I've never had a moving violation, but fail to understand why you have to sign the ticket. You either take it and pay the fine or go to court and contest it. What difference does it make if you sign it when it is issued? If you ignore it, they will issue a bench warrant so they are protected.
That said, I noticed that after they used the taser, 2 policemen forced her out of the car (one pushing), got her on the ground and handcuffed her.
I would never advocate breaking the law, but this sure seems like overkill in this situation.
"I've never had a moving violation, but fail to understand why you have to sign the ticket"
A traffic stop is a non-custodial arrest. The Police officer has the otion of issuing a citaion or taking the violator forthwith to a magistrate. The Citation is the default option.
The violators signature is a promise to appear, and acts as a bond. If the violator refuses to sign, they are stating they want to see a judge NOW. Depending on the state, the officer is required by law to take the violator to the judge "Without Delay"
I hope that explains some things on this.
The above being said, I won't second guess the officer on scene, because I wasn't there and the media couldn't report a nursery rhyme properly. I will say I would have looked for other options given what I've read
Please forgive my typos
"Option"
"Citation"
They had to confirm a pregnancy at eight months????? Perhaps the lady in question is a tad overweight which is why it took two policement to push and pull her out of the vehicle.