Terry White Galveston, Texas woman, 65, arrested for refusing to mask up or leave bank. Incident caught on police bodycam video.
Video has captured the moment a 65-year-old Texas woman was tackled and handcuffed after refusing to leave a Galveston Bank of America branch which requires customers to wear a face mask amid the ongoing coronavirus.
A Galveston police officer arrived at the scene and told Terry White, the situation.
‘Ma’am, if they ask you to leave, you have to leave,’ the officer says in bodycam video according to Fox 26 Houston.
‘My money is in this bank, and I’m going to take it out,’ she replies.
‘Well then you have to abide by their rules,’ the officer responds.
Private business may still elect to mandate customers wear masks
Even as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has lifted a statewide mask mandate, private businesses are still allowed to implement their own mask rules, capacity limits or other safety guidelines.
‘Businesses have the right to refuse service even if you’re not wearing a mask,’ the officer explains in the video. ‘You need to go and get a mask and then take your money out.’
The woman continues to protest, with the officer telling her ‘we’re gonna do this the easy way or the hard way.’
‘What are you gonna do, arrest me?’ Terry White replies.
Y’es, for intruding on premises,’ the officer says.
After some more back and forth, the officer adds, ‘This is not a public place. This is a private business.’
Then he tries to usher her out.
‘Police brutality right here people,’
‘Back up! Back up! Some old lady is getting handcuffed here!’ White yells.
In the video, she appears to ignore his orders to put her hands behind her back and asks, ‘Is anybody gonna get real here? No one’s gonna get real? Wow.’
The officer then cuffs White.
‘Police brutality right here people,’ she says.
‘No…no it’s not,’ a chorus of other bank customers can be heard saying. 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 faces charges of criminal trespass and resisting arrest, although refusing to wear a mask on its own is not a crime in Texas under Abbott’s latest directive.
