Police Officer Beizie tasers 72 year old Kathryn Winkfein
A 72-year-old woman, Kathryn Winkfein, was tasered after a routine traffic stop that was anything but routine. Winkfein was driving 15 miles over the speed limit in Austin, Texas when she was pulled over by Officer Chris Beizie. When he asked her to sign a speeding ticket, Winkfein, who was driving 60 miles instead of the limit of 45 mph, refused.
Here is a narrative of the incident.
Officer Beizie warns, “Step back or you’re going to be tasered.”
Winkfein responds, "I dare you."
“Step back over there.” The officer points, waits, then appears to throw the ticket book on the ground.
“Put your hands behind your back,” he grabs Winkfein by the arm. “Put your hands behind your back.” Winkfein breaks free from the officer’s grip.
"I’m getting back in my car.” Winkfein tries to move past the officer but he grabs her and pushes her back. Raising his taser gun he demands,
"You’re going to be tased, stop.”
Again, Winkfein states,“I’m getting back in my car.”
The officer’s taser gun is raised and pointed at Winkfein.
Officer Beizie moves in, fires and demands Winkfein to get on the ground. Moments later you hear her writhing and moaning in pain. The officer demands,
“Now put your hands behind your back.” Winkfein, still groans as the officer demands a second time.
“Put your hands behind your back or you’re going to get tazed again.”
The officer continues to demand for Winkfein to put her hands behind her back. Her voice, muffled, whimpers,
“I’m trying.”
Authorities have said that Winkfein was not seriously injured. Officer Chris Beizie’s superior, Sergeant Major Gary Griffin, stated that Officer Beizie acted appropriately. The dash cam video was released by the Travis County Constables Office. Kathryn Winkfein has threatened to sue over the incident.
Travis County Sheriff’s Office
Travis County Constables Office
Video: 72 Year Old Woman Tasered by Police Officer
Update: Press Release from Travis County Sheriff's Office
TRAVIS COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
P.O. Box 1748, Austin, Texas 78767
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 10, 2009
Sheriff’s Response to Constables Office Use Of Force Incident
Due to the numerous calls received because of media reports saying to call my office I have decided to release this statement.
On May 11, 2009 the Travis County Constables Office arrested Kathryn Winkfein and charged her with Resisting Arrest. During the incident the deputy constable used his electronic control device, commonly known as a Tazer. The incident was recorded on the officers in car video camera and has since become a favorite video for media to incite responses to their programs.
As Sheriff of Travis County, I want to make two things perfectly clear. First, the deputy constable does not work for my agency. The Constables Office is a separate office with the Constable elected to office by an individual precinct. Second, I do not personally agree with the actions of the deputy constable as they are shown in the video. When I look at the video I am in awe of what happened.
Respectfully,
Sheriff Greg Hamilton
###
Submitted By: Roger Wade, Public Information Officer, (512) 854-4986
Comments
His mom must be so proud.
Man i love many of you people who scream police abuse. yet when the womern cleary was wrong. she gets away since she 72? that a huge double standard. this why i don't respect people cause they too stupid.
she derseve it. not forced at all. this is ridlicous people still don't have equal rights and have to treat someone diffrent by age. get a grip you break law you need to pay for it. cleary she was wrong and she ask for it.
Ranks right up there with the idiot cop who detained the pro football players family who were at the hospital to see their dying mother.
Apparently the only qualification for being a cop in Texas is "big, dumb and stupid".
Those texas cops are really bad asses don t mess with texas.
I am appalled at this woman's behavior. She acted in an inapropriate way - she resisted arrest, she verbally assaulted the officer, and she was wrong in her actions (speeding) that caused her to be stopped. Should an officer discriminate and treat a 21 year old different from an older person? Age is not an excuse for illegal behavior. As was said on "The View? today, this woman was likely the one causing the bar brawl when she was 30 - I agree!! I am an "older woman" and am law abiding and respect those who protect us - at low salaries and at risk of their lives. Thanks for all who dedicate their lives for us!!
he did his job - thank you. Did she have a gun? She was so irrational she may have used it on him or anyone close by. Age is no excuse for criminal behavior
I would be proud if he were my son or husband. He acted responsibly. I agree age is not an excuse for acting dumb - the officer was right
For all who agree with this over powered cop u are idiots he had no reason to. Push her fist off I personally seen people whom have been stopped that are high off drugs treated better than this. I makes me ashamed to be an officer because we all do not behave this way. For the agreeing comments with the officers behavior I am glad you all are not officers of the law and chris biezie needs to be fire he cannot handle authority and domi if you are wanting him to be your son or husband evidentally you don't want much in life you should be ashamed if he shoves an old lady like that what does he do to his wife.the lady should have gotten a ticket but not to be shoved very unprofessional and lack of common sense
v22forever you are so wrong. This woman was in her right mind. All she had to do was sign the ticket and go. Then all she had to do was listen to him. She got what she deserved. She is no better then a 18 yr old. that doesn't respect authority. She broke the law just like anyone else and decided she didn't need to respect him.
He should have tased her again. I hope she doesn't get one penny out of that department. That would be a shame! Shame on any lawyer that would take it!
Are you guys blind. That was clear excessive force, he could have cuffed her easily without the use of the stun gun. She is not that strong that she had to be shot. If a cop is that weak that he can't cuff a 72 year old woman who is UNARMED, he has no business being a cop. If his mother proud of what he did, i hope she is the next old lady stopped on the highway.
After 12yrs on the job , if you need a taser to arrest a 72yr old 150 pound lady , then your in the wrong profession. The officer's conduct was shamefull at best .
I think that Cop should lose his job. I hope the county has to pay this old lady BIG DOLLARS. If he can't control a 72 year old woman then he needs to be in the office and NOT on the Street. Fire the man.
Strangely enough, this officer acts under the same caliber as our dear officers in Boise. At least the taser is the desired weapon of choice, rather than the bullets our officers use instead. This officer's reaction to the situation was naive and wrong, and different actions should have been taken. I am ashamed to call him another human being, because his actions were anything but humane. This sort of behavior should be punished, even though a simple slap on the wrist will be the only punishment given.
Some good people do not understand that many aging senior citizens are on medications which can make them a bit "off the mark" in diplomacy and reasoning.
I do think the officer provoked her further with his actions. Yelling at her, could cause disorientation and ignited her defensive posturing and combative actions.
The effects of a jolt of electric shock from a taser on an aged citizen can leave damage and accelerate mental denentia. In reality, she may not have remembered her actions, due to the adrenalin rush of her fear and anger along with the effect of the taser.
The shoving was a real concern to watch, due to one wrong mis-step and she could have been left with broken bones. Older women may have extremely brittle bones. Is a war of words worth this happening?
Surely a bit more of professional and common kindness could have made a total different outcome in this altercation.
This is a very sad example of lack of training in a position of authority.
~Peace~
I am sure you thought the tasers would be just used on some "bull negroes". Later when they come for you or yours in the night remember that you stood silent when they came for others in the night.
what a douche bag
You guys really need to learn more about being a police officer before you go jumping his judgement. The tazer is used for multiple situations. The ultimate job of the tazer is to gain control. Whether the person is actively resisting or passively resisting, the aer still resisting. For the situation at hand I think the officers best option was to tazer. Strong arming a person can lead broken bones, lacerations, and serious injuries to all persons involved. Some people are allergic to pepper spray and can go into anaphylactic shock. A baton can lead to serious injury or death. Even continuing to argue can make people more angry and combative.
Regardless of these facts, the lady was resisting. If she just signed the ticket none of this would have happened.
trigger happy sicko, he looked big and strong enough to handle that woman
Some of these cop kissing comments are obsurd. Yes, you should discriminate between a 72 year old woman and an 18 or 21 year old. If she had a pacemaker she could be dead now. If you've been around old people much you would know that there can be a certain amount of demensia involved. Take her license away maybe, but stun her with a tazer? He should have his gonads tazed!
I have a pacemaker. I am a cop. I can be tazered. Even though a person has a pacemaker they can be tazered. Anyway how is he supposed to know if she has dimentia or not. He has to make a split second decision. So until you are put into that situation quit "monday morning quarterbacking".
The woman was obviously being bellegerent and felt she didn't need to respect a cop, a taser was a bit much but if he tried to use bruit force he probably would have broken her arm. Respect the police Granny!
first off, nothing in the "law" states you HAVE to sign a ticket...that startsa contract w/the authorities that you must act on...he knows that, and cannot FORCE you to sign a ticket...that is where it should've ended...GO GET EM GRANNY
I was shocked when I first heard this story, but after watching the video, Granny was wrong, she was speeding, take the ticket and go on. You argue with an officer and start a confrontation, this is what can happen. I don't wanna be tazed so i am gonna cooperate
LOOK AT THE SIZE DIFFRENCE I THINK HE SEEN AN OPENING FOR HIM TO USE I OF HIS TOYS THIS ACTION WAS UNCALLED FOR I BELIVE THAT THE BADGE AND THE TAZER WENT TO HIS BIG HEAD SOMETIME WE CAN GIVE SOME PEOPLE TO MUCH AUTHORITY AND THEN THEY ABUSE IT IM NOT SAYING THAT HE SHOULD HAVE TO TOLORATE HER ACTIONS I JUST THINK IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN HANDLED IN ANOTHER WAY
The signing of a citation is not an admission of guilt. It places one at the scene of an alleged violation.The method of incarcerating an elderly person can always be viewed as controversial.Her remark " I dare you" clearly indicates her disrepect for the officer and her disregard for his authority.Her Unconcern forthe rights and safety of others does seem to match the current theme.I think she should run for public office.
