34°
The clip, apparently filmed from a bystander's cell phone and then widely circulated on social media, depicts a traffic stop in a Wawa parking lot on Conshohocken State and Rockhill roads on Sunday, Jan. 8.
As the video begins, an officer is heard threatening to break the driver's window if she rolls it up. The officer then appears to reach into the car and open the door from the inside. Two officers are seen trying to pull the woman from the vehicle.
"Get out of the car, you're under arrest ... Obstruction of justice," says one officer.
"I told you, do not touch me until your Sargeant gets here," the woman is heard to say.
The officer then appears to use his TASER weapon on the woman. About 45 seconds pass during which the three officers are seen trying to pull her from the vehicle, while the driver is screaming and the TASER sound is heard.
The video ends just after the woman is removed from the car and handcuffed on the ground.
In a statement issued Tuesday, Jan. 10, the department announced it was reviewing the incident, as it does every for use of force, per its "nationally accredited policy."
The department claimed that the driver was pulled over after a "brief pursuit," and asserted the woman was being "non-compliant" with a "follow-up investigation."
"Force was required to safely take the driver into custody," the unsigned statement read.
Police say the driver was taken to a hospital "due to an existing medical condition" and later released, but that she was not injured during the arrest. They have not released her name and it's not clear if she has been formally charged with anything.
Also on Tuesday, the NAACP's Main Line Branch said it was "investigating ... to understand if policy and procedure were appropriately followed" during the stop. Members of the civil rights group will meet with the department's Police and Minority Relations Committee to "discuss the incident at length," they added.
The NAACP says it will release a full report of its findings after its review is complete.
"Like many, I was shocked and very concerned when I reviewed the footage available on social media," said branch president Brian Reese-Turner. "We want to get to the bottom of this and ensure residents of color feel safe when encountering police."
Click here to follow Daily Voice West Chester and receive free news updates.
