Woman tazed at football game for resisting arrest after not

Some schools have started sports, with very strict rules. Her not wearing a mask could shut down the sports program at her school. If security was told to force the policy by any means necessary, they weren’t in the wrong.

And you've completely missed the point.  Again.

I have senior who is STILL not allowed to do his sport - so I am beyond pissed off that anyone is going to jeopardize these kids ability to play. If you won't comply don't go - it's really just that simple. I often say leave the kids out of it - and it applies here to - go make your political statement somewhere else.

As a total aside, if this was my school's SRO - I'd be a little concerned about his abilities - she's a small woman dude, you should have been able to handle this a whole lot better. I watched video of our SRO take down a man trying to gain admission into the front of our school. He didn't have nearly the size differential and handled it a whole lot better.

An Ohio woman was tased and arrested for refusing to leave a middle school football game after police say she refused multiple requests to comply with school policy to wear a mask while watching the game.

Alecia Kitts was in the stands watching her son's football game in Logan, Ohio, on Wednesday when police say a school resource officer asked her to wear a mask. She refused, saying she had asthma. Logan police said Officer Chris Smith told her that if she didn't put her mask on, she would be asked to leave.

In a news conference yesterday, Gov. Mike DeWine said Kitts was told that if she had asthma, she could get a face shield and come back for the game.

"The female continually refused his request and Officer Smith advised her that if she refused to leave, she would be cited for trespassing and escorted off the property," the Logan Police Department said in a statement on Facebook.

"After several attempts to get her to leave, Officer Smith advised her she was under arrest for criminal trespassing and asked her to place her hands behind her back multiple times and she refused."

Video from the incident shows Kitts shouting, "Get off of me! You're not arresting me for nothing. I ain't doing nothing wrong! What the f--- is wrong with you, people?"

The video did not capture the initial confrontation.

Police say Smith tried to place her hand behind her back and Kitts resisted.

"Officer Smith advised her to comply or he would deploy his Taser if she did not quit resisting. She continued to resist, and Officer Smith placed his Taser on her shoulder area and drive stunned her once," police said.

Marietta City Schools Superintendent Will Hampton told CNN that not wearing a mask is a violation of the guidelines issued by the governor and the Ohio High School Athletic Association to every district in Ohio."

"It is critically important to understand that if we want to continue to enjoy athletics, these are the rules that we must follow. If spectators chose not to follow the orders of the governor and the OHSAA, we could lose the opportunity to participate in athletic competition for our student athletes, and our ability as spectators to cheer them on," Hampton said in a statement.

Police say that Kitts was not arrested for failing to wear a mask, but was asked to leave the property for violating school policy and was then trespassing, once she refused to leave.

Kitts' attorney, Maurice Thompson, told CNN in an email that she "has injuries, including a broken arm, apparently."

He did not respond to CNN's calls to further explain her injuries.

In his email, her attorney wrote, she committed no crime and thus committed no "criminal trespass."

"The Logan School District totally misapplied the law, and misapplied it haphazardly and violently," he wrote.

"Ms. Kitts explained to the policy officer and administrators that she has asthma, but they ignored her," Thompson wrote. "Their position was that un-masked asthmatic must leave the stadium, with is not consistent with any directive or other law."

CNN examined the statewide policy and did find that there is a medical exception that expressly covers those who have "respiratory conditions that restrict breathing."

Police say that after county medical services arrived, Kitts refused treatment. She was released at the scene.

The Logan Police Department posted on Facebook that the arrest "is an unfortunate incident for everyone involved" and remains under investigation.

Police say additional charges are pending on Kitts and another female subject involved in the incident.”

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Yep, entitled, selfish woman.

Refusing police orders, she’s lucky she wasn’t shot in the back—say 7 times.


Her refusal to comply could have jeopardized the team’s participation in other events, and standings.

I hope she has to prove that she has asthma.

I guess I disagree much as I don’t care for police officers (former Leo wife) this woman repeatedly ignored the officers commands. What wAs he supposed to do, just say ok never mind? Tazers are a safe alternative to batons and guns. It’s unpleasNt in the moment but leaves no lasting effects.
Is it stupid to get tazed over a mask? Yes. Is the officers fault it escalated to that level? No. He had a job to do and he did it. It was her fault for being an asshole.

Sport rules are dictated by a governing body. For my kids, that would be southern section CIF. They dictate the rules for all schools in Southern California (high schools). For schools to participate, they have to guarantee that they will enforce the rules, or participation is yanked.

and what's the tired old trope?  if you're at risk (asthmatic) then STAY HOME! Right?!?   If she is an asthmatic and couldn't wear a mask because of that (which is a bunch of bullshit, but whatever) then why did she go to the game in the first place? She was being an asshole, pure and simple.


People with asthma CAN safely wear masks, so that excuse is BS.   There IS no HIPAA violation related to being asked about her 'health condition' so that excuse is BS.   At the point she was tazed, SHE WAS TRESPASSING because she refused to leave when asked.

If you've ever watched Cops or Live PD, then you've seen that scenario happen multiple times.  A person at a convenience store or restaurant causes a disturbance; the owner calls the police and says they want them removed and if they don't go, they're now trespassing.  simple as that.

the tazer was NOT about 'not wearing a mask' though. The tazer was for NOT LEAVING when asked because she was now TRESPASSING, and RESISTING the officers during the process.

They are not enforcing stricter rules. They are enforcing the rules that the state of Ohio and the athletic association put in place in order for the kids to have fall sports. There really different rules on place for school sporting events than the general mask mandate. It’s outlined on the article above. If the school doesn’t enforce a mask mandate at sporting events Ohio will not allow them to have sports.

Thanks for the explanation!

The fact that this thread is now 3 pages with some saying “she is in the wrong BUT the officers should have just taken her in without tasing her” or “It wasn’t state law to wear mask” or “she was 6 feet away”...

Now I know why black people are killed daily for no reason other than for being black. If you do not understand what I am saying then shut up for a minute and read what other peas who wrote comparing this with a story where black person was killed for something much simple than this. Stop arguing fucking semantics and just think. Stop playing devil’s advocate and think of all the mothers who lost their kids just for being black. Your white privilege and my brown privilege is showing for sure.

You’re right she was probably trespassing (I say probably because I don’t even know what state she was in). However, from what I saw on the video, she wasn’t endangering anyone. The officer could have called for backup. I think a taser should only be used as a last resort to diffuse a dangerous situation. 

I am a mask wearer. This lady was completely in the wrong. It just didn’t appear to me that it was necessary to taser her. Of course, I don’t know all the facts. 

I have asthma and have no problem breathing with a mask. Now, if there were factors causing my asthma to flare up (smoke, pollen), then I would just stay home....

Gee tell that to all the officers who have shot people of color without the officers even trying tazing. Start with the officer who shot Jakob Blake. I still don’t get why he was shot. In the back. Makes zero sense.