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Video: Officer deploys Taser on woman during controversial traffic stop outside Lower Merion Wawa
Police in Montgomery County are investigating controversial video that shows an officer deploying his Taser on an unarmed woman before pulling from her car during a traffic stop last weekend.
BALA CYNWYD, Pa. - Police in Montgomery County are investigating controversial video that shows an officer deploying his Taser on an unarmed woman before pulling from her car during a traffic stop last weekend.
The incident unfolded Sunday in the parking lot of a Wawa in Bala Cynwyd and was recorded by at least two witnesses.
The video, according to those who were there, shows Lower Merion police officers demanding the driver of a maroon Volvo to exit the car. One officer is heard threatening to break the car window after the driver refuses repeated orders from police.
The woman, who witnesses say is a 30-year-old from Norristown, asks officers for a supervisor as she continues to refuse to exit the vehicle. Moments later, witnesses say the woman was tased multiple times and dragged from her car by police and arrested.
She was brought to Lankanau Hospital for a medical condition and later released, according to a witness who spoke to FOX 29's Chris O'Connell. No charges have been filed against the driver as of this writing.
Witnesses claim the driver was originally pulled over for tailgating, prompting those who watched the incident unfold to demand answers from police about how things escalated.
"Cops walked up to her door with a gun pulled, tased her and ultimately dragged her out of the car? How is that appropriate for a traffic stop?" said a woman named Danielle who witnessed the incident.
"I'm feeling, frankly, embarrassed that this is going on in my community, I grew up here," another witness said.
The Lower Merion Police Department says the traffic stop happened after a short pursuit, but has provided limited details. Superintendent Mike McGrath told FOX 29 "officers encountered a non-compliant driver who actively resisted their follow-up investigation, force was required to take the driver safely into custody."
The department on Monday said the incident is under review in accordance with their Use of Force policy.