Virginia: The Tasing of the Hula Hoop Lady

Another one for The Taser filesoccurred in Norfolk, VA:

Before October, it would be hard to imagine a person more care free. Pamela Brown, the "Hula Hoop Lady", exercising for everyone's enjoyment in Norfolk's Ward's Corner. But that innocence was shattered when Officer Nicholas Parks tased her for refusing to put her arms behind her back.

To this day, she still has trouble sleeping, and told NewsChannel Three her confidence is gone. "He abused me like I'm some kind of a murderous criminal.", said Brown.

Even in the Garbled taser video recording, you can hear Pam repeatedly trying to tell Officer Parks to look at her medical card. "In my back pocket is where my medic alert information identicard... In my back pocket..." "ma'am, I'm gonna tell you one more time to (unintelligible) down and put your hands behind your back."

She also wore a necklace and bracelet that day, that details her condition. Pam suffers from a brain injury, and has pins in her shoulder that make it painful to be handcuffed.

But Officer Parks never looked, and tased her three times for resisting arrest.

Norfolk's city attorney Bernard Pishko told NewsChannel Three that in the heat of the moment, Officer Parks couldn't understand what Pam was saying. But Pam's attorneys, brain injury specialists, aren't buying the city line, and Tuesday, filed a five million dollar lawsuit against officer Parks, claiming he willingly tortured her.

Charges against her were dropped and the officer was placed on administrative leave. Below is the video captured by Parks' camera (note it appears it is covered at the moment he blasts her with the shock device) recording the incident: