Ohio woman tased by cop for not wearing mask at middle school football game in front of horrified spectators
A woman from Ohio was tasered and arrested by a police officer for not wearing a face mask at a middle school football game. The incident was filmed on Wednesday, September 23, in the city of Logan. The woman, identified as Alecia Kitts, of Marietta, was attending a Marietta City Schools football game attended by around 300 people when the incident unfolded.
Reports state that Kitts, who was sitting with several other families and children in the bleachers, got into a heated verbal altercation with a police officer over face masks. Although it is not clear what the two initially talked about, but Kitts reportedly resisted arrest as the officer struggled to handcuff her. Kitts, in the footage which has been widely shared on social media, yells: "Let go of me! Get off of me, sir! What the f*** is wrong with you?" The people in the stands then turn their attention toward the commotion as Kitts screams and a young boy there begins to cry. The clip shows the woman and the officer continue to grapple with each other until he asks Kitts to place her hands behind her back. Kitts then yells in response: "You’re not arresting me for nothing, I ain’t doing nothing wrong."
At one point in the clip, Kitts falls in between two bleacher seats as the officer stands over, attempting to handcuff her as the woman's mother watches the incident unfold in shock. After nearly two minutes of struggle between the two, the officer finally tases Kitts, who then screams as nearby spectators slam the officer. One person can be heard saying: "Tasing this lady over not wearing a damn mask." While the woman's mother attempts to apeal to the police officer, saying: "It's just a mask." The officer, however, takes the woman into custody. The officer then escorts Kitts away from the middle school football game, but she tries to defiantly grasp onto the handrails.
The woman reportedly appeared to have an American flag-themed face mask in her back pocket, according to The Marietta Times. The outlet reported that she was cheering for the visiting team at the Marietta City Schools game. Logan Athletic Director Theresa Schultheiss also commented on the incident and told the outlet that out of 300 people attending the event, only Kitts and her mother "were having issues with compliance."
Schultheiss added: "This rule has been in effect since we were told we could play. 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."
Meanwhile, the MCS Athletic Director Cody Venderlic said that one of the biggest problems they have faces so far amidst the pandemic is the behavior of parents and visitors. "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 outlet. "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 also released a statement, saying 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," Hampton said. "Instead, we’re talking about an individual who didn’t follow the rules and made a spectacle of herself." The matter is currently under investigation by the Logan Police Department.