The officer did the right thing under the circumstances.
Granny was wrong, wrong and wrong. The officer did a great job. There are laws and rules. The same law applies whether you are a young or old driver. Stop making excuses. This is one thing wrong with America today, too much gray area on rules.
Wow.Are these the kind of cops we have today? This is complete disrespect.Yes there are laws that need to be followed but there are also morals. Does electrocuting a woman old enough to be your grandma fell good officer? This is just sick.He could've let her go and get her license or plate number or something. This is just excessive. Just imagine can an officer scared of an old woman's free will and spunk be able to protect our citizens from badass criminals? I don't think so.
I am a 74 yr old woman and I say she was definately in the wrong. With her attitude she is a danger to other drivers on the road. Show a little respect.
She was in her right mind, and she was provoking the officer. The second she made a move for her car, she was asking for a lot of trouble. Would you tell a cop that you're leaving and expect him to just stand there and let you?
Anyone knows getting back in your car is one of the biggest threats to an officer and they cannot allow it. Regardless of age, who knows what weapons she might have, and a car in itself is also a weapon.
That said, I still think his actions before her going for the car were excessive. Watch how he throws his clipboard, then throws down the cuffs, then pushes her. I agree, she was being confrontational, provoking him with the "I dare you" and being close. He, however, allowed the situation to escalate instead of keeping his cool and defusing it, or at least holding out til back-up arrived.
To the fellow officers posting here: You know that as an officer of the law you are expected to keep your cool in these situations.
As was said in Mad Max, Beyond Thunderdome:
"You take your chances with the law...".
after reading all your comments i'm wondering why your discussion is all about the fact whether grandma was wrong or not and whether the cop had the right to act the way he did or not.
doesn't anyone notice that the whole escalation of this situation might have been avoided if the police officer had acted in an appropriate and comparative way?
he could have stopped that intractable grandma with something like "good afternoon lady, did you forget a turkey in your oven or why did you drive that fast? i'm afraid i have to shorten your pension ny giving you a fine on that".
i cannot imagine something like this could happen in any western european country and this possibly makes your nation so strange to europeans and a good part of the rest of the world.
show a little respect and politeness on old people (in fact on all people) and they'll do almost everything you want.
I don't fully understand why she was out of the car to begin with. Maybe the laws are different in PA but when you get a ticket your never asked to get out the vehicle. I believe the cop went way overboard because instead of shoving her he could have just as quickly handcuffed her. He wanted to try out his taser and grandma got to be his victim. The threat to taze her again was even more ridiculous. Very sad, these officers are the ones that give the good officers a bad name.
It is obvious that the officer was forced to taser the elderly lady because he was SO FAT and out of condition that he would not have had the energy to haul his LARD ARSED head and body in a chase if he'd have been forced to. I hope one day the officer comes to England - we'll teach him some respect for his elders.
People we have to be more understanding of what it really means to be a police officer in America. I personally am not a member of any police department but I do know that it is extremely dangerous occupation to have. Old women to drunken 20 year old bodybuilder. Size does not matter when dealing with an individual. Now we all know that if he were to force himself onto the old women and cuff her, a huge State and Police wide lawsuit would emerge. So people the only weapon police officers have to use without looking at exponential consequences is the Tazer. We don't want cops shoot at every person they have trouble with nor do we want to watch cops beat the hell out of people. We want them to detain and correct the individual and then move on. Do I think he could have force those cuffs on her, sure; but is that how we are going to set the standard for all cops who have trouble with a detainee. I mean get real, if that were you would you rather the cop tazed you or beat you down? Choose?
Typical lazy donut cruncher...she's a little old lady. He looks like he could wrangle a box of Krispy Kremes in a bout of 2 handed combat but somehow he needs to tazer an old woman? Put her up against the car and cuff her if you have to because she wasn't friendly and wouldn't sign the ticket (is she actually legally required to?)...tazer her??? What a jackbooted moron. This kind of crap is becoming more and more common with LE.
