A 65-year-old woman from Texas approached her and found her handcuffed after she refused to leave a Galveston Bank of America branch that required customers to wear a coronavirus mask.
A Galveston police officer arrived on the scene and told the woman the woman, who Fox 26 Houston later identified as Terry White.
“Ma’am, if they ask you to leave, you must leave,” the officer said in a camera video.
“My money is in this bank and I’m going to take it out,” she replies.
“Well, then you have to follow their rules,” the officer replied.
Even as the Texas government, Greg Abbott, has lifted a state-wide mask mandate, private companies may still apply their own mask rules, capacity constraints or other safety guidelines.
“Businesses have the right to refuse service, even if you do not wear a mask,” the official explained. “You have to go get a mask and then take out your money.”
She continues to protest, and the officer tells her ‘we are going to do it the easy or hard way.’
“What are you going to do, arrest me?” she replied.
“Yes, for the intruder on the premises,” he says.
After a bit of back and forth, the officer adds, ‘This is not a public place. This is a private enterprise. ”
Then he tries to provoke her.
“Support! Support! An old lady is being handcuffed here!” She shouted.
In the video, she seems to ignore his instructions to put her hands behind her back and asks, ‘Is anyone really going to be here? No one is really going to become? Wow. “
He handcuffs her.
“Police brutality here, people,” she declared.
“No … no, it’s not,” a chorus of other bank customers might hear. She calls them a bunch of sheep. ‘
White, who accused the arrest of breaking her foot, was taken to a hospital for treatment.
She is facing charges of criminal trespassing and resisting arrest, although according to Abbott’s latest order, it is not a crime in Texas.
Michael Ruiz is an American and world reporter for Fox News.