Black woman accused of shoplifting tackled, pepper sprayed in front of 3-year old

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By Teddy Grant Published: March 8, 2021

Black woman accused of shoplifting tackled, pepper sprayed in front of 3-year old

FILE - In this Feb. 1, 2021, file photo, Toni Winter, left, chants as she marches with members of Community Justice Initiative and supporters to the Rochester Police Department's Clinton Section, protesting the police handcuffing and pepper spray of a 9-year-old Black girl in Rochester, N.Y. A police officer using pepper spray against the girl has spurred outrage as the latest example of law enforcement mistreatment of Black people, and one that shows even Black children are not exempt. (Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat & Chronicle via AP, File)

By: Teddy Grant

Law enforcement in Rochester, New York, tackled and pepper-sprayed a Black woman they suspected of shoplifting in front of her 3-year-old, according to BuzzFeed News.

Video from the Feb. 22 incident shows a police officer confronting the woman asking her what she stole from a Rite Aid, saying, “I don’t have time for the BS, you better be quick with me.”

The unidentified woman denied stealing anything from the store and opened her purse to show the officer diapers and other items.

The woman begins to run away with her child after the police officer said that she had to remain with him as another officer spoke with store employees.

The bodycam footage then shows the cop chasing after her, tackling her to the ground, while her child screams, “Mommy, Mommy!”

The officer has been placed on administrative leave while an investigation is underway. The woman was charged with trespassing, per BuzzFeed News.