This video is ridiculous if a cop cant control a 72 year old women without a tazer he shouldn't be wearing a badge. What's even more funny is how he threatened to tazer her again when she was yelling in pain on the ground. This is what our tax money is paying for...please! If that was his grandma he wouldn't have done that.
As an officer, I must admit that the 72-year old woman was wrong because she was refusing to follow his directions. But, she did not need to be tasered. I tell my family and friends to follow the officer's directions because you never know when you could end up tasered, or worse. This cop lost focus two important words in his job description "Protect & Serve". Now, more people will look at us as a threat rather than as a help. There was no real threat by this woman and Internal Affairs should be able to see that his actions were out of line.
See what happens when a low quality person becomes policeman! HE has become a bully and a jerk. Someone should taser this jerk!
Well I looked it up, as far as the way us Texans do it, and since she is a Texan, maybe being on the road she should have known this.....Do not argue your case on the side of the road, save that for court. Also you must sign the ticket or you will receive a free taxi ride to the local jail. Signing is not an admission of guilt, just a promise to appear in court. You do not have the right to see the radar readout and it does not matter anyway.
I googled this as "do you have to sign a ticket from an officer of the law in Texas?"
Grandma was in the wrong, hell I'm in a wheelchair for crying out loud, but if they want to take me to jail and/or tazer me because I decide not to cooperate then cops have that right. I'm suppose to be a law abiding citizen, what's wrong with that? I'm going peacefully, then get in front of the judge if I see fit, but not worth possibly losing my life over it all.
Get a grip, people! The officer put HIMSELF FIRST and put the Lady's rights as a Human Being LAST.
The man IS NOT an officer of the law. He IS a coward, a criminal, and has used a Weapon Of Torture.
Should civilians now drive heavily armed? And be ready to use it? Cops had better WAKE UP! The public is watching all of this, and we ARE NOT PLEASED.
Try some COMMON DECENCY-- for a change!
Lady right? where does she ave a right to speed in a work zone? where does she have a right to disobey an officer telling her to do things? she has no rights when she not using her privbalges the right way. she does not have a right to drive .SHE HAS A PRIVALGE TO DRIVE.
For those of you who think the officer did a 'great job', you must be either members of his family or not right in the head yourselves!
Clearly theses actions were OTT and uncalled for. the very fact that this incident is being reported in the international press highlights the failings of this officer. Shame on him!!!
AND YOU MOST BE ANTI POLICE AND THINK DOUBLE STADNARD IS FINE. THE MEIDA TAKES IT AS THEY CAN'T HANDLE IT AS IT SHOULD BE HANDLE. NEVER GO BY THE PRESS THAT FING STUPID.
SHE WAS WRONG OK WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG SHE ASK FOR IT.... SHE DIDN'T LISTEN SHE DID MANY THINGS WRONG. UNCALLED FOR MY BUTT. IF SHE KILLEDH IM YOU ALL BE SAYING HE SHOULD OF DONE HIS JOB BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH. MORONS
What was he supposed to do, let her back on the road and go on a high speed police chase? That would endanger the lives of others. She was not going to corporate without the use of force. The cop was in a lose lose situation there. A: She would have got back into the car and drove off without justice, or B: Be taken down by force.
This is not a question of right and wrong.This was a question of procedure and did he follow proper procedure. Criminal, weapon of torture, and moron just fuels a fire that rages inside American with a thirst for poetic justice. People we have become a society that is trying to define things that are not so easy to define let alone recognize. The cop did what he had to and the women was indeed a victim of wrongful procedure and use of tactic. But nonetheless she is off the streets speeding in slow zones. That is the point. Just because we do what is wrong and categorize it as minimal does not negate the fact the it was wrong. The women was wrong in speed and resisting authority. The cop was wrong for not following proper procedures. Last time I checked, two wrongs will creates meaningless lawsuits. People ask yourself a question: Is this situation going to send a strong enough message to law enforcement that will set the standard of care for all Americans?
HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG.
I could imagine my own grandmother acting this way, and I swear to God, if any man, police officer or not, ever hurt her like that, regardless of whether or not she would sign a piece of paper, I would find a way to kill that bastard. Come on, all you people who think he was just doing his job. It's an old lady!
SO SHE SINCE AN OLD LADY THE OFFICER DERSEVE TO DIE FOR DOING HIS DAMN JOB? WHAT THE BLINK ARE YOU GUYS ON?
Grandma was WRONG- dare him to tase u....act like a 5 year old much grandma?? U were speeding u were in the wrong!!
U have to sign the ticket regardless....argue it in court, with a judge if need be. Whats the cop supposed to do ?? He warned her she dared him.
Dumb ass grandma!!!!
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