A woman faces disorderly conduct charges and an officer is under investigation after an altercation that began when a Walmart employee in Alabama asked a customer to wear a face mask in the store. The exchange ended with a police officer performing a “takedown” maneuver on her, officials said.
Video of the confrontation at a Birmingham Walmart circulated widely on social media. The video shows the officer picking up the woman and throwing her to the ground. It appears he was attempting to handcuff her.
The Birmingham Police Department addressed the incident in a video statement.
Sgt. Rod Mauldin said a Walmart employee had told the woman to wear a face mask in the store, and the officer became involved because the woman became disorderly. Mauldin said the woman refused to leave the store and then resisted when the officer tried to detain her.
“The officer used a takedown measure to gain control due to the other threat factors in the store,” Mauldin said.
The department said she was charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and criminal trespass. The department did not release her name.
The police department said it has not issued any citations or made any arrests as it relates to the city’s shelter-in-place ordinance or face-covering ordinance.
A group of women who identified themselves as family members of the woman arrested said the woman was leaving the store when the officer used the measure.
Mauldin told The Birmingham News that the officer was off duty and working security for Walmart. He said the department is aware of the video and released this statement on behalf of the department.
“A preliminary investigation consistent with the Birmingham Police Department reportable use of force protocols were immediately initiated and investigators of the Internal Affairs Division are conducting an investigation. This protocol applies for all use of force incidents that occur within the Birmingham Police Department.
“We understand we are operating in trying times. The Birmingham Police Department has maintained a consistent community oriented educational approach to the surrounding circumstances of Covid-19...Our records indicate, we have not issued any citations or made arrests as it relates to the shelter in place ordinance or the face covering ordinance. We have made a valiant effort to gain voluntary compliance and we will continue to work cohesively with the community.”
Stephanie Toone of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution contributed to this report.
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