A Georgia family is seeking legal counsel against Bainbridge Public Safety and Walmart after a viral video showed an officer throwing a 71-year-old woman to the ground during an encounter at the store.
Patricia Tarver, 71, and her daughter, Amita Spear, were cited for disorderly conduct following the Aug. 18 incident at a Walmart on East Alice Street in Bainbridge, according to WALB.
Tarver said the incident began after another woman threatened her while she was shopping. She called Spear, who came to the store to assist her.
‘Get Off Her!’
According to Spear, when she arrived, she saw the other woman holding a Taser, which led to an argument.
According to a Bainbridge Public Safety report, Officer Jonathan Taylor was working a detail assignment at the Walmart when he approached Tarver and Spear.
Spear said officers handcuffed her shortly after arriving.
In the full video taken by Tarver’s granddaughter, Taylor could be heard telling the 71-year-old to stand still and corporate.
“I’m gone put you on the ground if you don’t stop. You understand me,” Taylor could be heard telling Tarver.
Taylor then tried to get Tarver to give him her arm before slamming her to the ground.
“He just twisted me around and picked me up and threw me down on the floor and sat on me and pushed his knees down in my back,” Tarver told WALB.
Tarver’s granddaughter could be heard begging the officer to get off of her grandmother.
“Get off her,” she yelled while Tarver also screamed the same thing.
It’s unclear what happened to the woman who allegedly had an argument with Tarver. Atlanta Black Star reached out to police to see if she was charged.
Medical Issues
Tarver said she suffered a panic attack after she was taken to the police department and was denied her medication. Her daughter later took her to an emergency room for treatment.
Stephanie Ware, Tarver’s other daughter who works as a nurse, said emergency room doctors described what happened to her mother as physical abuse of the elderly after watching the video.
Tarver’s shoulder was also swollen and required MRIs. She has since been prescribed antidepressants and referred to counseling, according to WALB.
Her hospital discharge paperwork also described the incident as “physical abuse of the elderly.”
“Now I can’t go back in there no more because I have flashbacks,” Tarver said.
Bainbridge Public Safety Police Chief Redell Walton confirmed with Atlanta Black Star that an internal investigation into Taylor’s actions is underway.
Walton said he has seen a short video of the encounter but has not yet reviewed the full body camera footage. He said the department would not comment further until the investigation is complete.
“We just want to make sure that no laws were broken, no policy was violated,” Walton said. “That’s what we’re trying to do right now.”
It remains unclear whether Taylor could face disciplinary action as a result of the investigation.
Atlanta Black Star reached out to Walmart for comment but has not received a response.
However, Walmart provided WALB with the following statement regarding the incident:
“The safety of our associates and customers is a top priority. We defer any further questions to law enforcement.”
It remains unclear whether any Walmart employees were involved in the confrontation.
Atlanta Black Star also reached out to Tarver and her daughters but had not received a response.
