Glendale police said officer who activated Taser on shoplifting suspect 14 times followed policy

PHOENIX — Glendale police said an officer who activated a Taser 14 times on a shoplifting suspect Tuesday acted within department policy.

The female suspect, whose name has not been released, was approached by an officer while leaving the Walmart Supercenter near 56th and Northern avenues around 1:30 p.m. after he was alerted by store security the woman was stuffing items into her bag, spokeswoman Gina Winn told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Wednesday.

Body cam video of the incident (WARNING: Graphic content) shows the officer attempting to place the woman under arrest and the suspect resisting.

The officer, who was by himself, then began stunning the woman with the Taser, according to Winn.

The 14 activations happened over 10.6 seconds, Winn said.

The total time of the interaction was about five minutes and the woman was eventually arrested.

“As a part of our standard practice, this case was reviewed by a supervisor and determined that the response to resistance was within policy,” Winn said.

The suspect was taken to a hospital after suffering a “medical episode” and was released, according to Winn.

The woman will face two counts of shoplifting, one count of possession of drug paraphernalia and one count of resisting arrest, Winn said.

The total value of the items the woman allegedly store from the store was $76, according to Winn.

“This is how we expect our officers to respond in situations like this,” Winn said. “This officer was calm in his demeanor, used clear commands, used appropriate levels of force and called for medical when needed.”

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Colton Krolak contributed to this report.

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