Police reviewing 'shocking' tasering of woman at Canberra bus stop

Police reviewing 'shocking' tasering of woman at Canberra bus stop

ACT police say they are reviewing a case where officers tasered an Aboriginal woman with an intellectual impairment at a Canberra bus stop.

ACT police are looking into a case in which officers tasered an Aboriginal woman with an intellectual impairment at a Canberra bus stop in January.

The Australian Federal Police Association has defended the conduct of the officers.

The woman is suing the officers over the interaction.

Warning: This story contains footage that some readers may find distressing.

ACT Policing is reviewing a case in which officers tasered an Aboriginal woman with an intellectual impairment at a Canberra bus stop.

The woman is suing police over the interaction at Deakin in January, which was sparked by a report from a member of the public that she had a knife.

Body-worn camera footage, released to the ABC this week, shows her pleading with officers not to taser her and telling them she had not done anything wrong.

The woman was pulled to the ground, tasered in the back, handcuffed and put headfirst into the back of a police van.

In September, Special Magistrate Sean Richter criticised the conduct of police as "unwarranted and heavy-handed".

A subsequent search of the woman's bag revealed she had two pairs of scissors, not a knife.

Deputy Chief Police Officer Richard Chin told 666 ABC Radio Canberra a review of the case was now underway.

In brief

ACT police are looking into a case in which officers tasered an Aboriginal woman with an intellectual impairment at a Canberra bus stop in January. The woman is suing the officers over the interaction. ACT Policing is reviewing a case in which officers tasered an Aboriginal woman with an intellectual impairment at a Canberra bus stop.

This is the opening of the story, shared with credit to ABC News Australia. The rest of the report — with every detail — continues on the publisher’s website.

Continue reading at ABC News Australia ↗

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