Yoga instructor shocked by police for yelling at officer

Palm Beach Post ^ | December 21, 2007 | AP

[driftdiver]

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A police officer used a stun gun to zap a yoga instructor who yelled at her in a crowded department store, drawing questions about the non-lethal weapon's use.

Elizabeth Beeland, 35, went to a Daytona Beach Best Buy on Nov. 26 to purchase a CD player for her father. Her attorney said she stepped outside the store when she received an emergency call about her daughter, leaving her credit card behind.

A store clerk suspected Beeland was using a stolen card and called over Daytona Beach Police Officer Claudia Wright, who was investigating a separate call at the store.

When Wright approached Beeland, she became "verbally profane, abusive, loud and irate," Wright wrote in a report.

In a video posted on the Daytona Beach News-Journal Web site, Beeland is seen backing away and avoiding Wright before crumpling to the ground after being hit with the Taser's 50,000 volts.

She was then arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and resisting a police officer without violence — both misdemeanors.

----

Daytona Beach Police Chief Mike Chitwood defended his officer's actions and she was not punished in any way. Beeland was refusing an officer's orders, and if not for the Taser, the officer may have had to use other weapons.

[driftdiver]

Amazing how the police have fallen in love with tazers. They won't chase stolen cars but use of force on a woman for yelling is ok.

[samtheman]

Don’t taze me, bro.

[Condor51]

It almost seems like a bunch of sadists are becoming cops just so they can Zap people with their new toy.

[cripplecreek]

Ohm Ohm Ohm Ohzzzzzzzzzzzzzp

[neodad]

Daytona Beach Police Officer Claudia Wright

Don't taze me, sis.

[samtheman]

I was speaking in more general terms.

:)

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

I remember just a short time ago when tasers first came out and police departments everywhere swore that they would only be used as a last resort before drawing a gun in a dangerous situation. Now, we’re getting all of these stories where cops are resorting to tasers as soon as someone simply mouths off to them but mount know real threat to the officers.

[Bronzewound]

I'm really tired of seeing tazers described as nonlethal. A few hundred have died from them now. If they were described more accurately as sometimes lethal, maybe this kind of incident wouldn’t be as likely to occur.

[Bronzewound]

Don’t taze me, SIS, in this case. : )

[squidward]

‘Non-lethal’ has not been used by the police for years, the media is who uses this term more often than not. The correct term used is less lethal. Hard to describe anything as being non-lethal anymore. Even a hand or foot can be deadly.

[driftdiver]

“I remember just a short time ago when tasers first came out and police departments everywhere swore that they would only be used as a last resort before drawing a gun in a dangerous situation.”

They are replacing every tool the cop has it seems. Do what they say pronto or they will taze you, charge you with resisting arrest, threaten you with more charges until you drop any thought of complaining about their abuse.

Doesn’t seem to matter if the cop even has a reason to detain the person.

[Shady]

Not all, but a lot of young cops with the shaved head syndrome scare me. One bounded out of a c-store right in front of me, stopped dead and gave me the REACH look. Fortunately, he thought better of it. I did NOTHING wrong...

[Eroteme]

The police Chief says, "...and if not for the Taser, the officer may have had to use other weapons." Spoken ominously, no doubt. Other weapons, like a service revolver? For a woman who had her hands up in plain sight and who had committed no crime?

If I were a city bidding for a big, pricey convention and found myself on the short list up against Daytona...

[samtheman]

True. But I like the SOUND of “don’t taze me, bro”. It’s so 2007!

[randog]

When Wright approached Beeland, she became "verbally profane, abusive, loud and irate,"

I thought yoga was supposed to give you "inner peace", or some crap like that?

[purpleraine]

“Resisting a police officer without violence.” Good one.

[Larry Lucido]

Taser discussion aside, Yogi Beeland isn’t smarter than the average Beeland.

[TC Rider]

Don’t Taze me, Sis!!

[driftdiver]

“The police Chief says, “...and if not for the Taser, the officer may have had to use other weapons.” Spoken ominously, no doubt. Other weapons, like a service revolver? For a woman who had her hands up in plain sight and who had committed no crime?”

Thats the part that seems worse than the actual tazing. His attitude was that she was lucky she wasn’t shot. And then his parting comment “”I was never raised on Tasers,” Chitwood told the News-Journal. “I used nightsticks and slapjacks.””

So he thinks she should be grateful they didn’t beat the crap outta her or shoot her. Way to go cheeef