 29 May 2009, 9:17 PM CDT

A 72-year-old woman is pulled over for speeding, then tasered and sent to jail. Kathryn Winkfein says she drives to Austin about twice a month to do her shopping. But on a Monday afternoon, a Travis County Constable deputy pulled her over, on her way back to Granite Schoals.

"Due to being a construction zone, and workers being present," Pct. 3 Constable Richard McCain said, "it was 45, she was doing 60."

Winkfein admits she was speeding in the dangerous strip of Highway 71 and Bee Creek.

"He explained to her," Constable McCain said, "sign the ticket stub, it's not an admission of guilt. It's a promise to appear in court. She didn't want to. She said take me to jail."

That's when the officer says Winkfein exited her vehicle and didn't cooperate.

"She refused to get off the side of the road, he said to her, Ma'am, you're under arrest. She used profanity," the Constable said. He adds she got violent, and the officer used a taser on her.

Winkfein showed FOX 7 her taser scars.

"Here and here. Two places, side by side. It's unreal. It's like an electric shock," she said.

A shock Winkfein believes she didn't deserve.

"I wasn't argumentative, I was not combative. This is a lie. All of this is a lie, pulled away from him I did not," she said, reading the arrest affidavit.

The great-grandmother was taken to the Travis County Jail, where she was booked for resisting arrest and detention. She was released shortly after. Now, Winkfein has hired attorneys to protect her rights.

When asked if it was appropriate for the arresting officer to have used a taser, Constable McCain answered yes.

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/dpp/news/local/052909_Grandmother_Tasered_at_Traffic_Stop

[gridlock]

I saw this video.

The woman refusese to sign the ticket, so the Deputy has to bring her in. Once she is out of the vehicle, she refuses to be cuffed and is constantly walking back toward the traffic lane to get back into her vehicle.

The Deputy warns her five times, and only restrains her to keep her from getting run over by the 60 mph traffic whizzing by. Finally she gets past him and into the roadway, and he shoves her back and puts her down with the Tazer.

Frankly, the Deputy did it right, here. He can’t let the woman walk out into the street, because once she gets out of the vehicle, he is responsible for her safety. He tried to get her to cooperate over and over again. Finally his choice was to either wrestle her to the ground, pin her, and twist her arms to put on the cuffs, or Taze her. Given her age, the Tazer was the right choice, because it has less of a chance of injury.

Too bad Harpseal isn’t with us anymore. He could surely tell me how wrong I am.

Stay Armed, Stay Safe, Yorktown...

[DesertRhino]

You know, emotion aside. In reality a taser is the best way to subdue a person without hurting them. Nothing else even *comes close* to being less likely to harm them. Pepper spray? A baton? even going hands-on and forcibly handcuffing them, is *way* more likely to cause a true long-term injury to someone that old.

The only exception would be if they were in a position to fall.

[BerryDingle]

From June 2nd

[mom4melody]

Since when did being older become an excuse for bad behavior?

[bornred]

Dash cam video of the incident

[zerosix]

Wow, what has happened in America to find Sgt. Maj. Gary Griffin, an man of superior physical ability, strength and stamina "choose" to taze a 72 year old woman.

Was she giving the guy a difficult time - yes but taze her!

Please, freepers quit using an attempt at humor, assuming that you all are kidding, to justify any policeman, or person taze a woman regardless of the tongue-lashing he was getting from her.

The law gives the lady the "right to refuse" to sign a traffic ticket and gives the officer the options available -- tazing should NEVER be one in a case like this.

[RC2]

I disagree with that statement. Boy, we have come so far in how we treat the elderly. Maybe next time they should just shoot her. The guy called for assistance. He could have just waited until they got there. Yes, she was pretty vocal but showed no threat to the officer.

[shooter223]

Saw the video on Fox ...... granny was really belligerent,but the cop was at least twice her size ....... can’t help thinking she could have been subdued without being zapped

[DesertRhino]

We think of grandma when we think “72”. I think pain-in-the-A$$ 29 year old Vietnam protester in 1967. Obamas mom would be about this age,, hard core communist.

Not all old people are created equal.

[domenad]

That’s what I figured. A few too many old people think they can do certain things because they’re old and nobody will call them on it. In some cases that’s true. Not with a cop.

[CGTRWK]

The heavily armed cashiers of the open road.

[dbwz]

The cop was 3 times her size. He didn’t need to use the taser.

This might make a good argument for the taser being the wise choice in such an instance. Sometimes grabbing someone and trying to wrestle with them can be more damaging physically to either or both parties.

[basil]

This happened several days ago. The local talk shows have been all over it.

The consensus of callers seem to be that even though the woman was somewhat of a bi#ch, she should not have been tasered. It seems that a couple of brawny cops should have been able to subdue her without the taser.

[DogBarkTree]

When the elderly behave badly they deserve to be treated badly. Being old doesnt give you a license to be an @$$hole as this woman clearly was.