Shocking moment woman is tased and arrested for not wearing a face mask at a middle school football game in Ohio
An Ohio woman at a middle school football game was tasered and arrested by a police officer for not wearing a face mask in the bleachers.
Around 300 people attended a Marietta City Schools football game where Alecia Kitts, of Marietta, was filmed getting handcuffed on Wednesday in the city of Logan.
Kitts, as well as several other families and children, were sitting in the bleachers at the time and footage taken by witnesses quickly spread across social media.
Footage of the incident shows Kitts sitting next to her mother while in a heated verbal altercation with a police officer over face masks.
A woman identified as Alecia Kitts was arrested and tased by a police officer in Logan, Ohio, on Wednesday for not wearing a face mask at a middle school football game
Kitts (center) resisted arrest and repeatedly tried to avoid being handcuffed, saying: 'You’re not arresting me for nothing, I ain’t doing nothing wrong'
It's unclear what was initially said, but Kitts repeatedly resists arrest as the officer struggles to handcuff her.
'Let go of me!' Kitts yells. 'Get off of me, sir! What the f*** is wrong with you?'
Fans in the stands turn their attention towards the altercation as Kitts screams and a young boy begins to cry.
Kitts and the officer continue to grapple with each other until he asks Kitts to place her hands behind her back.
'You’re not arresting me for nothing, I ain’t doing nothing wrong,' she yells at the officer in response.
At one point, Kitts' body falls in between two bleacher seats as the officer stands over her, desperately attempting to handcuff her, and Kitts' mother watches on in shock.
After struggling for at least two minutes, the officer takes out his taser and deploys it on Kitts.
Kitts, who is still seated in the stands, lets loose a scream and nearby witnesses lash out at the officer.
'Tasing this lady over not wearing a damn mask,' one person says.
Kitts' mother tries to appeal to the police officer by saying, 'it’s just a mask,' but her daughter is taken into custody.
The police officer (center) deployed a taser at Kitts (right) before she was escorted out of the stands and away from the middle school football game
Superintendent Will Hampton: 'If you chose not to (wear a mask) then you threaten not only our ability to have sports but put your ability to watch as a spectator in jeopardy as well'
As the officer escorts Kitts away from the middle school football game, she tries to defiantly grasp onto the handrails despite being handcuffed.
The Marietta Times reports that Kitts appeared to have an American flag-themed face mask in her back pocket. She was cheering for the visiting team at the Marietta City Schools game.
Logan Athletic Director Theresa Schultheiss told publication that of the 300 people attending the game, only Kitts and her mother were 'having issues with compliance.'
'This rule has been in effect since we were told we could play,' she said.
'Everyone that came through ticketing tonight was reminded, we had regular announcements over the PA reminding you that mouths and noses needed to be covered and we had signs at the bathrooms.'
MCS Athletic Director Cody Venderlic added that one of the biggest problems they've face thus far is the behavior of visitors and parents.
'I’m grateful that it didn’t happen in Marietta, but it saddens me that it was Marietta that caused it in Logan,' he told The Marietta Times.
'As athletic directors, we’ve talked about this too and the biggest challenge about dealing with visiting fans is people behave much better at home than when they’re on the road.'
Marietta City Schools Superintendent Will Hampton said he was 'disappointed' over the incident.
'If you chose not to (wear a mask) then you threaten not only our ability to have sports but put your ability to watch as a spectator in jeopardy as well,' he said.
'Instead, we’re talking about an individual who didn’t follow the rules and made a spectacle of herself.'
Skylar Stewart, who has a son with Kitts, shared the video online and launched a complaint against the Logan Police Department over the incident.
According to Ohio's COVID-19 dashboard, Hocking County has amassed 161 confirmed cases of coronavirus, 24 hospitalizations and nine deaths.
The United States just surpassed 200,000 deaths and 6.9million infections.
The Logan Police Department said the matter is under investigation.
No comments