A 65-year-old Texas woman was tackled and handcuffed after she refused to leave a Galveston Bank of America facility requiring customers to wear a coronavirus mask.
A Galveston police officer arrived on the scene and told the woman, who later identified Fox 26 Houston as Terry White, of the situation.
“Ma’am, if they ask you to leave, you have to go,” said the officer in a bodycam video.
“My money is in this bank and I’m going to get it out,” she replies.
“Well, then you must obey their rules,” the officer replied.
Even now that Texas Governor Greg Abbott has lifted a statewide mask mandate, private companies are still allowed to implement their own mask rules, capacity limits, or other safety guidelines.
“Companies have the right to refuse service even if you don’t wear a mask,” the officer explains. “You have to get a mask and then get your money out.”
She continues to protest and the officer tells her “we’re going to do this the easy way or the hard way.”
“What are you going to do, arrest me?” she replies.
“Yes, for entering buildings,” he says.
After some more back and forth, the officer adds, “This is not a public place. This is a private company. “
Then he tries to lead her away.
‘Back it up! Make a backup! Here an old lady is handcuffed! she shouts.
In the video, she appears to be ignoring his orders to put her hands behind her back and asks, “Is someone here getting real? Isn’t anyone going to be real? Wow.”
He fascinates her.
“Police brutality here folks,” she explains.
“No … no it is not,” said a chorus of other bank customers. She calls them “a bunch of sheep”.
White, who accused the arresting officer of breaking her foot, was taken to a hospital for treatment.
She is charged with criminal trespass and resisting arrest, although refusing to wear a mask alone according to Abbott’s latest directive is not a crime in Texas.
Michael Ruiz is an American and world reporter for Fox News.